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.
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.
Why it's so dang good!
You know chicken thighs are my favorite. I just keep cooking them in different ways. And 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)
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 gets infused with all of those aromatics and spices. You can't ask for much more in a one pot meal, can you?
Ingredients
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: They can vary wildly in size, so look for 8 medium-sized thighs that will all fit into the skillet and work out to two per person. (I hate to make two people split a chicken thigh...)
- Basmati or American long-grain white rice: It's important to use a long grain white rice, as brown rice and/or short grain will take much too long to cook.
- Canned black beans: Yes, right outta the can! Try to find some with lower sodium.
- Low sodium chicken stock: This will give the rice a lot of extra lovely flavor.
- Yellow onion: I like the milder flavor of yellow onions, but if you have white ones or red ones, they will work in this recipe.
- Red bell peppers: Choose firm peppers with no wrinkles on the outside.
- Jalapeño peppers: Medium-sized peppers are great for this. I'm using 2, but if you want a little more heat, you can add another.
- Garlic: We're grating the garlic, so it will permeate the entire dish, and I love this because it's so much easier than chopping!
- Cumin: This beautiful spice is one of my favorites and goes hand in hand with rice and beans.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes: Either will work, but grape tomatoes are usually cheaper and available year-round.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: To season the chicken thighs and the stock.
Instructions
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 tablespoon 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.
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.
Tips
- 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.
- You MUST use a 12" oven proof skillet or the rice won't cook properly. All of this won't even fit in a smaller skillet, and in a larger one, the rice will sink to the bottom of the pan and burn.
- 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.
Related Recipes
Try these one-pan chicken thigh recipes!
- If you like Middle Eastern flavors, you'll love Skillet Chicken Shawarma with Tahini Sauce!
- When fresh corn is in season, there's nothing like Chicken Thighs with Coconut Milk Creamed Corn, Green Chiles, and Cilantro.
- What could be easier than throwing everything on a sheet pan? Try Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken Thighs and Potatoes with Arugula, Herbs, and Lemon Yogurt.
- I love to make Dijon Chicken Thighs with Apples and Kale in the fall.
- The flavors of Chicken Escabeche with Jalapeños, Golden Raisins, and Mint will whisk you away to Spain.
Recipe
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 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- fresh cilantro for serving
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
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 tablespoon 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 via NYTCooking.
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