This oven-baked chicken and rice recipe has won the hearts of people all around the world! Buttery garlic rice and juicy seasoned baked chicken thighs cooked together in the same skillet in less than 10 minutes.
The rice absorbs the chicken juices while it cooks, providing a lot of flavor. It's like cooking rice with homemade stock!
Jump to:
Chicken and rice recipe
Oven-baked chicken consistently wins when it comes to dinner. This sheet pan chicken thighs meal with roasted vegetables is one of my favorite simple baked chicken dishes. Everyone in my family adores it, and it's incredibly easy to make and quick.
Additionally, I've been preparing this oven-baked chicken and rice a lot lately; it makes a filling meal, and I adore how tender and tasty the rice comes out. Due of its rapid popularity, this recipe has been included to our monthly rotation. Excellent!
Nothing is worse than dry chicken, which is why I adore recipes with such juicy, soft chicken. And when it comes to juicy, tender, well-seasoned chicken with robust tastes, this dish checks all the boxes. Additionally, the chicken is quite filling and fulfilling when served with seasoned rice!
This recipe for chicken and rice gives you juicy, seasoned chicken.
What You’ll Need
This basic dish calls for only a few ingredients. Here are the major items you'll need:
- Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs are ideal for this recipe because they take the same amount of time to cook in the oven as the rice - 50 minutes overall. However, we remove the skin because otherwise, the oil runs down into the rice while cooking, making it excessively greasy. It's simple, effortless, and only takes 5 seconds each chicken.
- Uncooked white rice - any "normal" white rice will suffice here (plain, long grain, short grain, jasmine, basmati). Avoid specialist rices such as paella or risotto rice, as they cook differently in the oven. Brown rice just requires additional liquid and a little longer cooking time - instructions are included in the recipe.
- Chicken seasoning - feel free to use any seasoning you have on hand, pre-made, or switch up the spices I've used;
- Butter, garlic, and onion flavor base - this serves as the flavor base for the rice, and because this recipe is all about convenience, we "oven saute" them - a fancy term for simply throwing everything in a skillet and baking rather than sautéing on the stove!
How to make chicken and rice in the oven
Here's how to make it, too. The first two stages below include "oven sautéing" the garlic and onion mentioned above. The rice's wonderful buttery garlic flavor comes from this!
The rice is quite delicious. It's supple but not mushy, with a buttery and garlicky flavor. It has crispy bits on the edges that I want to pick off and keep to myself, and it has all the flavor of the chicken's juices!
Tips
- Don't forget to wrap the chicken with foil. My cousin was upset that the recipe didn't work out after making this dish without foil. To encourage the rice to steam, you must cover the skillet with foil.
- Don't use too much salt. You may wish to omit salt from the soup mixture if you have a sensitivity to it. Although people can always add to their own plates, we have tested it both with and without the salt and believed it was necessary.
- Boneless chicken thighs are excellent if that's your preference. Just like with the breasts, prepare them, but don't pound them. Remove the skin and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the temperature hits 165 degrees F, but bone-in will work too.
- Make an effort to select items with comparable sizes.
- Reduce the water to 1 cup if you want a drier, less creamy rice.
Add 1-2 cups of frozen vegetables to the rice mixture for a true one-pan supper.
What to Serve with Chicken and Rice
I suggest the following sides to go with this dish:
- Yogurt: Greek yogurt or plain natural yogurt tastes great with rice and chicken.
- Salad: This recipe goes well with a simple leafy green salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette.
- Roasted vegetables: to use here are roasted green beans, broccoli, asparagus, or mushrooms.
FAQs
No, the rice cooks alongside the raw chicken in the pan. For this reason, it's crucial to keep the pan covered with foil while it bakes.
This dish can be prepared ahead of time, covered with foil, and chilled for up to 24 hours. When you're ready, bake according to the recipe while keeping covered. This would also be a terrific way to leave baking instructions at a friend's place, saving them the trouble!
To allow for the chill from the refrigerator, you might need to increase the cooking time by ten minutes. But as the oven preheats, I suggest simply leaving it out on the counter.
Cooking them together is perfectly acceptable as long as the chicken is heated to a safe temperature (165 degrees).
This recipe works well with long-grain white rice. Since they tend to work best, I typically use either basmati or jasmine rice. Brown rice can be used, however it will require more liquid and require a different baking time.
Risotto, paella rice, and fast rice will get mushy, so stay away from them.
If you tried this Oven Baked Chicken and Rice or any other recipe on my website, please feel free to leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. And remember to tag me on Instagram!
More Delicious Weeknight Meals
- Quick And Easy Dump And Bake Meatball Casserole
- Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli And Rice Casserole
- Slow Cooker Sausage and Potatoes
- Weeknight Cream of Mushroom Chicken Skillet
- The Easiest Cottage Cheese Lasagna
- Buffalo Wild Wings CrockPot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs (Frozen Meatballs)
- Easy Ground Beef Vegetable Soup Recipe
- Protein Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese
- Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
- Quick & Easy Gouda Mac and Cheese
- Easy Stove Top Stuffing Meatloaf Recipe
- Crock Pot Potato Soup
- 30 Minute One Pot Creamy Crab Soup
- One-Pot Spanish Chicken And Yellow Rice Recipe
- Mediterranean Chicken & Rice Bowls (SUPER Easy!)
- Easy Instant Pot Fried Rice
Recipe
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice
INGREDIENTS
- 4 skinless chicken thigh
- ½ cup onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups white rice
- 2 cups hot chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups hot water
Chicken Rub
- 2 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
Garnish
- Fresh minced parsley
- ½ teaspoon safran optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Turn the oven on to 200°C (400°F).
- In a baking dish, scatter the garlic and onion, and then put the butter in the middle. Bake for fifteen minutes.
- In the meantime, combine the chicken rub. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides.
- Take out of the oven the baking dish. After adding the rice, stir.
- Put the chicken over the rice. Next, cover the chicken with water and chicken broth.
- Bake for 40 minutes after covering with foil. Take off the foil, grease the chicken (optional, gives it a prettier finish), and bake it for another 20 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
- After five minutes of standing, take out the chicken and fluff up the rice. If preferred, garnish with parsley, then serve and savor!
NOTES
- Storage: Keep any leftover dish for up to three or four days in the refrigerator, carefully wrapped. Warm up again in the microwave.
- Freezing: Tightly wrap the fully cooked dish in foil and freeze it for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake, covered, at 350°F until well heated. Although this is a possibility, I don't strongly advise it due to the increased risk of the rice and chicken overcooking.
Comments
No Comments