This One Pan Chicken and Turmeric Rice is made using classic Asian flavors. The chicken is tender and the rice is so fragrant with a beautiful yellow color thanks to turmeric and a secret ingredient. Incredibly delicious and healthy!
A One Pan Chicken and Rice recipe with Asian flair
We can easily find a lot of one pan chicken and rice recipes on the internet, but I haven’t seen one with Southeast Asian flavors. That’s why I decided to create one featuring classic Asian ingredients and flavors. The chicken and rice are cooked together in one pan in the oven, making this dish ideal for busy weeknights.
I love how moist and tender the chicken turns out, but really the star of the dish is the turmeric rice! Cooked in chicken stock, the rice also absorbs juice from the chicken on top. Rice cooked with turmeric in chicken stock is actually a component of the famous Com Ga Hoi An (Vietnamese Chicken Rice).
Turmeric powder adds beautiful yellow color and subtle earthiness to the rice. Turmeric also has a lot of health benefits, and Vietnamese people love to use it in cooking (like in this Garlic Fried Rice). The turmeric rice is unbelievably fragrant thanks to just a few kaffir lime leaves added to the cooking liquid. Yes, kaffir lime leaves is the secret ingredient :).
Ingredients
For this dish, I recommend using chicken thighs and white jasmine rice (long-grain) for best results. You will also need five spice powder, turmeric powder and kaffir lime leaves to make this dish full of flavors.
Kaffir lime leaves are usually in the frozen section at Asian grocery stores. You can also buy five spice powder and turmeric powder there or at Western grocery stores or on Amazon. Here are the five spice powder brand and turmeric powder brand I like and use.
You will need a fairly large heavy-bottomed pan like a cast iron to cook this dish. I use my Staub universal pan to cook it and I’m sure a well-seasoned Lodge cast iron pan (or Le Creuset) will work too.
How to Make One Pan Chicken and Turmeric Rice
The cooking process starts with searing the chicken in the pan until golden. Then we add the ingredients to make the turmeric rice, place the chicken on top and put the pan in the oven to let them cook and develop the flavors. It’s very easy and straightforward.
The trickiest part is, perhaps, getting the ratio of rice and liquid right. The ratio in my recipe works perfectly for me, but if you use a different type of rice, you may need to experiment with it :). Again, I recommend using white jasmine rice or at least try to stick with long grain rice.
Related Recipes
Other chicken recipes you may like:
I’d love to hear what you think about this dish, so please feel free to leave a comment. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
One Pan Chicken and Turmeric Rice
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1.5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
- olive oil
For the Rice
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup rice
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup chicken stock (low sodium)
- 3/4 cup water
- 4-5 kaffir lime leaves
- black pepper
- cilantro, roughly chopped (for garnishing)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add all ingredients for the chicken in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. If you have time, marinate for 20-30 minutes or longer for tastier results. If not, continue to the next step.
- Place a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add a little oil and place the chicken skin side down, sear for a few minutes until golden. Flip and sear the other side for a couple of minutes or until golden. Remove from pan.
- If there is too much fat in the pan, discard and leave just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add shallot and sauté until fragrant. Add garlic and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant. Add rice, turmeric powder and salt, stir quickly to coat the rice with turmeric powder.
- Add chicken stock and water to the pan. Tear the kaffir lime leaves into smaller pieces and spread them over the pan. Sprinkle some black pepper. Bring everything to a low boil.
- Place chicken thighs on top of the rice. Put on the lid and place the pan in the oven, bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove the lid and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and chicken and rice are cooked through.
- Remove pan from oven, discard the kaffir lime leaves pieces. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot.
Helen
I made this and loved it – however it was really salty!
I did use a regular chicken stock cube, not low sodium – so that may be the reason. I think that next time I make it I wont be adding any salt just the regular chicken stock.
I cant wait to try more of your recipes!
Sophie
Hi Helen,
Thank you for trying the recipe and giving me the feedback! Chicken stocks have a wide range of sodium levels, so I think it’s definitely a good idea to reduce the salt to be on the safe side :). I look forward to hearing how other recipes turn out for you.
Nai
Loved it! Used curry leaves instead and it was still very tasty 🙂
I would add a bit more rice for it to be more a filling meal, just a personal preference.
Thank you for sharing.
Gina
Delicious! I made in with 2 cups of rice as it was for 5 people. Didn’t have lime, so used lemon juice instead. Going to make it again very soon😊
Sophie
Hi Gina,
Thank you so much for the feedback! I’m thrilled to hear that you are going to make it again :D. So happy you liked how it turned out.
Sophie
Hi Nai,
I’m so sorry I didn’t see your comment until today. I’m glad that you loved it. Thanks so much for sharing that it turned out great with curry leaves. I will try it with curry leaves next time.