greek roasted chicken thighs

last updated on October 29, 2026

These greek roasted chicken thighs with brown rice come together with ease and make the perfect weeknight dinner! This is the first part of my new series “one pot dinners,” where I will be sharing easy, one pot/pan dinners that everyone will enjoy.

Chicken breast gets most of the attention in the chicken world, but chicken thighs should never be forgotten. Chicken thighs are tender and juicy, and frankly really easy to make! Plus they feel a little fancy with no extra work. To make these chicken thighs even juicier, we are coating the skin with an herb-y, spiced greek yogurt sauce. The yogurt is spread onto the chicken before cooking keeping it nice and moist.

what ingredients do i need for this dish?

• butter
• brown rice
• chicken broth
• chicken thighs
• plain greek yogurt
• cilantro
• lemon juice
• garlic salt
• paprika
• cumin
• pepper
• tomato
• red onion

This list may look slightly long, but most of them are for the yogurt sauce which whips up so quickly! Just dump all the spices in and stir. So this ingredient list is really quite simple!

what pan/pot to use for this recipe:

For this recipe you’ll need a pot/pan that is stove safe and oven safe! Cast iron skillets work beautifully or a dutch oven. If you are using a cast iron skillet, I would recommend using a larger one. Since this is a one pan recipe, we are fitting everything in this pan — the rice and the chicken thighs. So whatever you use, make sure it has room for everything!

how many people does this dish serve?

These greek roasted chicken thighs serves 2-4 people, depending on how hungry you are! If you anticipate everyone eating one chicken thigh, then it will serve 4 people. If you have some extra hungry people, keep that in mind. My favorite way to do this is to cook it for 2 people. I make it for my husband and myself and we each have one chicken thigh. Then, the next day, we eat the rest for lunch! It keeps really well in the fridge and reheats beautifully, so using it for leftovers is a great option.

other recipes you’ll love

• creamy tuscan salmon
• lemon orzo pasta
• bacon sweet potato soup
• creamy tuscan gnocchi

greek roasted chicken thighs

[category] Main Course

[published] January 28, 2022

[PREP] 15 minutes mins

[COOK] 30 minutes mins

[TOTAL] 45 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup brown rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 tbsp cilantro chopped
• 4 skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 tomato sliced
• 1/4 red onion thinly sliced

spiced greek yogurt sauce

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Add butter to a large pot/pan over medium-low heat. Make sure the pot/pan is stove AND oven safe. Add brown rice and cook 1-2 minutes until it starts to toast. Add chicken broth and cilantro. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes while we prepare the chicken.
2. Mix up the yogurt sauce. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce (plain greek yogurt, cilantro, lemon juice, garlic salt, paprika, cumin, black pepper) in a small bowl and stir to combine.
3. Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. With the skin side up, rub 1 tbsp of yogurt sauce on the top of each chicken thigh. Set remaining yogurt sauce in the fridge until serving.
4. Uncover the rice and transfer the chicken thighs to the pan. Nestle each thigh in the brown rice. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven.
5. Cook for 25-30 minutes, until the internal temp of the chicken reaches 165 F.
6. To serve, spread a scoop of the remaining yogurt sauce onto each plate. Top with brown rice, a chicken thigh, tomato, and red onion. Enjoy!
7. Keep any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. It will keep for 3-4 days.