One-Pan Bold Honey BBQ Chicken Rice (Printable Version)

Tender honey BBQ chicken with rice and vegetables, all cooked together in one pan for easy cleanup.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
02 - Salt and pepper, to taste
03 - 1 tsp garlic powder
04 - 1 tsp onion powder
05 - ½ tsp smoked paprika

→ Sauce

06 - ½ cup BBQ sauce
07 - ¼ cup honey

→ Rice & Vegetables

08 - 1 cup long-grain rice, rinsed
09 - 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
10 - 1 cup mixed vegetables such as bell peppers, peas, carrots, fresh or frozen

# Directions:

01 - Coat chicken pieces evenly with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika
02 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a light drizzle of oil. Sear chicken for 4-5 minutes per side until lightly browned
03 - Whisk together BBQ sauce and honey in a small bowl until combined
04 - Pour honey BBQ mixture over seared chicken and stir to coat evenly
05 - Stir in rinsed rice and chicken broth, combining gently with the chicken and sauce
06 - Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 20 minutes until rice begins to absorb liquid
07 - Scatter mixed vegetables over the top in the final 5 minutes of cooking. Cover and steam until rice is tender and liquid is fully absorbed
08 - Remove from heat and allow to stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff rice gently with a fork before serving

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one pan, which means you're actually relaxing instead of playing cleanup Tetris with pots and pans.
  • The honey and BBQ glaze creates this sticky, caramelized coating that makes even chicken thighs taste like you've been grilling all afternoon.
  • Vegetables steam themselves into the rice, so you get texture and nutrition without any extra effort.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the rice—I learned this the hard way when my first batch turned into porridge instead of individual grains.
  • If your lid doesn't fit tightly, the steam escapes and you'll end up with crunchy rice instead of fluffy rice—foil works in a pinch.
  • The vegetables go in at the end because they cook in just 5 minutes from steam alone, keeping them crisp and bright instead of sad and mushy.
03 -
  • If you like extra smokiness, use smoked paprika in your seasoning blend and consider adding a tiny pinch of liquid smoke to the glaze—it transforms the depth without making anything taste bitter.
  • Cut your chicken into roughly equal-sized pieces so everything cooks evenly; uneven chunks mean some pieces are overdone while others are still tender.
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