Seasoned flavorful Middle Eastern Chicken with turmeric rice is a meal the whole family will love. It’s super easy to make, and makes a great weeknight meal because it’s fast to prepare and all made in one pot. The ultimate comfort food, but with a healthy twist!

I absolutely love this Middle Eastern Chicken recipe because it is full of flavors that are warm and comforting. For me comfort food is all about eating a meal that reminds you of home, and whenever I have this middle eastern chicken I am instantly transported to my childhood and family dinners around the dinner table.

From a young age my mom always stressed the importance of using fresh and quality ingredients whenever we made a meal. Saturday mornings were spent at the farmers market picking up local produce, meat, and chicken to use to prepare in the meals for the week. Now that I’m an adult I still shop this way, and today’s middle eastern chicken recipe is no different.

I teamed up with Foster Farms to bring you a dish that redefines comfort food, and to introduce to you the #NewComfortFood, a modern healthy twist using mostly local and seasonal ingredients.

For the chicken, I used Foster Farms Simply Raised Fresh Chicken. Family owned, California grown, and free of antibiotics this was of course the natural choice. I absolutely love that I can make a run to my local grocery store (I picked this up at Ralph’s), and know that I am getting chicken that has been raised right in my own state. It just inspires me to create healthier versions of my favorite comfort food. For more creative and healthy recipes be sure to check out Foster Farms website for some inspiration!

The flavors of this middle eastern chicken are bold and in your face. I call it middle eastern because of the spices of turmeric, cumin, and curry that are used in the dish. It’s even better because the chicken sits on a bed of rice that has been flavored with turmeric, and the juices of the fresh chicken. It’s cooked together all in one pan building layers and layers of flavor. The chicken is seared until golden brown first, and then the rice is added and finishes cooking in the oven. I love cooking rice in the oven because of how much flavor it absorbs.

I hope this dish inspires you to revisit your favorite comfort food recipes, and transform them into the #NewComfortFood, healthy but just as indulging. Check out the recipe below.

More Chicken Recipes from Ev’s Eats! 

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One Pot Middle Eastern Chicken

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Seasoned flavorful Middle Eastern Chicken with turmeric rice is a meal the whole family will love. It’s super easy to make, and makes a great weeknight meal because it’s fast to prepare and all made in one pot. The ultimate comfort food, but with a healthy twist!

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Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 5 skin on, bone in chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 2 tbsp of turmeric
• 1 tbsp of cumin
• 1/2 tbsp of curry
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of black pepper

For the Rice

• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
• 1½ cups basmati rice
• 1½ cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp of turmeric
• 1 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Combine the chicken and all the ingredients for the chicken in a large resealable bag, and let marinade for at least 30 minutes (preferably over night for more flavor).
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. In a large oven safe skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet skin side down and cook until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes), then flip over and cook the other side until golden brown (another 3-5 minutes).
4. Remove the chicken and set aside.
5. Remove any black or burnt bits from the pan, and add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan over medium high heat.
6. Add the onions to the skillet with the oregano, turmeric, and cumin. Saute until the onions become translucent.
7. Add the garlic and basmati rice and saute for 1 minute, just until the rice begins to turn golden.
8. Add the chicken broth, water, and salt and bring to a simmer. Place the cooked chicken thighs directly on top of the rice and liquid. Once the liquid has begun to simmer, cover with a lid, and transfer to the oven to continue cooking.
9. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed.
10. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with grilled lemon slice, and fresh parsley.
11. Serve as is, or with Greek yogurt and fresh kale that has been massaged with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 1578mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 12g