This easy one-pot turmeric chicken and rice is pure winter comfort food, with warming Indian spices and plenty of vegetables.
I work with kids as a speech therapist during the day, and I remember a while back I asked one of my kids what his favorite food was and he said, “chicken and rice”. I remember thinking, “Really? What’s so special about chicken and rice?”
Well, I am here to literally eat my words. Chicken and rice cooked together, especially with turmeric and other warming spices, a generous splash of wine, and some pops of colorful veggies, definitely qualifies as favorite-food material. Plus this dish is made with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, which are my absolute favorite cut of chicken. And you only have to use one pan! There is basically nothing not to love about this dish.
One-pot turmeric chicken and rice is going to be on my dinner menu pretty much every week for the rest of the cold months. Turmeric is a vibrant superfood that gives great color and flavor to the chicken and the rice. It goes perfectly with a bit of smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, and just the tiniest touch of cinnamon. If you like Indian food, you’ll notice this dish tastes a lot like biryani. I added onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and carrots with the rice for vegetal goodness, and raisins, peas, scallions, and cilantro for extra pops of flavor and freshness toward the end of cooking.
This makes a pretty big batch of turmeric chicken and rice, so it’s perfect for sharing with someone who might need a little extra comfort food right now. I brought some over to my inlaws, who haven’t had much time to cook since they’ve been taking care of my brother-in-law after his accident last week. He came home from the hospital day before yesterday, though, and is already looking much better. This would also be a great meal to bring to a new mom or a new neighbor. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to get a special delivery of one-pot turmeric chicken and rice?
Get those forks ready to dive in and fluff up all that rice!
- 5-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 to 2½ pounds)
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ghee or avocado oil
- 1½ teaspoons turmeric, divided
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, cored, deseeded, and chopped
- ¾ cup white wine
- 2¼ cups low-sodium or homemade chicken stock
- ½ cup raisins, soaked briefly in hot water and rinsed
- ¾ cup frozen green peas (optional)
- ¼ cup sliced scallions (dark green parts only)
- Chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for serving
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Pat the chicken dry and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a very large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ghee and sprinkle on about half the turmeric. Add the chicken pieces skin side down, and sear until very well browned, about 6 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for 4 minutes on the second side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes, until somewhat softened. Stir in the ginger, garlic, and spices, including the remainder of the turmeric. Cook for one minute, until the ginger and garlic are fragrant. Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for another minute. Add the carrots, tomatoes, and wine, and let the liquid bubble away for a minute. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to dislodge any browned bits. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
- Nestle the chicken pieces into the rice, skin side up, also pouring in any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Cover the pan, transfer it to the oven, and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the raisins, peas, and scallions on top of the rice. Bake for 5 more minutes.
- If you like your chicken skin a bit crispy, raise the oven temperature to broil (or move the pan to the broiler) and remove the lid. Broil for 3-5 minutes, until the skin is deeper brown and dry to the touch.
- Transfer the chicken to serving plates, fluff and stir the rice, and serve hot with cilantro and lime wedges.
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I want to serve this for dinner on Friday night but don’t have time to make it after work. I was thinking of doing everything through step 4 on Thursday night and doing steps 5-7 on Friday to finish it off. Do you think that will work?
From a food safety perspective, I don’t think it’s a good idea–you’d be storing the chicken partially cooked. You can, however, make the whole thing ahead of time and reheat it in the oven with a little water splashed onto the rice.
This recipe turned out great! Didn’t have basmati, so I used Jasmine, which was fine. It’s hard to find bone-in/skin-on thighs in the mountains here, so I had to use boneless skinless (bummer). The thighs won’t take quite as long to cook in this case, so keep an eye on them. Delicious and will make again. Thanks!
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your modifications. I’m sure it’s still great with boneless, skinless thighs, but I do really prefer bone-in, skin-on–too bad it is hard to find near you. You might like to try ButcherBox. They deliver grassfed meat and organic poultry and pork all over the U.S. and all their meat is so good! This is my affiliate link in case you want to check it out and get some free ribeye steak: https://www.getbutcherbox.com/becky-winkler-ribeye-fans/
I didn’t realize you were a speach therapist! How cool! I went to a speach therapist when I was a kid because I couldn’t pronounce Rs correctly. I would have been fine if I were born in the UK, but needed help developing the American hard R, ha! Anyhoo, this pot o’ chicken and rice is straight out of my dreams! I could seriously eat meals like this every single day!
And by “speach,” I mean “speech….” I can pronounce my Rs now, but clearly I could use some work on spelling 😉
Lol! It should just be written like “peach” with an s at the front, though, right?!
Thanks, Julia! I have several of kids who are just working on the r sound–it is one of the toughest! In addition to the UK, you can get on fine without it in some parts of Boston, too… 😉
I adore Indian food, the aromatics are just divine. Can’t wait to try this!
Me too–I think Indian is my #1 favorite cuisine :).
I love chicken and rice too, in fact it brings me memories of my childhood….
and your version with turmeric… wow!
must. make.
hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thank you so much, Sally! Hope you do give it a try.