Lemon Butter Chicken with Rice

Ingredients

• 600g chicken thigh fillets
• sea salt and black pepper, to season
• 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 40g unsalted butter
• 200g long-grain rice (rinsed)
• 450ml low-FODMAP chicken stock, warm
• 150g green beans
• 100g frozen peas (optional)
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Crusty bread, to serve

Method

1. Start the rice first so it has time to steam. Tip the rinsed rice into a saucepan with the warm stock, bring to a gentle simmer, then clamp on the lid and drop the heat to its lowest setting. Cook for 12–15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender, then pull off the heat and leave covered — the residual steam finishes the job without you watching it.
2. Pat the chicken thighs thoroughly dry with kitchen paper — water means steam, and steam means no browning. Season generously all over with salt, pepper and the dried thyme. Don't be shy with the salt here; this is the only chance the chicken itself gets seasoned.
3. Heat the garlic-infused oil in a large stainless or cast iron frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Lay the thighs in skin-side down in a single layer with space between each one — sear in two batches if your pan is on the smaller side. Crowd the pan and the temperature drops, water seeps out, and you've poached the chicken instead of browning it. Leave them undisturbed for 6–8 minutes until deeply golden and crisp at the edges.
4. Turn the thighs, drop in the butter and let it foam around them. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the chicken for a minute — this is where the colour deepens and the flavour builds. Pour in the lemon juice (it'll hiss and lift the golden bits stuck to the pan — that's the sauce starting), reduce the heat to medium and cook for a further 8–10 minutes until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reads 74°C.
5. While the chicken finishes, blanch the green beans in well-salted boiling water for 3–4 minutes until tender-crisp and still vivid green. If using the peas, scatter them over the resting rice in the last minute so they warm through in the trapped steam.
6. Lift the chicken onto a board to rest for 5 minutes — the juices need a moment to settle back into the meat. Return the pan to medium heat and let the lemon-butter sauce bubble for 1–2 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened, scraping the fond into it as it reduces. Taste it — adjust salt now, not at the table.
7. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir through the chopped chives and lemon zest, reserving a pinch of each for the top.
8. Plate the herbed rice, lay the rested chicken thighs alongside the bright green beans, then spoon the glossy lemon-butter pan sauce generously over each thigh. Finish with the reserved chives and a final scatter of lemon zest so it catches the light.