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A vibrant, one-pan meal featuring golden, spice-rubbed chicken and irresistibly crispy rice. Simple to make, full of flavor, and perfect for a quick yet satisfying dinner!

Sheet-Pan Turmeric Chicken and Crispy Rice

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice plus more for serving
  • 6 garlic cloves finely grated or minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (from 1 2-inch piece) finely grated or minced
  • 3 teaspoons kosher salt more as needed
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or breasts
  • 5 cups cooked short-grain rice
  • 1 bunch scallions thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil more as needed
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems chopped

Instructions
 

  • Place sheet pan on middle rack in oven and heat oven to 450oF.
  • While the oven is heating, marinate the chicken. In a large bowl, combine lemon juice, garlic, ginger, 1½ teaspoons of the salt, turmeric, coriander and pepper, and mix well. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the turmeric-ginger mixture to a small bowl and set aside for serving. To the large bowl, add chicken and toss until the pieces are well coated; let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  • While the chicken is marinating, toss the cooked rice with the remaining 1½ teaspoons salt, scallion whites and 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (the best way to do this is with clean hands). Add a little more oil if needed to fully coat the rice so that it crisps up in the oven.
  • Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the chicken pieces, tossing well to coat.
  • Use a large spoon to carefully spread the rice out on the hot sheet pan, then make divots in the rice for the chicken, making sure the sheet pan is exposed. Place chicken, skin side up, in the divots touching the pan. Drizzle the rice and chicken with a little more extra-virgin olive oil.
  • Roast until the chicken is deeply browned on top, cooked through and the rice is crisp at the edges, 40 to 50 minutes.
  • Stir a little more lemon juice and olive oil into the reserved turmeric-ginger mixture to thin it out. Use a spoon to dab or drizzle it onto the rice (not the chicken). Stir up the rice on the baking sheet, so the crisp parts get mixed into the soft part of the rice, and the turmeric mixture gets distributed. (Taste rice and add a little more oil, lemon juice and salt if necessary; rice can take a lot of seasoning.) Top everything with scallion greens and chopped fresh cilantro, and serve.

Notes

Tip: If you want to substitute long-grain rice, watch it carefully; it browns (and can dry out) more quickly than plumper grains of short-grain rice.
 
Credit: NYT Cooking by Melissa Clark