This chicken broth bowl is a one-skillet dinner built from chicken thighs, pantry rice and broth. Everything cooks in the same sauté pan on the stovetop, so the flavors stay layered instead of spread across multiple pots.
You will sear seasoned chicken thighs alongside a diced carrot-celery-onion base, deglaze with broth, then simmer rice and spinach right in that broth. The sliced chicken, basil, parsley, Parmesan and lemon come back in at the end. The recipe makes 4 servings of about 1.5 cups each and takes roughly 50 minutes from start to finish.
If you like the idea of chicken and rice on a weeknight, our slow-cooker chicken and rice is another route to a similar comfort-food pairing. For a more focused chicken technique, see our pan-fried chicken thighs guide.
Gather and Prep the Ingredients
Before you turn on the heat, pull together everything you need: chicken thighs, olive oil, salt, black pepper, carrot, celery, yellow onion, garlic, chicken broth, long grain white rice, frozen spinach, fresh basil and parsley, Parmesan and lemon.
Small-dice the carrot, celery and onion so they soften evenly in the pan. Mince the garlic, basil and parsley. Keeping the aromatics separate from the herbs makes the final additions easy to drop in at the right moment.
Small-Dice the Carrot, Celery and Onion
Aim for pieces about the same size so they cook at the same rate. This diced trio becomes the savory base that the chicken sears over and the broth later picks up. You need ½ cup each of diced carrot, celery and onion.
After dicing, drizzle ½ tablespoon of the olive oil over the chicken thighs and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Set the seasoned chicken aside while you start the vegetables.
Sear the Seasoned Chicken Thighs with the Mirepoix
Set a sauté pan over medium heat and add the remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil. Add the diced carrot, celery and onion and sauté until the mirepoix softens, about 5 minutes.
Raise the heat to medium-high and nudge the vegetables to the sides of the pan. Lay the seasoned chicken thighs in the center. Cook for 5 minutes per side, then flip and cook another 5 to 6 minutes. The chicken needs to reach 160°F before you pull it from the pan.
Remove the chicken and cover it. As it rests, the covered chicken comes up to 165°F. Keep the pan and all the browned bits in place — the chicken returns to this pan before serving.
Deglaze the Pan and Simmer the Rice and Spinach in Broth
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic to the pan and toss it with the mirepoix for just a minute. Pour in the 5 cups of chicken broth, whisking to lift the browned bits of chicken and vegetables from the bottom. Bring the broth to a low simmer.
While the broth heats, slice the rested chicken thighs into bite-size pieces or strips.
Add the ½ cup uncooked long grain white rice and 2 tablespoons frozen spinach to the broth. Stir, bring the mixture to a boil, then lower it back to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
Test the rice for doneness. If it needs a little more time, simmer for another minute or two.
Return the Sliced Chicken, Basil and Parsley to the Pan
Once the rice is tender, add the minced basil, minced parsley and the sliced chicken back to the sauté pan. Stir them through so the chicken comes back up to temperature in the hot broth.
This is the point where the bowl comes together: the broth has taken on the chicken, the vegetables and the spinach, and the herbs brighten the whole pan.
Finish with Parmesan and a Squeeze of Lemon
Serve the bowls with freshly grated Parmesan and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Both are finishing touches rather than ingredients cooked into the broth, so add them at the table.
The recipe yields 4 servings, about 1.5 cups each. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
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Chicken Broth Bowl with Rice, Spinach and Parmesan
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings (1.5 cups each) 1x
Description
A one-skillet chicken broth bowl with seared chicken thighs, rice, spinach and a Parmesan-lemon finish, ready in about 50 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (divided, $0.19)
- 4 chicken thighs (skinless & boneless, $3.48*)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.01)
- ⅛ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.01)
- 1 carrot (diced, (½ cup) $0.24)
- 1 rib celery (diced, (½ cup) $0.15)
- ½ small yellow onion (diced, (½ cup) $0.35)
- 1 garlic clove (minced, $0.06)
- 5 cups chicken broth ($0.45**)
- ½ cup long grain white rice (uncooked, $0.19)
- 2 Tbsp frozen spinach ($0.22)
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil (minced, $0.58)
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley (minced, $0.08)
- 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese (grated, (2 oz.) $1.35)
- ¼ lemon ($0.17)
Instructions
- Gather all your ingredients: Gather all your ingredients.
- Small dice carrots, celery, and onions: Small dice carrots, celery, and onions. Mince garlic and fresh basil and parsley.
- Drizzle ½ Tbsp oil over chicken thighs and sprinkle with salt and pepper: Drizzle ½ Tbsp oil over chicken thighs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Add carrots, celery, and onions to a sauté…: Add carrots, celery, and onions to a sauté pan over medium heat with ½ Tbsp olive oil. Sauté until mirepoix is softened, about 5 minutes.
- Bring pan to medium-high heat and nudge veggies to the side: Bring pan to medium-high heat and nudge veggies to the side. Add the oiled and seasoned chicken thighs in the center of the skillet and cook for 5 minutes per side.
- Flip the chicken after 5 minutes and cook an additional 5-6 minutes: Flip the chicken after 5 minutes and cook an additional 5-6 minutes. Temp must reach 160℉ before pulling the chicken out. Remove chicken and cover it. The covered chicken will come to 165℉ as it rests. (You will also add the chicken thighs back to the sauté pan before serving.)
- Reduce heat to medium and add minced garlic…: Reduce heat to medium and add minced garlic to the sauté pan and toss it with mirepoix for only a minute. Deglaze pan with the chicken broth, whisking up the bits of chicken and veggies from the bottom of the pan. Bring the broth to a low simmer.
- Meanwhile slice chicken thighs into bite size pieces or strips: Meanwhile slice chicken thighs into bite size pieces or strips.
- Add rice to the broth along with 2 Tbsp frozen spinach: Add rice to the broth along with 2 Tbsp frozen spinach. Stir and bring this mixture to a boil. Then, bring it back down to a simmer and cover it for 15 minutes.
- Test rice for doneness: Test rice for doneness. If it needs a little more time, you can simmer another minute or two.
- Then, add minced basil, parsley, and chicken back…: Then, add minced basil, parsley, and chicken back to the sauté pan to come to temperature.
- Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and a squeeze of fresh lemon!: Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and a squeeze of fresh lemon!
Notes
Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes. Serve with Parmesan and lemon.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Quick Meals
