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!
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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…..
It’s time I stopped creeping on here and tell you that this chicken and rice is a weeknight staple here! I pull the recipe up on Pinterest often. Thanks for all the detail about the rice, that’s why it’s the best!
You’re so welcome Rachael, I’m so glad you love it!
I love the possible variations to this. I kept it simple and was surprised how flavorful it was. (Without the mushrooms)
That’s great to hear Renee!
I am trying to figure out cook times using chicken breast AND long grain brown rice. I’m guessing cook covered for 45 minutes, then add chicken breast and cook uncovered for 20? Does that sound right?
Hi Jessica, perfect! I hope you love it!
This was amazing! I used olive oil in place of the butter. Also used chicken quarters with the skin on. I cooked 40 min with foil on and then another 30 without foil. I could eat this everyday!!
I made this today for a friend with family member I’ll and it looks good but can’t get rice tender. Hope they like it
I hear ya Monica!!
I don’t have chicken thigh in the bone can I still use chicken with out the bone ?
Hi Maru, yes – I talk about this in the recipe notes – N x
This is definitely my go to chicken and rice! Always delish! No canned soup here!
You crack me up! i love reading your spiels and responses to people’s comments. You have me chuckling to myself (and out loud – sorry fellow restaurant patrons – i just love indulging in deciding on which new NAGI recipe I will be cooking during my coffee break)No wonder you have cracked the 1000 comments for this recipe – WOW!!! YUMMM!! AWESOME!!! EASY!!! DISHWASHER POT (alias no dishes!!) I’m so in love with you!! Keep rollin’ the recipes out and your thoughts!! PS Love Dozer, too!!! From Joy and Sharza (my gorgeous Border Collie)
Thanks so much Joy, I really enjoy hearing everyones feedback. Give Sharza a big belly rub from me – N x
Love this recipe! All in the family enjoyed it. Making it again with brown sugar garlic chicken thighs on top of rice. Yum
Perfect Patricia!
This was so quick and absolutely delicious!! My kids raved about it! Even the older, more picky one. 🙂 . Thanks so much! Will definitely make again.
Wahoo!
This was delicious! I made it with brown rice and I had to let it cook an extra 20-30 minutes but it was amazing. Also, I only used 4 cups of chicken broth with 2 cups of rice (no water). I have a 2 year old and a 10 year old (both picky eaters) and they both said it was really yummy. Thanks for the recipe!
Winner winner chicken dinner!!!
I make this all the time! Super flavourful and most importantly Easy! I have subed some of the water for a can of diced tomatoes and cooked for a little bit longer and it’s delicious
Great!!
Hi,
I was planning on doing an old fashioned oven baked marylands until I stumbled onto this recipe. I’m going to try it tonight with the Maryland’s that I have already taken out. I might need to increase the temp to insure that the Marylands cook the same time as the rice. Any suggestions on temp and timing?
I actually made this dish while I was sick and did not have much energy to cook, but this recipe is perfect because I did nothing much besides cutting the onions and garlic and the rest were just “assembling & waiting time”. The chicken and rice came out perfect! Chicken was tender and the rice was so soft and fluffy. Thank you for this recipe! Save my time and no hassle when I had to cook even when I was sick.
It’s so easy isn’t it Elaine! I’m so glad you loved it and I hope you’re feeling better!
This tastes great, but I’m not sure what happened – the cook time/temperature were totally off for me. I followed the directions exactly and after the 50 minutes the rice was still not cooked at all basically, with a ton of liquid still in the pan. I had to turn the temp up to 400F and bake for an extra 40 minutes to get the rice cooked. I suppose it could be my oven, but I’ve never had issues before.
I am having this same issue and I am using long grain white rice. I just took the foil off and it looks just the same as when I put it in the oven. I just turned up the oven to 400°. Hoping it doesn’t take too much extra time….
Oh no, I’m sorry you had issues Emily, that doesn’t sound right at all! What type of rice were you using?
Amazing recipe, my family love this! And so very easy to make x
Wahoo, I’m so glad it’s a hit!
I love this recipe, but have been scratching my head why my rice doesn’t turn out very well, undercooked. I finally realized it is probably the high altitude I live at. Do you have suggestions for rice and high altitude? I think more liquid and increased cooking time.
Hi Jen, try increasing the liquid slightly and cook slightly longer – N x
Made this tonight with drumsticks and brown rice, with a few slices of leftover chorizo thrown in – timings were perfect 🙂 Another keeper!
Carol in Auckland
Sounds great Carol!
I just took this out of the oven & OMGEEEEE! Out of this world! What I love is that I had everything on hand, without having to turn to processed soup packets or condensed cans of unsuspecting ingredients. I made this in a 3 in 1 Pan with a lid, so no foil necessary. (Stove/Oven/table) I followed recipe exactly and the flavors are just bursting from the pan throughout my kitchen and in my mouth! Definitely a keeper!!
Wahoo, I’m so glad it was a hit Vanessa!
I’ve actually seen this recipe done straight in the oven without starting on the stove many times before over the years. Not many people have the time and patience to prep on the stove top and toss in the over later.
I totally agree! Why dirty another pan?!
I like the dish but not the spices they were too plain. I’d make it again but with different spices. The family did not like flavor..
Hi Lexi, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it, I pride myself on flavourful dishes! Did you follow the ingredients exactly? – N x
when you took it out the first time to remove foil was that just for show? like had it already been cooked all the way because mine did not look browned after the first 30 mins in ther oven…