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!
One Pot Middle Eastern Chicken
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!
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
- 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).
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- 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).
- Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Remove any black or burnt bits from the pan, and add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan over medium high heat.
- Add the onions to the skillet with the oregano, turmeric, and cumin. Saute until the onions become translucent.
- Add the garlic and basmati rice and saute for 1 minute, just until the rice begins to turn golden.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with grilled lemon slice, and fresh parsley.
- 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: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 1578mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 12g
Elizabeth
September 5, 2016Such a beautiful looking dish! I love all the spices you’ve used here. Middle Eastern cuisine is my favourite.
evseats
September 7, 2016Thanks Elizabeth! It’s one of my favorites as well. I probably have it at least once a week.
Karen
January 24, 2024My husband said this recipe was a keeper! Thank you!
Tara
September 5, 2016Such a wonderful meal! I love the color of that turmeric rice and the chicken looks incredible. So perfect for a one pot meal.
evseats
September 7, 2016Thanks Tara. I love the color turmeric gives off as well!
Janette@CulinaryGinger
September 5, 2016I have all the ingredient to make this, it looks delicious. Love Foster Farms chicken.
evseats
September 7, 2016🙂
Dahn
September 5, 2016This looks so good. I love a one pot meal for weeknight dinners.
evseats
September 7, 2016thanks Dahn!
Lisa
September 5, 2016Oh my goodness…this sounds delicious! I imagine it smelled fantastic when you were cooking it!
evseats
September 7, 2016It had the whole house smelling so aromatic!
Akhila@Pepper Delight
September 6, 2016Yum Yum !!! Omg I am drooling here :-), This looks soo good, and your photos are amazing !!!
evseats
September 7, 2016Thank you Akhila <3
linda spiker
September 6, 2016Gorgeous! Pinned and am definitely going to make!
evseats
September 7, 2016Thanks Linda! Come back and let me know how it turns out!
Meghan
September 6, 2016This recipe looks amazing! I’m saving this one for dinner this week!
Meghan | BeyondBasicBlog.com
evseats
September 7, 2016Hope you like it Meghan!
Brittany_WMSB
September 6, 2016OMG this looks to die for! I can’t wait to try it!
evseats
September 7, 2016thank you!
Madeline
September 6, 2016Such a lovely combo of flavors! I love one pot meals!
evseats
September 7, 2016they are the best kind of meals! thanks Madeline!
Leah
September 6, 2016This sounds unbelievably tasty! I love all the flavors in this, yum!
evseats
September 7, 2016thank you Leah!
JeeYoung Dubs
September 6, 2016mmm so amazing, looks great!
evseats
September 7, 2016thanks!
Morgan
September 12, 2016I made this last week, and it was a hit! The only thing we did is leave out the onion in the rice (my boyfriend is a bit of a texture critic – he can’t stand onions in rice). It was amazing! We definitely will be making this again and again.
evseats
September 13, 2016Thanks Morgan! I’m so glad you guys liked it 🙂 It’s one of my favorite recipes! Thanks for coming back to tell me how it turned out.
michelle
October 4, 2016Would a dutch oven work for this instead of a cast iron skillet? I don’t have a lid for my skillet!
evseats
October 4, 2016Hey Michelle! A dutch oven would definitely work! I also don’t have a lid for my cast iron skillet so I covered it with aluminum foil, and then covered it with a sheet pan. 🙂 Hope this helps!
amanda
November 21, 2016can i use chicken breasts for this if i dont have thighs? never made anything like this but looks delicious! TFS 🙂
evseats
November 22, 2016Hi Amanda! Thanks so much! You can definitely use chicken breasts in replacement of the thighs. Just cook the breasts 10 minutes less than the thighs so you don’t end up with dry chicken! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Melanie
January 10, 2017This is the greatest recipe! I did it last night for my mom and me and we absolutely loved it, the flavors are incredible!
Thank you for this recipe, I look forward to looking at the other ones you have on here.
Tamanna Porna
February 9, 2017Hi Evi, Tried this today, had all the ingredients except the oregano, i put dried basil instead! It came out really good. Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe! Love.
evseats
April 14, 2017Hey Tamanna!
Yay! I’m so glad you liked, and love that you substituted basil for oregano! I’ll have to try that! 🙂
Keep in touch <3 Evi
Regina
December 4, 2022Can you cook this in a slow cooker?
Evi Aki
December 6, 2022Yes, you can! But I would broil the chicken afterwards so that it can be crispy.
nas
February 22, 2017Is there a way to avoid the oven, and continue cooking it on the stove? How would I adjust the recipe if I wanted to only use the stove? Thanks!
evseats
February 27, 2017Hi Nas, yes you are going to need to sear the chicken for 10 minutes on each side to make sure it’s cooked all the way through before you go on to add the rice. From there you should be able to follow the rest of the steps and cooking will be the same! Let me know if this helps!!
DCA
March 27, 2017Not really Middle Eastern, as we don’t use turmeric, cumin, and curry. Perhaps in Morocco, India. At any rate, looks great and I will try it this weekend
Karen
July 12, 2023Interesting. Where exactly are you from? I grew up in the middle east and we use cumin and turmeric in everything…majadra
Arnold Smith
April 6, 2017Looked at the ingredients and feeling that the quantities of spices and herbs are rather high I reduced table spoons to generous tea spoons! Turned out really well with addition of a topping of yoghurt/mayonnaise/lemon juice/white vinegar/parsley with a few other bits and pieces. Will do this again!
evseats
April 6, 2017Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Laura Wasley
April 17, 2017Great recipe, easy and tasty. Thank you
Darragh Dickson
May 22, 2017Hi! im wondering if i need to steam the rice beforehand, or just put the uncooked rice in the pan.
evseats
May 22, 2017Hi Darragh! No need to steam the rice. It cooks together with the chicken all in the pan!
Charish M
June 2, 20172nd time making this and my partner and I LOVE IT! Come together really quickly and easily too! Thanks for sharing ☺️
evseats
June 21, 2017Yay!! So glad you guys love it Charish!!! Thanks for letting me know
Erin
June 19, 2017I made this today and it came out delicious! The only thing I changed was to use zata’ar instead of cumin and oregano, and I used drumsticks instead of chicken thighs.
evseats
June 21, 2017Oooh I love zata’ar! Nice twist, and glad you enjoyed it 🙂
cheryl
June 19, 2017Hey! made this tonight, just like your recipe says and it was wonderful!!! oh….sorry…forgot the salt but just added to taste…..the recipe came out great and my husband loved it. we try to eat healthy and the organic chicken with basmati rice and turmeric and lemon slices….yummo! Definitely will be making this again…and often!!! Thanks!
evseats
June 21, 2017Hey Cheryl! Thanks so much! I’m so glad you guys liked it!
Kelli
August 8, 2017Can I use brown jasmine rice?
evseats
August 8, 2017Hi Kelli! You can! The cook time on the rice will just be longer since it’s brown rice! Xx Evi
Kelli
August 8, 2017I was also thinking about doing half chicken broth half coconut milk., what do you think?
evseats
August 21, 2017Hi Kelli! I haven’t thought about adding coconut milk to this but you’re welcome to try! Let me know hot it turns out!
Jamie
November 4, 2022Awesome! This chicken rice meal looks absolutely delicious! Plus it’s a complete meal for everyone to enjoy! The chicken looks juicy making this so enticing and tempting! Loved it!
Amy Liu Dong
November 5, 2022I love how easy, delicious, and flavorful this recipe it. I am so excited to make this at home.
Rachel
April 13, 2023I’ve made this before and it’s 5 stars amazing. Can I use chicken wings for this dish? If so any adjustments I have to make?
Evi Aki
May 18, 2023Yes, you can use chicken wings. You just need to adjust the amount of time they will cook for. Wings will not take as long as the thighs to cook so you want to be mindful as to not dry out your chicken.
Kieren
May 2, 2023Was pretty good, cooked it while camping, very filling
Evi Aki
May 18, 2023Thanks Kieren!
Lex
July 25, 2023I made this and I don’t understand how meat can be marinated in an abundance of spices and only 2 table spoons of lemon juice?? This is a good start to a tasty dish but in its current state it isn’t thought out. Not making this again.
xx
August 12, 2024You missed out!
Joe
October 19, 2023I looked at the recipe and am very interested in trying it. I love Mideastern food. I would like to know if I can use skinless boneless thighs instead. Perhaps I need to adjust the cooking time?
Evi Aki
November 25, 2023Yes you can use boneless thighs. They will just cook faster!
Mille
February 15, 2024I made the mistake of combining all the spices in a bowl with the lemon juice and it turned into a crumbly, dry paste. I ended up having to try to rub each individual piece – which does not work well – before I put it in the bag. I used some olive oil to make the spices easier to spread around. I’m wondering if the spices are meant to be sprinkled over first, then drizzled with the lemon. Hoping it comes out ok.
Millie
February 15, 2024Did you add the yogurt and such to the marinade? I just put this together and I believe you are correct, it doesn’t really work with the amount of spices vs the small amount of lemon (and I doubled the lemon juice)
Lyn
March 28, 2024Hello, your dish looks amazing and looking forward to making it. Could you please tell me what kind of curry you use? Is it a powder curry or a paste? as I’m in Australia. Thank you very much Lyn
Simi
July 4, 2024How much broth and water would I add for 3 or 5 cups rice? Also, can vegetable broth be used instead?
Edina
August 10, 2024So, so, so good!!!
xx
August 12, 2024Making this for the fourth time! Chicken is marinating at this very moment. I am telling you, this is my favorite dish! Family of 6 and it we all love it with all of our hearts! Thank you so much for sharing! We will continue to pass on for generations! Love! xoxo
evseats
September 13, 2016Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed reading it 🙂