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One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Olive Gremolata

Hearty comfort in a single dish: crispy chicken, tender rice, and a zesty olive gremolata bring bright, bold flavors to your table with almost no cleanup.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 620 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients

  • 4 chicken legs thigh and drumstick, about 2 ½ lb total, patted dry
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • ⅓ cup parsley finely chopped
  • 1 ½ cups basmati rice or other long-grain, rinsed
  • 1 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 ½ cups green olives pitted and coarsely chopped
  • 6 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, divided
  • 2 tablespoon plus ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt, plus pepper to taste
  • 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove finely grated

Instructions
 

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375 F. You’re gonna want that ready for the last step.
  • Season your chicken legs real good with 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, cumin, kosher salt, and a little pepper from the grinder.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Toss the chicken legs in and sear them until browned on both sides, about 5-6 minutes each side. You want a nice crust before they go in the oven. Take chicken out and set aside.
  • In the same pot, toss in your chopped onion and cook ’til softened, about 4 minutes. Then add sliced garlic and stir for just about a minute. Stir in rinsed rice and the rest of smoked paprika. Cook this mixture for 1-2 minutes, letting the flavors kinda blend.
  • Pour in chicken broth and 2 tablespoons vinegar. Scrape up any brown bits stuck on the bottom — that’s gold. Bring this liquid to a boil so rice starts soaking it all up.
  • Now nestle your browned chicken legs right on top of the rice. Cover the pot with the lid and carefully pop it into the oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until rice is soft and chicken’s cooked through.
  • While the pot’s baking, mix up your olive gremolata. In a bowl, toss olives with parsley, the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, and the last 4 tablespoons of vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. This gets your zesty topping ready.
  • When oven timer dings, pull the pot out and let it rest uncovered for 5 minutes. This natural release helps the steam settle just right.
  • Serve the chicken and rice topped with the fresh olive gremolata and get ready to dig in.

Notes

Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for 2 months. Reheat with a splash of broth to keep things juicy. Gremolata is best fresh but can be refrigerated for a day or two.