One Pan Chicken and Rice with Zucchini
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This One Pan Chicken and Rice with Zucchini and Tomatoes is an easy one-pot chicken casserole. It's a simple-to-prep dish for busy weeknights with Spanish-inspired flavors, tender chicken, and perfectly cooked rice. And then drizzled in a Garlic Honey Sauce. The zucchini and tomatoes are vibrant and delicious, truly making it a one-pan meal.
For another easy 30-minute meal, try this skillet arroz con pollo recipe!
I love one-pot meals, don't you?! Not only does it make cleanup incredibly simple, but it also makes everything easier.
This one-pot chicken and rice is no exception. It's easy to make, and the flavors mingle beautifully with a delicious Spanish-inspired paprika sauce. I hope you will love it as much as we do.
This low-prep meal is perfect for hectic weeknight dinners or busy weekends when everyone is going in different directions. The only prep needed in this dish is a simple sauce made with olive oil and spices, plus slicing zucchini. That's it!
What I Love About This One Pot Chicken and Rice
Here are three reasons I love to add this meal to our regular meal rotation:
- It's a one-pan recipe that not only provides easy cleanup- but easy cooking, too!
- Hearty and delicious with perfectly seasoned and cooked chicken, vegetables, and fluffy, perfect rice. (I think it's the rice that gets me every time!).
- Doesn't require multiple steps; it's a simple and easy recipe using dry rice and very little prep.
I love one-pot, or one-pan meals for busy weeknight and even weekend cooking. Much like our always popular Easy One Pot Pasta with Ground Beef and Broccoli, or the jazzy One Pot Jambalaya, or the simple One Pot Chicken and Rice Casserole, this Spanish-inspired one-pot dish is soon to become a favorite.
Ingredients
Here is a list of ingredient notes for this recipe. Specific ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are the ingredients I used in this easy one pot chicken dish:
- Chicken: I'm using bone-in, skin on chicken thighs, but chicken breasts can also be substituted. My family loves a crispy skin on chicken, but you can use skinless chicken and even boneless, skinless chicken if you prefer. Baking time will vary depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
- Paprika Sauce: olive oil, smoked paprika, onion powder, dried oregano, and minced, pressed, or chopped garlic cloves.
- Dry rice: I'm using long-grain white rice I had on hand, but basmati rice would be delicious as well. I've not tested this recipe using brown rice. A small amount of butter is used to dot the rice for flavor before baking.
- Vegetables: Sliced zucchini and cherry tomatoes are perfect in this dish. For the cherry tomatoes, I add them whole, which delightfully reduces prep time.
- Hot Honey Sauce: Honey, hot sauce to taste, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
How to Make this Spanish-Inspired Chicken and Rice Recipe
While step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below, here is a quick overview of how simple this dish is!
Begin by preheating the oven to 400℉ and oiling or coating a 9x13 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Step 1: Combine the olive oil, smoked paprika, onion powder, oregano, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Step 2: Add chicken and turn to coat all sides.
- Step 3: Add the rice and zucchini to the prepared baking dish.
- Step 4: Pour broth or water over the rice. Add the butter and arrange the chicken and tomatoes over the rice and zucchini. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the rice is fluffy and the chicken is cooked through.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Boneless chicken works perfectly in this one-pot wonder. Be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly to ensure your chicken is tender and cooked through.
The paprika adds a wonderful depth of flavor without being overly spicy. It lends a warm and smoky note rather than heat. Feel free to adjust the amount to your taste preferences or choose a sweeter or smokier variety of paprika.
Absolutely! Cooking is all about creativity. Feel free to add your favorite vegetables or herbs to make the dish your own. Chopped bell peppers, spinach, or even a sprinkle of fresh basil can complement the flavors beautifully.
More Recipes You May Also Enjoy
More Chicken Recipes to Try
- Quick Chicken Shawarma Bowls25 Minutes
- Abraham Lincoln's Chicken Fricassee Recipe45 Minutes
- 30 Minute Arroz con Pollo (One Skillet Chicken and Rice)30 Minutes
- Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Soup2 Hours 15 Minutes
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One Pan Chicken and Rice with Zucchini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs or breasts (skin on or off)
- 1 ¾ cup uncooked dry white rice
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups sliced zucchini
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth plus, potentially an additional ⅓ cup water (or you can substitute water for the broth)
Smoked Paprika Sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- black pepper to taste
- 3 cloves garlic chopped or pressed
Hot Garlic Honey Sauce
- ½ cup honey
- hot sauce to taste (I added about 7-10 drops)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ and lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, paprika, onion powder, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat.
- Add the rice and zucchini to the prepared baking dish. Pour 2 cups of broth (or water) over the rice. Add the butter and arrange the chicken and cherry tomatoes over the rice and zucchini. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the rice is fluffy and the chicken is cooked through. If the rice is still hard, add ⅓ cup more water and cook for 10 more minutes.
- When the chicken is done, spoon half the sauce over the chicken. Serve the chicken, rice, and zucchini topped with fresh basil and extra honey sauce. Enjoy!
- Make the sauce: In a saucepan, warm the honey, hot sauce, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes along with a pinch of salt.
- Once the chicken is cooked, spoon half of the sauce over the chicken and reserve the reaminig sauce for serving. Top the chicken with fresh herbs like basil, thyme, parsley, or all three.
Notes
- Chicken: Bone-in thighs are best with this dish because the cooking time is the same as the rice. I've left the skin on for my guys, but skin-off is preferable in my opinion. It's easy to remove the skin. Drumsticks would be a great substitute with no change to the cook time or oven temperature.
- Boneless Skinless Thighs and Breasts: To substitute boneless skinless thighs or breasts, add rice, water, and butter to the casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, uncover the casserole, and top with zucchini and cherry tomatoes. Add an additional ⅓ cup of water if necessary to the rice. Top with paprika sauce glazed chicken and bake uncovered for a further 20 to 25 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
- Rice - Any long-grain white rice works well in this recipe as it yields the fluffiest rice.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Made this tonight for a fast, easy weeknight dinner. I had zucchini and yellow squash to use up so went pretty heavy on the vegetables. My husband doesn't like smoked paprika so I just used regular, and then didn't have any red pepper flakes so added a bit of cayenne. So tasty! Would definitely be interested in subbing chicken stock for water with the rice next time.
Hi Jenna! Thank you so much for trying the dish. I love your changes (including the cayenne) -- and yes, broth will bring additional flavor. I'm using it often too these days.
Nothing but great reviews from the family.
I went half water half chicken broth and I didnt have cherry tomatoes so I coarsely Chopped a couple of Roma tomatoes.
I have added this to the dinner rotation!
Thanks
I'm SO happy the family enjoyed it! That makes my day 😍! Roma tomatoes was a great idea -- thank you for trying it and letting me know how it worked for you and the ingredients you used.