Everyone loves one-pot dinners, and this one has it all – grains, veggies, and protein. One Pot Spiced Chicken and Dirty Rice is flavourful and has a nice spicy kick; and only one pot to clean!
One-pot dinners are all the rage and I’ve been dying to get a seat on the train. I visit Pinterest and scroll through hundreds of recipes every single day. In fact, most mornings, that’s how I keep myself occupied on my 20 minute streetcar ride to work.
Being a food blogger for almost 5 years now, I’ve been able to easily identify food trends and it’s easy to see which trends will stay and which ones will go, with just a little practice. Personally, in a world that’s so fast-paced, I think one-pot recipes are here to stay.
That’s why I had been begging John.e to take the drive with me across the US/Canada border to go shopping at the Le Creuset outlet. It’s all his fault! He gifted me a Le Creuset Dutch Oven for Christmas and I fell immediately in love with it. Couple that with seeing all of these one-pot recipes on Pinterest, and I couldn’t think of anything else but expanding my Le Creuset collection and getting my hands on a braiser.
LC is a great product, but it’s very expensive! The 1.4L braiser at a department store here in Toronto was priced at $200, but I found this lovely soleil at the outlet for $90. The trip across the border was worth it!
You don’t need an expensive Le Creuset braiser or Dutch oven for this recipe. Just be sure you have a heavy-bottomed pan with a tight-fitting lid. I also own a Pioneer Woman line Dutch oven that I paid $50 for at Walmart and it works just fine.
I’m hoping my investment doesn’t leave with me an unwanted or unused cooking vessel. I’m sure I’ll find many uses for this pot, even beyond the popular one-pot meal phenomenon. Hopefully, this particular food trend doesn’t come and go as fast as the kale trend, the everything cauliflower trend, or the unicorn trend. I’ve seen them all, Dear Reader!
Even though this recipe is everything I dreamed it would be in terms of taste and texture, I cannot take full credit for it. I have to thank my pal, Amanda, over at The Chunky Chef for inspiring this recipe. Her original recipe can be found here. Her recipe is a little different from mine. Hers has andouille sausage as well! Yum!!!
At first I thought that the cooking time would result in a dry and overcooked chicken drumstick, but I was wrong. First of all, the two-hour marinating time adds not only a bunch of flavour, but also tenderizes the chicken and adds moisture. Next, the high temperature searing locks in that flavour and moisture.
And, when baking in a braising pan with a heavy, domed lid, you’re essentially creating a type of moisture chamber. The steam comes off the chicken, hits the domed lid and returns to a liquid, where it then drips back down into the food, keeping it moist and tender.
Braising is the ultimate way to cook cheap cuts of meat to keep the meat from drying out or becoming too tough or rubbery. It’s quickly becoming my new favourite way to prepare a home-cooked meal. Even though this one takes a little time, it still makes a lovely weeknight dinner, but an even better Sunday night family meal!
One Pot Spiced Chicken and Dirty Rice
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Recipe
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 whole chicken drumsticks, bone in, skin on
- 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
- 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, with juice*
- 1/4 cup water
- Green onions, sliced, for garnish (optional)
- Parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- First, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- Rinse the chicken drumsticks in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the chicken into a large Ziploc bag.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken and massage to coat. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
- When ready to cook, begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a shallow dutch oven or braising pan with a heavy bottom and a tight fitting lid, add the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken to the pan and sear for a few minutes on each side. You want the chicken skin browned, but not blackened.
- Remove from heat and place chicken in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and move the chicken to a plate. Set aside.
- Add the water, canned tomatoes, onion flakes, salt, pepper, dried red chili flakes, and uncooked rice to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Place the chicken drumsticks back into the pan and using tongs, nestle the chicken gently unto the top of the rice.
- Cover the pot and return to the oven for 20 minutes, covered.
- Remove lid and bake for another 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
- Garnish and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
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Stephanie says
Looks great. Will try it with brown rice. Lol my family prefers white but I am pretty sure I can hide it nicely with all that great flavor going on. Since its summer and this only uses 1 pot I could grill up some sweet corn too. Yum.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thanks, Stephanie. Keep in mind that brown rice takes longer to cook – unless you’re using quick cook brown rice.
Chari says
May I know the size of this beautiful braiser? I also notice that you didn’t use a lot of water to cook rice in this recipe but your rice look nice.
Janet Bradley says
Could I used Crushed tomatoes vs canned. Also, not a fan of legs could I use thighs? I sooooo want to try this recipe.
Thanks, Janet