Chicken with Cinnamon and Lemon Rice
Photography by Josh Griggs.
I’m sure by now I have cooked enough one-pan chicken recipes that I could write a book – this one would definitely be included.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
6 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1 large onion, thickly sliced
20 green olives
1 lemon, thinly sliced, pips removed
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
2½ cups chicken stock
sea salt and ground pepper
To serve
thick plain yoghurt and chopped parsley
35cm ovenproof sauté pan
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown the skin side of each piece. Transfer to a plate.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan and stir together. Nestle the chicken, skin-side up into the rice but not covering the skin, and bake uncovered for about 40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through and the rice is tender.
Serve with dollops of yoghurt and top with parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
Cook's note: If you don’t have a suitable ovenproof sauté pan, brown off the chicken in a regular pan and set aside. Scrape the oil and any sticky bits into a large ovenproof baking dish, then add all the remaining ingredients and proceed with the recipe.

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