This one-pot Italian chicken recipe is so easy, comforting, and perfect for a cold night. You need just one pot and a few ingredients, making this an easy chicken dinner recipe you’ll want to keep in regular rotation!
I love a good one-pot meal, and this one is my new favorite. Originally, I was going to tweak this recipe further because I was worried it was a bit too soupy. But I changed my mind when my husband scarfed down leftovers at midnight and told me how much he loved the recipe. I knew I had to share it immediately!
The concept for this recipe is simple: chicken, aromatics and vegetables, and rice. Below is what I used for each component of the dish.
Chicken:
I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this one-pot Italian chicken recipe. They’ll add a nice richness, and the schmaltz is used to sauté the aromatics (pictured above). You can use diced chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but the breasts may tend to dry out.
Aromatics & Vegetables:
For this dish, keep it simple! Use onion, mushrooms, garlic, fresh thyme, and diced roasted red bell peppers. I love Mezzetta because they have a gorgeous char! No roasted red bell peppers? Try it with fire-roasted diced tomatoes or use a diced, fresh red bell pepper instead. If you don’t have fresh or dry thyme, a big pinch of your favorite Italian seasoning blend will do just fine! I also used baby bella mushrooms, but use your favorite mushroom variety. You can get creative with the vegetables in this! Try it with diced broccoli or zucchini!
Rice:
I used carnaroli rice, a rice commonly used for risotto. If you use arborio or carnaroli rice, keep in mind that this rice does well when being agitated and stirred constantly. After you finish simmering the dish, remove the chicken and stir the rice constantly to work off excess liquid. You can use short-grain white rice instead.
Once you’ve finished cooking the rice and you’ve stirred and worked off any excess liquid, you should end up with a creamy–not soupy–finished product! I stir in a bit of parm at the end to help achieve that lush, creamy texture.
Because the chicken will lose its crispiness while cooking, I like to place them back on top of the rice and pop it under the broiler for a few minutes. It helps crisp up that skin again!
To finish the recipe, I add a few fresh basil leaves and then serve it up! It’s such an easy, delicious chicken dinner recipe! Just look how gorgeous it is plated up!
One-Pot Italian Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 6 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup roasted red bell peppers diced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper plus more to taste
- 1 cup arborio, carnaroli, or any short-grain white rice
- ¼ cup white wine
- 3 cups water or chicken stock
- ½ cup freshly grated parm
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Prepare the chicken:
- Pat chicken dry and season all over with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium-high. Once shimmering, add the chicken—skin-side down—and cook without moving for 5-6 minutes. Once the chicken skin is golden-brown, flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate. Leave any fat in the pot and turn the heat to medium.
Sautè the aromatics:
- Add the onion to the pot and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, occasionally stirring, for 8-9 minutes until golden brown. Adjust heat as needed.
- Add the roasted red peppers, garlic, thyme, and crushed red pepper. Season all over with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
Cook the rice:
- Add the rice to the pot and toss to coat. Season with salt. Cook for 1 minute until it begins to toast lightly.
- Pour in the wine and bring it to a boil. Cook for 1–2 minutes.
Simmer the rice:
- Add water or chicken stock and bring to a boil. Place chicken on top, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes.
- Turn the heat to medium and partially remove the lid (the pot should be half-covered). Rapid simmer for 5 minutes. Check the internal temperature of the chicken and ensure it’s 165°F. Once the temperature is reached, transfer the chicken to a plate.
Finish the rice:
- Turn the heat on the rice to medium-low and stir regularly. Continue simmering and stirring to cook off any excess liquid if needed. Stir in the parmesan and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Consistency should be creamy, not soupy! Add salt if needed.
Broil the chicken:
- If you like, you can place chicken on top and broil for 3-5 mins to crisp up the skin again!
To serve:
- Sprinkle a few basil leaves on top of the pot. Serve the rice with a chicken thigh on top and enjoy!
This was a delicious recipe!
Very good tasting but complicated than I’d like for an every day recipe. And it wasn’t reddish like the pic. I might add some tomato paste or a bit of sauce. It would change the flavour profile but tomatoes are good in everything.
Thank you so much for your feedback! I’ll revisit this recipe and see if there can be any adjustments made!