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…..
First, I like this dish and So I want to try this in my home on ever week.Thank you so mush posting recipes
Hi Nagi,
I made this dish and it didn’t turn out as I expected. I followed the instructions exactly. My chicken didn’t have as much flavor as I would have liked and the rice was mushy although I enjoyed the rice still. What do you think I did wrong?
Hi Shaquita, I’m sorry to hear it didn’t quite work out! Sounds like the liquid hadn’t fully absorbed into the rice – what kind of rice did you use? – N x
Hello, Nagi! This recipe sounds amazing and I really want to give it a try! I’ve been looking for an out of this world chicken and rice recipe. However, I have a question. I eat a low-carb/keto diet so I try to stay away from rice. If I substituted cauli-rice, how would this affect the baking do you think? Thank you!
Hi Emily, it would be completely different as cauliflower rice won’t absorb the stock and takes a fraction of the time to cook as rice – cooking it with the chicken for 30 minutes would end up mushy!
Can you freeze this recipe uncooked and then thaw and bake as directed? I need some good freezer meals due to an upcoming surgery and lengthy recovery. Thanks! Any tips you can give are most welcomed!
Hi Sandra, not sure this recipe would work frozen like that, most of my soups, carnitas, fried rice, lasagna, cannelloni, even cottage pie can be frozen once cooked and make great freezer meals!
Hi Nagi, I’m using a fan oven in degrees c. Should I reduce the temperature by 10 degrees? Thanks, Aly
Hi Aly, 180 all oven types for this recipe ☺️
Thanks Nagi. I did this and made two big batches together for a bring and share on New Years Eve – it all got demolished and I had loads of compliments. Will be cooking this again and again and again …..
I liked this recipe except for the thyme. The thyme was over powering and gave it an unpleasant taste. Next time I will it that spice.
Hi. I was just wondering if I could use yellow rice instead?
This is the best recipe ever. I love it!
I cheated at the start by preparing the dish in a large cast iron skillet that allowed me to do the first steps on the stove top, Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and the result was perfection.
Now that I have eaten ENTIRELY too much rice (seriously, it was finger licking good) I can say this is a keeper. I used lemon pepper for the seasoning but will use. your rub recipe next time, I am sure that would make it even better. Even my 5 year old who is convinced that the only food group in existence is chicken nuggets from McDonald’s ate a piece of chicken and said “yum yum yum” the whole time she ate. Thanks for the great recipes!
This recipe was so easy, and such a winner in my house! I cannot wait to make it again. I used more garlic than the recipe called for (because we love garlic.) I also used mushroom stock instead of water for richer flavor. This time around I might add peas and carrots. I love how simple and versatile the recipe can be. Thank you!!!
I’m so glad you loved it Bailey!!
WOW!! This is delicious!! I made it with boneless, skinless chicken breast because that is what I had in the freezer and this blew my family away!! They loved how flavorful the rice turned out. I am making this for the 2nd time in 3 weeks and this time using boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I can not wait for dinner tonight!!
Woot! What great feedback, thanks so much Krysty!
This is delicious and easy! I used brown rice, the cooking time for liquid to be absorbed was about 1 1/2 hours. It’s a great weekend meal!
This is delicious. The rice is perfect! Love this method and the whole house smelled so good when it was baking.
Great Heidi, so glad you loved it!
Made this it turned out perfect my husband loved it! I used 4 chicken legs.😃
Awesome!!
Was the rice cooked before or with the chicken in the oven?
With the chicken…
Hi Nagi, I love this oven baked chicken and rice. Just wondering whether I could make this in the slow cooker. If so how long?
Can you use Uncle Bens long rain white rice it says parboiled will that cook too fast?
Hi Gayle, unfortunately it will. This needs to be made with raw rice! N x
I only had rissotto rice so made onion gatlic in oven proof pan. Used half for chicken, half for rice. Cooked chicken without broth as described and rissotto separatelu. Not quite as easy but still delicious!
Can the baked Chicken and rice dish be made with skinless chicken breast and brown rice instead
HI Kathy! Please see recipe notes for directions! N x
Simple but so delicious. Used 7 garlic cloves instead of two! Cooked my onions and garlic a bit longer to get them soft. Added some cayenne and red pepper flakes to the spice mix for heat. Cooked at 375 which got everything looking nice and brown and toasted. Will make again!
Glad you enjoyed it Marcie!! Thanks for sharing your feedback 🙂 N x
I have a box of Vermicelli and Rice Mix, and I was wondering if I could use that in place of plain rice? It’s already seasoned, so I wouldn’t have to add additional spices to the rice, but should I use chicken broth to my pan or make the rice and vermicelli first and then add the chicken on top?
Seeing that the chicken has its own juices, if I add the broth, it might make the recipe too soggy.
What to do, what to do…???
sorry Judi I don’t know, I am not familiar with those products! N x