One-Pan Baked Tzatziki Chicken and Rice
A taste a Greece during anytime of the week!
With fresh herbs, ripe zucchini, and creamy, tangy yogurt sauce, nothing brightens up a package of chicken quite like Mediterranean recipes. Here, this One-Pan Baked Tzatziki Chicken and Rice is a perfect all-in-one meal that’s loaded with flavor with each and every bite.
This recipe is layered and seasoned with the best possible ingredients. While it can be made any time of the year, it’s a great recipe to try in the warmer months when herb gardens are at their peak and things like zucchini and cucumbers are bountiful.
Chicken is tossed with olive oil, herbs, lemon, and garlic. While optional, it’s best to let the chicken rest for thirty minutes before proceeding; that way the chicken has time to absorb all of the intense and fragrant ingredients.
Next, the rice, broth, and zucchini make their way into the pan. Everything is covered and baked until the chicken and rice are cooked through.
Topped with a from-scratch tzatziki sauce, and you have yourself a bite of Greece through and through!
The chicken, rice, and zucchini take in all of the powerful herbal notes, popping citrus, and savory aromatic garlic. Each bite has an even and impactful brightness that has a lovely bit of levity.
Finally, the tzatziki sauce balanced the herbals and aromatics in the dish, giving a palette cleanser-like intermission to the flavors below.
This One-Pan Baked Tzatziki Chicken and Rice is a getaway to the Grecian coast without the costly travel; it’s that good!
One-Pan Baked Tzatziki Chicken and Rice
Watch How It's Made
For the chicken and rice:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
- 1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed and coarsely grated
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the tzatziki sauce:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 medium seedless cucumber, peeled, grated, and squeezed of excess liquid
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the chicken and rice:
- Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- To the baking dish, add the chicken, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, parsley, dill, oregano, thyme, paprika, garlic, and onion powder. Season liberally with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Optional: let rest to marinade for 30 minutes.
- Add uncooked rice, zucchini, and broth to baking pan and stir to combine.
- Cover dish tightly with foil and bake until most liquid has absorbed and rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. If rice is not tender, return covered dish to oven for 10 more minutes or until rice is done cooking.
To make the tzatziki:
- Add drained cucumber to a medium bowl. Add yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, mint, and dill, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir once more. Chill until ready to serve. Serve chicken and rice dolloped with tzatziki. Enjoy!
