I like to cook. I don’t like to do dishes. Thus, I like to cook things that don’t require me to do a lot of dishes. This meal works for me because it is (literally) dripping with flavor (bacon drippings FTW), but could not be easier to make, and requires only ONE pot. Did I mention there’s bacon? It’s really just a bunch of my favorite things in one pot. Did I mention you only need the one pot? And the bacon? Good. Ok. Moving on.
This recipe utilizes a method that I use all the time because, aside from having a dish-doing aversion, I also have a rice-cooking aversion. More of a fear, really. A rice-cooking fear. However you say it, I like to avoid straight-up rice-cooking when I can. I don’t know…I just always mess it up somehow. I can’t be trusted to consistently prepare decent rice. So, when I can throw rice and broth in a pot with chicken, veggies and bacon, I like to do that. It always comes out perfectly, and it’s a lot less stress for Yours Truly.
Also, re: chicken thighs: they are the best part of the chicken and that’s just facts. They’re so juicy and way more tender than the breast and if you think you don’t like them, give ’em another shot. For this recipe, I leave the skin on and bones in and the FLAVOR in the meat when it’s done cooking is unreal.
If you’re looking for an easy, flavorful recipe that tastes like it was hard to make but is, in fact, easy to make, this is it. If you are scared of cooking rice but really like rice and want to learn ways to cook rice that aren’t scary, this recipe is for you. If you’re not scared of cooking rice, but like rice and don’t like doing dishes, this recipe is also for you. If you’ve got a dish-doing fetish you can still make this but you might be disappointed because of the whole ONE POT thing.
No matter how much anything I’ve said is even remotely relevant to your dish-doing or rice-cooking tendencies, this recipe involves placing bacon on top of food and then cooking the bacon with that food so that the bacon grease drips down into that food, and if that’s not the content you came for, I can’t help you.
Here’s how I make my One-Pot Chicken Thighs With Rice, Veggies & Bacon:
One-Pot Chicken Thighs With Rice, Veggies & Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 package bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 package sliced white or brown mushrooms
- 1 yellow or brown onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tsp salt, black pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme and chili flakes
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 lemon halved
- 1 can or jar artichoke hearts drained
- 1 jar sundried tomatoes, in oil drained
- 3-4 slices bacon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
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Preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in an oven-proof pot (that has a lid) over medium heat.
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Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic and seasonings to the pot and stir to coat the onion and mushrooms in the spices. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the onion and mushrooms have started to soften and brown.
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Add the rice and stir to coat in the seasonings.
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Add the stock, the juice of the lemon and the lemon halves to the pot.
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Pop the chicken right on top of everything, and get it into the oven, covered, for 30 minutes.
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Remove the pot from the oven and bump the heat to 375. Remove the chicken from the pot and give the rice, mushrooms and onion a stir. Stir in the artichokes and tomatoes and add the chicken back on top of everything. Add the bacon slices in between the chicken thighs like little mazes of greasy goodness and get the pot back in the oven, uncovered, for 20 mins.
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With about 10 mins remaining, turn on the broiler and cook until the chicken skin and bacon are crispy. Serve immediately.