One-Pan Saffron Chicken & Rice with Green Goddess Yogurt

Golden, spice-marinated chicken thighs sink into fluffy, saffron-scented rice, all cooked together in one pan for maximum flavour with minimum effort. It’s the sort of weeknight recipe that feels quietly luxurious without asking anything unreasonable of you.

After marinating the chicken in warming spices, you give the thighs a quick sear so they take on a deep, golden edge. Then they’re nestled into rice mixed with saffron and good stock, ready for the oven to take over. The chicken finishes bronzed and juicy, the rice steams to tender perfection with a golden, crunchy bottom (the bit everyone loves). While it bakes, you blitz a bright green-goddess yogurt that brings a fresh, herbal lift when spooned over the top.

If you’re after an easy baked chicken and rice recipe that’s genuinely reliable, full of flavour and beautifully uncomplicated, this is the one. Comforting, vibrant and effortlessly impressive — a one-pan meal you’ll want to make on repeat.

Lunch

Dinner

A Little Longer

Serves 3-4

Prep Time 120 Mins

Cook Time 55 Mins

Method

1 cup loosely packed coriander (roots, stalks + leaves), plus extra leaves to serve
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ tsp ground cumin
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp salt
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup thick yoghurt

1
Place chicken in a large bowl with the marinade ingredients. Toss well to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight.
2
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove chicken from the fridge to bring it to room temperature.
3
Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a heavy, deep ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken, skin-side down first, until golden, then flip and brown the other side. Remove and set aside.
4
Discard excess fat and wipe the pan. Add the remaining olive oil and sauté onion for a few minutes until soft. Stir in the saffron, then the rice, toasting lightly. Pour in the broth and water, season with salt and pepper, and bring just to a simmer. Turn off the heat, nestle the chicken into the rice, and cover with a lid.
5
Bake for 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Remove the lid and bake for another 5–10 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp.
6
While the chicken bakes, blitz the coriander, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, salt, maple syrup, and mustard in a food processor to a paste. Transfer to a bowl, stir through the yoghurt, and adjust seasoning to taste.
7
Once out of the oven, rest the chicken and rice for 5 minutes. Dollop generously with green goddess yogurt, scatter with pickled onion and mint, and serve immediately.