This oven baked Chicken and Rice recipe has captured the hearts of people all around the world! Buttery garlic rice AND juicy seasoned baked chicken thighs, baked together in the same pan with less than 10 minutes of prep.
The rice absorbs the chicken juices as it cooks, adding loads of flavour. It’s like cooking the rice with a homemade stock!
Chicken and rice recipe
This chicken and rice recipe has been a reader favourite for so long, I thought it was about time I updated it with a much improved video and photos!
Readers tell me they love it because:
it’s a one pan dinner – the raw rice and chicken are cooked together at the same time;
completely hands off – unlike cooking rice on the stove which requires more attention, you just put the pan in the oven, set the timer and walk away;
quick to prepare – active prep time is under 10 minutes; and
it’s very, very delicious!
The chicken is ultra tasty….but the star of this recipe is the garlic butter rice!
So here’s what you get in this chicken and rice recipe – juicy seasoned chicken….
…. AND fluffy rice. GARLIC BUTTER rice, at that!
(And PS, to all the fellow rice snobs out there – this rice is fluffy and perfectly cooked, not soggy and mushy like you’d expect. The trick is to pour HOT liquids over the uncooked rice – gives it a big head start in the oven!)
What you need for this baked Chicken and Rice
Here’s what you need:
Skin on, bone in chicken thighs is best for this recipe because they take the same length of time to cook in the oven as the rice – 50 minutes in total. However, we remove the skin because otherwise the fat drips down into the rice as it cooks which makes it overly greasy. It’s easy – it’s effortless and takes 5 seconds flat per chicken.
Uncooked white rice – any “normal” white rice will work just fine here (plain, long grain, short grain, Jasmin, basmati). Steer clear of speciality rices like paella or risotto rice – they cook differently in the oven. Brown rice just needs more liquid and to be cooked a bit longer – directions are in the recipe;
Chicken seasoning – feel free to use any seasoning you’ve got on hand, pre mixed, or switch up the spices I’ve used;
Butter, garlic & onion flavour base – this forms the flavour base for the rice and because this recipe is all about convenience, we “oven saute” them – fancy word for just throw it all in a pan and bake instead of sautéing on the stove! See photos below and the quick recipe video.
How to make chicken and rice in the oven
And here’s how to make it. The first 2 steps shown below is the “oven sautéing” of the onion and garlic referred to above. This is what gives the rice the amazing buttery garlic flavour!
The rice is outrageously good. It’s buttery and garlicky, it’s tender but not mushy (I’m of Japanese background, all Asians are snobs when it comes to rice). It’s got all the flavour from the juices of the chicken and you get crispy bits on the edges that I just want to pick off and have all to myself!
What to serve with chicken and rice
Add a big leafy salad on the side with a salad dressing of choice (Balsamic Dressing and Honey Mustard Dressing are on heavy rotation in my life these days). Or add some steamed vegetables and toss with a salad dressing while hot – they’ll suck up the dressing and make otherwise rather dull steamed vegetables infinitely more interesting!
Oh – and in the video, you’ll see this 4 Minute Gravy as a suggested extra. You don’t need a sauce for this because the rice is so well flavoured and the chicken is juicy. But if you have the time, gravy will take it over the top!
Dinner just got real easy. Enjoy! – Nagi xx
Watch how to make it
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice recipe video!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 5 bone in chicken thigh fillets, peel skin OFF , (Note 1)
- 1 onion , chopped (brown, white or yellow)
- 2 cloves garlic (large) , minced
- 2 tbsp (30g) butter (or olive oil)
- 1 1/2 cups (270g) uncooked white rice (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) chicken broth/stock , hot (I microwave)
- 1 1/4 cups (315 ml) water , hot (tap is fine)
Chicken Rub (Note 2):
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Optional garnish:
- Oil spray
- Fresh thyme leaves or finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Scatter onion and garlic in a baking dish (about 10 x 15″ / 25 x 35 cm), then place butter in the centre. Bake for 15 minutes (check at 12 minutes, mix if some bits are browning too much).
- Meanwhile, mix together Chicken Rub. Sprinkle on both sides of the chicken.
- Remove baking dish from the oven. Add rice then mix.
- Place chicken on rice. Then pour chicken broth and water around the chicken.
- Cover with foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, spray chicken with oil (optional, gives chicken nicer finish), then bake for a further 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
- Stand for 5 minutes, then remove chicken and fluff up rice. Garnish with parsley or thyme if desired, serve and enjoy!
Optional gravy
- Dish is flavoured enough to serve without sauce, but if you want to take it over the top, make this quick Gravy in 4 minutes flat (pictured in video).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice originally published March 2019, updated April 2020 with improved photos, videos and step photos added. No change to recipe – I wouldn’t dare, readers love it as is!
More popular Chicken and Rice recipes
Life of Dozer
He was squinting, so I lent him my sunglasses 😂
And flashback to the original publication date of this recipe, back when Dozer was recovering from a knee operation:
Caved and splurged on a ramp – got tired of heaving a 40kg/80lb dog in and out of the car multiple times a day…..
Very tasty but 1. I had to leave the butter, onion, garlic for about 18 min, and 2. Had to add about 3/4 c more hot broth as the rice was pretty crunchy.
This was absolutely AMAZING!!!! Everyone loved it.
I have 6 people in my family. If I add a chicken thigh to this dish will it affect how the dish cooks? Thanks!
This was great – easy and tasty! Definitely loved it with the gravy. Thanks so much for sharing this! We’ll be making it again for sure! 🙂
I was skeptical at first thinking this dish will be just oh so. Wow was I wrong. Lots of flavor! The only this I did different was to put the spices in a shallow bowl and mix with a little olive oil. I then put the thighs in and coated them all with the mixture. Seemed to distribute it easier (at least for me). For sure a keeper!!!
Does it make a huge difference if we leave the skin on?
I pan fry the thighs skin side down for 4 minutes, it reduces the greasiness of the rice, I also use parabroiled rice.
Hi Marcel – I mention this in the recipe notes 🙂 N x
another delicious recipe! Made this today and used both bone in and boneless – turned out perfectly !
Thank you Nagi
Your Oven Baked Chicken and Rice was delicious. It was very similar to a dish I’ve been making for years, but I liked it even my version because of your seasonings (garlic, thyme, garlic, and paprika). I added a spoonful of Better Than Boullion chicken broth mix to the water. Bread was baking in the oven, so I prepared it on the stovetop. Thank you for the great improvements.
I’ve made this twice and I can’t get enough of it! I’ve made it twice, once with skinless, bone in thighs, and another with boneless and skinless thighs because that’s all I had on hand, and both times it came out fantastic!
I did use 8 boneless, skinless thighs the second time, but it came out just as good as if I’d used skinless, bone in thighs.
I love this recipe, and I will definitely make it again!
Tried this last night; it was delicious! It was so easy that I panicked mid way thru the baking time because I was sure I forgot something, lol… nope. Came out great.
This is fantastic! My teenage boys loved and ate it for dinner and breakfast the next day. 🙂 They said we should keep a pan in the fridge to just eat whenever. I used jasmine rice, which I think turns out perfect every time. I also used a bit of Cajun seasoning for some heat. I’ve made it twice in the last few days and added chopped green peppers to the second batch. Such a versatile recipe! Thank you!
Hi Nagi,
This recipe is so easy, the flavours amazing and the chicken very tender. I served it with a simple garden salad and it was just delicious. My husband and I each had the leftovers for lunch the following day and they were equally as yummy. Gotta love a one pan meal! BTW, I am a SMH subscriber and was very excited to see you in the Sunday Life lift out. A shame your glazed chicken wasn’t included, but we’re all very lucky you’ve shared it through this site (my favourite recipe site by far!). Thank you for your commitment and dedication; you’re a superstar! Merry Christmas to you, Dozer, your family and all your followers, and may 2021 be less intense! Cheers, Patti
Can you substitute something non dairy for the butter?
Hi Gila, I use butter for flavour but you could use nuttelex or margarine if you prefer. N x
Thank you! I used Country Crock plant butter and followed the recipe and used chicken broth (heated on the stove) from a carton for all the liquid including the water. It was a big hit with my family.
If I plan to make with jasmine rice, should I slightly decrease the liquid? Thinking to toast the rice first too a bit, not that it is necessary.
I used jasmine rice with the liquid as is and it turned out great. I did have to remove the foil at the end to cook off a bit of liquid. But the end product was great. And using hot broth and liquid made a difference too (I didn’t use hot the first time I made it).
5 min left and there is still sooooo much liquid! Followed it to a t! 😭
Hi Stephanie, was the broth hot when you added it to the pan? N x
Hi Nagi, this recipe works great everytime I try it. Question: how do or can I incorporate veges in this? Potatoes/carrots/broccoli etc…
The flavor of the dish is great! However my rice turned out sticky not fluffy? Any suggestions?
Very good. I enjoying thoroughly.
This was easy and pretty good. Most other ‘rice in the oven’ recipes never seem to get the rice right! This rice was very good and cooked perfectly, but needed some seasoning…I always use low sodium chicken broth, which I’m sure was a factor. Next time I’ll know to add S&P. Thanks f0r the recipe.
This recipe makes the most juicy delicious chicken ever. I make it twice a week!