Meat & Poultry Chicken Chicken Thighs Baked Chicken Thigh Lemon Chicken & Rice 4.0 (4) 4 Reviews This easy Persian-inspired chicken and rice dish has a beautiful golden color and a wonderful fragrance. If you have saffron in the cupboard, do add that optional pinch; just a little will enhance the flavor and aroma of the dish. By Joyce Hendley, M.S. Joyce Hendley, M.S. See More Joyce Hendley has been writing about food and health for nearly 3 decades. Her recipes and writing are informed by sound nutrition principles, and honor the nourishing wisdom of home cooks all over the world. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 22, 2025 Reviewed by Dietitian Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H, RD, is a Chinese and Jewish chef and dietitian who has worked in all facets of the food world. She is a recipe developer, culinary nutritionist and marketing specialist with more than 15 years of experience creating editorial and digital content for top food and kitchen brands. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Save Rate PRINT Share Close Prep Time: 50 mins Additional Time: 45 mins Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Servings: 8 Yield: 8 servings Nutrition Profile: Diabetes-Friendly Nut-Free Dairy-Free Low-Sodium Soy-Free Heart-Healthy High-Protein Egg-Free Gluten-Free Low-Calorie Jump to Nutrition Facts This lemon chicken and rice can be made up to a month ahead and frozen for easy meal prep.Brown rice adds fiber and whole-grain nutrition to the meal.Cabbage adds texture and boosts the vegetable content of the dish. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed and tested at its original yield and has not been tested at other yields. Note that only the ingredient list is scaled, so you may need to make adjustments to ingredient amounts, cooking times and equipment sizes in the recipe steps. Scaling could also impact the nutrition analysis. Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1 1/4-1 1/2 lbs. total), trimmed 2 large onions, thinly sliced ½ teaspoon salt, divided 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons ground turmeric 1 teaspoon paprika 1 pinch Generous pinch of saffron 3 cups shredded cabbage (about 1/2 small head) 4 cups cooked brown rice, preferably basmati or jasmine ¼ cup lemon juice 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (Optional) 1 lemon, sliced (Optional) Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat two 8-inch-square baking dishes or foil pans with cooking spray (see Tip). Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 chicken thighs, and cook, turning once, until both sides are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken thighs. Pour off all but about 1 Tbsp. fat from the pan. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and onions to the pan and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring, until soft and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in garlic, turmeric, paprika, and saffron, if using; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Transfer the onions to a plate and set aside. Return the pan to medium-high heat and add cabbage. Cook, stirring, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in rice, lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, and half of the reserved onion. Continue cooking until the rice is well coated and heated through, 5 to 7 minutes. Divide the rice mixture between the prepared baking dishes; nestle 4 of the reserved chicken thighs in each dish. Top each with half of the remaining cooked onions. Cover both dishes with foil. Label one and freeze for up to 1 month. Bake the remaining casserole, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees F and the onions are starting to brown around the edges, 5 to 10 minutes more. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices, if desired. Tips Tip: Instead of freezing half, you can bake the full recipe in a 9x13-inch baking pan. In Step 6, bake, covered, for an additional 10 minutes. To make ahead: This double-batch recipe makes one meal for tonight and one to freeze for up to 1 month (see Step 5). To cook from frozen: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed in Steps 6-7, adding an additional 10 minutes baking time once uncovered. Equipment: Two 8-inch-square baking dishes or foil pans Originally appeared: Diabetic Living Magazine, Spring 2019 Save Rate Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 274 Calories 10g Fat 29g Carbs 17g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 8 Serving Size 1 thigh and 1 cup rice mixture Calories 274 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 29g 11% Dietary Fiber 3g 12% Total Sugars 3g Protein 17g 34% Total Fat 10g 12% Saturated Fat 2g 11% Cholesterol 50mg 17% Vitamin A 203IU 4% Vitamin C 16mg 17% Folate 28mcg 7% Sodium 195mg 8% Calcium 39mg 3% Iron 2mg 11% Magnesium 64mg 15% Potassium 308mg 7% Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate. * Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.) (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.