Put this one pot chicken thighs recipe with southwestern flavors at the top of your list of dinner ideas. The skillet size is important, you'll need a 12" skillet for the rice to cook properly.
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Prep for this recipe goes really fast. You can slice all of the vegetables while the chicken is browning, then just throw everything together and pop it in the oven!
If I see almost any recipe that's got Southwestern, Tex-Mex flavors, I'm probably going to try it. Tell me that it's a one pot chicken recipe and I'm even more interested. And made with chicken thighs? You did it. I'm there.
You know chicken thighs are my favorite. I just keep cooking them in different ways.
Why cook with chicken thighs?
- They have so much flavor
- They're CHEAP
- They cook fast
- They're very hard to mess up (as in hard to overcook)
Most people would consider chicken thighs with rice a complete meal, but we're also adding black beans and some tasty, healthy vegetables in the form of red bell peppers and tomatoes.
More Recipes with Black Beans
The reason this one pot chicken recipe is so genius is because of its layered design, which is the work of the brilliant Diana Henry.
The peppers and onions caramelize on the bottom of the pan, then you add black beans and they keep the rice from sinking and burning.
We're going to spice it up with jalapeños and cumin, and permeate the whole thing with grated garlic. Yum.
The chicken thighs stay crispy, and the rice plumps up without getting dry, and it all gets infused with all of those aromatics and spices. You can't ask for much more in a one pot meal, can you?
One Pot Chicken Thighs with Rice and Black Beans
Adapted from Diana Henry in NYTCooking. Serves 4 generously.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a 12" ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. You MUST use a 12" oven proof skillet or the rice won't cook properly.
I used my Lodge 12" cast iron skillet, but any non-stick oven proof skillet will work.
Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.
Working in two batches, add the chicken sides skin side down to the skillet. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until the skin is lightly browned. Remember we're putting these in the oven for an hour, so they will continue to brown. Flip the thighs over and cook for 3-5 minutes more, until they are just seared.
You may need to remove a bit of the fat in between batches. Set thighs aside on a plate.
While the chicken is browning, use a good chef's knife to slice the onions and peppers thinly.
Slice the tomatoes in half, finely dice the jalapeños, and use a microplane grater to grate the garlic. (Remove seeds and ribs from the jalapeños if you like to reduce the spiciness.)
Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a sauce pan.
Once the chicken thighs are seared, carefully remove most of the fat, but leave about 2 tbsp in the pan. Warning: if you pour the fat out of the pan, be sure to wipe the side of the pan clean to avoid grease catching fire.
Return the pan to medium high heat and add onions and peppers. Sauté until peppers are tender, and onions are soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.
Add the jalapeños and cumin to the pan and sauté about 2 minutes. Add the grated garlic, and a pinch of kosher salt, stir to combine throughout and cook for about 1-2 minutes more.
Turn off the heat and add the black beans in an even layer, followed by the cherry tomatoes.
Sprinkle the rice in an even layer on top of the beans. This layering is important, the beans keep the rice from sinking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
Add the hot chicken stock to the pan, and make sure the rice is evenly distributed to the edges of the pan. You don't want to have a big pile of rice in one place and no rice in another.
Return the chicken thighs to the pan, place the pan on a baking sheet in case it bubbles over, and cook for one hour. Check the rice in the center of the pan to be sure it's done.
Remove the skillet from the oven, top with fresh cilantro, and serve with fixins like sour cream, avocados, cilantro, fresh chiles, and hot sauce.
How to get crispy skin on chicken thighs
The trick is to get a non stick pan very hot, place the thighs skin side down and then DON'T MOVE THEM for a while. Let them sear and get crispy. The thighs will naturally release from the pan when they are getting crisp. If they are sticking, leave them alone for a bit longer.
If you have a good non-stick surface like cast iron or a non-stick skillet, you shouldn't need any oil. If you're using an enameled pan, put a little bit of oil down and watch them carefully. I have accidentally lost the skin of a whole thigh to an enamel pan in my time.
This recipe makes a generous serving of rice. You'll probably have more than 4 servings, but you could easily eat the leftovers on their own as a light, meatless lunch.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Chicken Thighs with Coconut Milk Creamed Corn, Green Chiles, and Cilantro
- Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken Thighs and Potatoes with Arugula, Herbs, and Lemon Yogurt
- Dijon Chicken Thighs with Apples and Kale
- Chicken Escabeche with Jalapeños, Golden Raisins, and Mint
One Pot Chicken Thighs with Rice and Black Beans
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 jalapeño peppers
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- ⅓ lb cherry or grape tomatoes
- 15 oz black beans one 15 oz can
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- fresh cilantro for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a 12" ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. (You MUST use a 12" skillet for the rice to cook properly.) Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Working in two batches, add the chicken sides skin side down to the pan. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until the skin is lightly browned. Remember we're putting these in the oven for an hour, so they will continue to brown. Flip the thighs over and cook for 3-5 minutes more, until they are just seared. You may need to remove a bit of the fat in between batches. Set thighs aside on a plate.
- While the chicken is browning, slice the onions and peppers thinly. Slice the tomatoes in half, finely dice the jalapeños, and use a microplane grater to grate the garlic. (Remove seeds and ribs from the jalapeños if you like to reduce the spiciness.)
- Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a sauce pan.
- Once the chicken thighs are seared, carefully remove most of the fat, but leave about 2 tbsp in the pan. Return the pan to medium high heat and add onions and peppers. Sauté until peppers are tender, and onions are soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Warning: if you pour the fat out of the pan, be sure to wipe the side of the pan clean to avoid grease catching fire.
- Add the jalapeños and cumin to the pan and sauté about 2 minutes. Add the grated garlic, and a pinch of kosher salt, stir to combine throughout and cook for about 1-2 minutes more.
- Turn off the heat and add the black beans in an even layer, followed by the cherry tomatoes.
- Sprinkle the rice in an even layer on top of the beans. This layering is important, the beans keep the rice from sinking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
- Add the hot chicken stock to the pan, and make sure the rice is evenly distributed. You don't want to have a big pile of rice in one place and no rice in another.
- Return the chicken thighs to the pan, place the pan on a baking sheet in case it bubbles over, and cook for one hour. Check the rice in the center of the pan to be sure it's done.
- Top with a handful of fresh cilantro, and serve with fixins like sour cream, avocados, cilantro, fresh chiles, and hot sauce.
Notes
- You must use a 12" skillet for this recipe or the rice won't cook properly. I used my Lodge 12" cast iron skillet and it worked perfectly. If you don't have cast iron, any non-stick oven proof skillet will do as long as it's 12".
- Be sure to layer the beans evenly, then layer the rice evenly. Make sure the rice is evenly distributed in the pan all the way to the edges once the chicken stock is added. During testing, I had too big a pile in the center of the pan, and the rice took much longer to cook.
- The original author quoted a cooking time of 40 minutes. I tested this three times and it took an hour for the rice in the middle to be done every time. You can check at 40, in case your chicken thighs are much smaller, but I think you'll find it will take the full hour.
- Make sure to put the skillet on a sheet pan just in case the liquid bubbles over. And, the skillet is going to be very full and heavy, so this will make getting it into and out of the oven easier.
- This recipe makes a generous serving of rice. You'll probably have more than 4 servings, but you could easily eat the leftovers on their own as a light, meatless lunch.
- Adapted from a recipe by Diana Henry in NYTCooking.
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