One-Pot Italian Chicken Thighs

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Table of contents:

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How to Make One-Pot Italian Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in chicken thighs (approx. 800g / 28oz.)
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder (for seasoning the chicken)
• ½ tsp Cracked black pepper (for seasoning the chicken)
• ½ tsp Pink Himalayan Salt (for seasoning the chicken) 
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 large onion, diced 
• 3.5 oz. (100 g)  Fire Roasted Sweet Red Peppers
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz. (170 g) white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tbsp Organic Italian Seasoning
• 1 cup Arborio Rice
• 125ml white wine
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cups Chicken Stock (750ml)
• ½ cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• ¼ cup Gaint Caperberries
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)

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Equipment

• Large pot with lid
• Wooden spatula 
• Cooking tongs
• Garlic Press
• Chef Knife

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Instructions

Season and brown the chicken:

• Season chicken on both sides with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and cook until lightly browned (around 4 minutes per side).

Sautè the veg, herbs, and spices

• Add the onion to the pot and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (1 minute). 
• Add the roasted red peppers, Italian Seasoning, and season to taste with some salt and pepper (we used around ½ tsp of each). Continue to simmer the veg until they soften 8around 5 minutes). 
• Increase the heat to high and add the wine. It should take around 5 minutes to evaporate most of the wine. 
• Reduce heat to medium once the wine has reduced, then add the tomato paste and mushrooms and give everything a good mix. Cook stirring frequently until the mushrooms soften (around 5 minutes). 

Add the rice

• Add the rice to the pot and mix into the sauce until evenly coated. 
• Add half of the sun-dried tomatoes and giant caperberries.
• Season to taste and cook for 1 minute until the rice starts to toast (it will start to pop and crackle slightly).

Simmer the chicken and rice

• Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Place chicken on top, season to taste, and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
• Once the stock has evaporated, remove from the heat and allow rice to rest uncovered for 10 minutes.

To serve

• Optional step: Remove it from the heat. Remove the chicken pieces and lightly fluff the rice, then return the chicken pieces back on top. 
• Sprinkle with some freshly chopped parsley and serve straight from the skillet.

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Cooking Tips

Use skinless chicken thighs

For a healthier option, we used skinless chicken thighs. If you prefer, skin-on chicken thighs will also work just fine, just pop the dish under the broiler (grill) for the last 5 minutes to get crispy skin. 

Check the chicken is cooked

Use a Meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 79°C / 165°F. 

Use good quality ingredients

Italian cooking, like Mediterranean cooking, has a focus on fresh quality ingredients. When using olive oil, consider using the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can afford. EVOO is one of the best oils for cooking and has a distinctive flavor and numerous health benefits. 

Allow rice to rest once cooked

Once the rice is cooked and all of the stock has evaporated, remove the skillet from the heat and cover with some newspaper or parchment paper and leave the rice to rest for 10 minutes.

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We Love Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes

When it comes to weeknight dinners, we love a recipe that’s easy to throw together and doesn’t need a lot of equipment or dishes to make. This Italian Chicken thigh recipe is ideal. It is prepared, cooked, and served in one large pan or skillet and comes together in under 1 hour. 

Is it easy to make? 

Yes! While there are a few steps to follow, the prep work is very simple (chop some veg and season the chicken). There is no marinating to do, and the step-by-step recipe video guides you through what you’ll need to do at every turn. ts that align with the principles of the Mediterranean diet, promoting overall health and well-being.

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Use Short-Grain Rice

Arborio and Carnaroli rice are both commonly used for risotto, and for this reason, they respond well to being stirred throughout the cooking process. Arborio is known for its high starch content, which makes it ideal for creamy dishes like risotto. 

Its grains are shorter and plumper compared to long-grain rice varieties, and when cooked, it becomes tender while still maintaining a firm texture, perfect for absorbing flavors.

Chicken thigh or Chicken Breast?

Use bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe. As the techniques used involve simmering the chicken in the chicken stock, this favors chicken thighs as the meat will tenderize and remain juicy, almost falling off the bone once cooked. 

Chicken breast meat tends to dry out when cooked in a similar method. If you prefer to use chicken breast meat, we suggest pan-frying the chicken breast first, then shredding the chicken or slicing it and adding it to the rice once it is cooked.

More Mediterranean Chicken Recipes:

• Creamy Garlic Chicken with Leek and Parmesan
• Sheet Pan Baked Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Chickpeas and Pancetta
• Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Recipe
• Healthy Baked Mediterranean Chicken Thighs | Easy Sheet Pan Recipe
• Mediterranean Chicken with a Tangy Olive Oil and Lemon Marinade
• Spanish-Style Chicken Thighs
• Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

What is Italian Seasoning? 

Italian seasoning is a blend of dried herbs commonly used in Italian and Mediterranean cooking. While the exact mix can vary by brand (or homemade recipe), the traditional blend typically includes the following herbs:

1. Oregano – A key herb in Italian cuisine, it adds a slightly bitter and pungent flavor.
2. Basil – Sweet and aromatic, it balances the blend with a fresh, slightly peppery taste.
3. Thyme – Earthy and minty, thyme gives a subtle complexity.
4. Rosemary – Adds a pine-like, woody flavor with a bit of sharpness.
5. Marjoram – A mild herb with a sweet, floral, and slightly citrus flavor.
6. Sage – Sometimes included, it gives a slightly peppery and savory note.

Italian seasoning is very easy to make at home, and if you have the dried herbs mentioned above, it’s simply a matter of combining them in a small bowl or jar.

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Is This Recipe Healthy?

Good news fam! Like a majority of Mediterranean recipes, this one-pan Italian chicken recipe is very healthy with a focus on using fresh, unprocessed ingredients (ok, except for the tomato paste and wine!). This recipe uses a classic Mediterranean mix of herbs and spices to season the chicken and flavor the sauce.

If you’re curious about what’s in the Standard Mediterranean pantry, check out this article. Pantry Staples and Fridge Items for the Mediterranean Diet

How to make this recipe more healthy

A couple of tips to make this recipe as healthy as possible include using a low sodium chicken stock, using minimal seasoning (salt and pepper), and using more herbs such as Italian seasoning. Skinless chicken thighs are also a healthier choice compared to skin-on.

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	449
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14.6g	19%
Saturated Fat 3.9g	19%
Cholesterol 94mg	31%
Sodium 840mg	37%
Total Carbohydrate 49.4g	18%
Dietary Fiber 3.1g	11%
Total Sugars 5.2g
Protein 27.3g
Vitamin D 126mcg	630%
Calcium 60mg	5%
Iron 4mg	21%
Potassium 783mg	17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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