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This oven-baked chicken and rice is simple. One pan yields juicy, delicious chicken and fluffy seasoned rice. Delicious baked chicken thighs with a lovely seasoning and fluffy, silky rice on top-all prepared in the oven. This recipe for Oven Baked Chicken and Rice is ideal for a date night or for hectic weeknights when you have to drop the kids off at all their extracurricular activities.

Do you love chicken recipes? Try my Baked Chicken Breast, and this Air fryer chicken breast recipe!

Oven Baked Chicken and Rice in a white baking pan, fresh out of the oven

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
How To Make Baked Chicken And Rice
Expert Tips
What to Serve with This Dish
Storage & Reheating
FAQs
More Delicious Weeknight Meals
Recipe
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy: This is one of the simple dinners that everyone needs in their back pocket.
One Pan Dinner: Use a single baking dish to manage everything from beginning to end, making cleaning easier.
Well-Balanced: One of the reasons we adore one-pot meals is that they are well-balanced. Everything you need for a filling, well-rounded supper is in this recipe. Feel free to prepare a basic vegetable side dish, such as a simple salad, steamed broccoli, or green beans. However, it will be flawless on its own!
Chicken that is well seasoned and tender: This chicken is juicy and soft thanks to the slow cooking method in the oven with broth, and the addition of paprika, garlic, and thyme ensures that it has a lot of flavor.
Hands-off cooking: No standing over a pot of rice on the stove. Slide the pan into the oven, set a timer and walk away.

Ingredients

This basic dish calls for only a few ingredients. Here are the major items you'll need:

Chicken Thighs - Bone-in chicken thighs are ideal for this dish since they bake at the same time as the rice. It's possible to use chicken breast, but the flesh can turn out a little drier. When baking for a longer time, I find that the thighs that are skin-on and bone-in retain a lot of moisture and taste.

Basmati Rice - Because it stays fluffy, basmati rice works well in casseroles. Use brown rice or short-grain instead, but be sure to adjust the liquid level so that the rice is cooked through but not dry.
Spices and seasonings - I use a mixture of paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder to season the chicken. Use your preferred chicken seasoning or adjust according to taste.
Onion - Onions can be either white or yellow. One medium onion is plenty.
Garlic - Fresh garlic gives the rice the best flavor. As usual, take care not to burn it as this could make it taste harsh.
Butter - keeps the rice from getting sticky. You can use olive oil.
Chicken Broth - For optimal flavor, use ordinary chicken stock or broth, and make sure it's hot when it goes in.
Water - Together with the broth, the hot water creates the steam that cooks the rice.
Parsley - Garnish with freshly minced parsley. Fresh is preferred because it adds some brightness, but a little dried parsley works in a pinch.

How To Make Baked Chicken And Rice

Turn the oven on to 350°F, or 180°C.
Put the garlic and onion in the baking dish's bottom. Put some butter in the middle. Bake for 12 minutes.
Combine the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. After adding the chicken, evenly distribute the spice over each piece until it is thoroughly coated. Let it marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Pour the rice into the baking dish and mix it all together.

How to make chicken and rice in the oven

Over the rice, arrange the seasoned chicken. Pour the hot chicken broth and hot water around it.
For forty-five minutes, bake covered with foil. After taking off the foil, bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is soft and the chicken is cooked through. Spray the chicken with oil and broil it for two to three minutes to achieve a golden finish.
Before serving, take it out of the oven and leave it uncovered for five to ten minutes. Add some freshly chopped parsley on top, then dig in!
Tip: just before adding the parsley, lift the chicken aside, fluff the rice with a fork and set the chicken back on top.

Grey baking dish with Oven Baked Chicken and Rice, ready to be served

Expert Tips

Add 1-2 cups of frozen vegetables to the rice mixture for a true one-pan supper.
Check Rice: You may need to bake the dish for a little longer, depending on the type of rice and your oven. Before uncovering, be sure the majority of the liquid has been absorbed.
For this rice casserole, you may also use chicken breasts. They may not be as moist as the thighs, but keep the bone in and skin on if you do. Since the rice must be cooked thoroughly and the chicken breasts will be thicker than the thighs, I would maintain the same cooking time.
Wash the rice: Although it's not required, we advise washing the rice before adding it to the dish! We discovered after testing that our rice turned out somewhat mushy if we didn't rinse it.
For even more flavor, you can brown the seasoned chicken in a skillet before it goes on the rice. It's optional, but it greatly enhances the flavor.
Alternate the herbs. If you choose, you can use different fresh herbs in this recipe! Mix it into the rice and bake it with the chicken if it has a woody stem (think rosemary or thyme). Use the tender stems (tarragon, basil) as a garnish once the rice and baked chicken are cooked.
Swap the spices: Italian seasoning makes an easy stand-in for the individual dried spices.

What to Serve with This Dish

Yogurt: A spoonful of plain or Greek yogurt on the side is lovely with the warm chicken and rice.
Salad: A crisp green salad tossed with a simple vinaigrette keeps the meal fresh.
Roasted vegetables: Green beans, broccoli, mushrooms or asparagus can roast on another rack at the same time.

Storage & Reheating

This rice and chicken recipe can be frozen. It will still taste great, though not quite as wonderful as freshly baked. After cooking the rice, make sure to quickly cool it and place it in a freezer-safe container in the freezer within an hour. It can be stored for up to a month in the freezer.
Put the rice and chicken in an ovenproof dish and add a generous splash of water to reheat. When the oven is preheated to 180C (160C fan, gas mark 4, 350F), cover with foil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until well heated. (To re-crisp up the skins, remove the foil for the final five minutes.)
Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container and enjoy them within 4 days.

FAQs

Should the rice be cooked first?

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.

Can you make this casserole in advance?

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.

Can you cook raw chicken with rice?

Cooking them together is perfectly acceptable as long as the chicken is heated to a safe temperature (165 degrees).

What type of rice should I use?

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.

Can I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs?

Yes. They cook faster, so start checking them around 40 minutes. Take them out once they reach 165°F, and give the rice a few extra minutes alone if it's not quite tender.

Does the liquid need to be hot?

Yes! Hot broth and hot water get the rice cooking right away, so it's tender by the time the chicken is done.

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!

Oven Baked Chicken and Rice