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…..
Hi Nagi, do you have a recipe for baked bone in and skin on chicken breast? Mine are always dry . Help please 😔
Hopefully, Nagi will respond soon. HOWEVER, she DID include a note about boneless chicken thighs and breasts above. Look under Chicken in her notes. But bone in thighs (skin off) do work best here. Also, school all the way to top, and look for the magnifying glass symbol. Type in chicken breasts &, hit enter, Then scroll down just a bit.
I have the same question. I want to use bone in chicken breast.
Unfortunately, she never responds to the comments/questions. 🙁
Soon yummy. One of my go toys now. I use drum sticks, cause thighs with skin on are hard to get here
We love the flavor of this recipe, especially the buttery rice! There are a couple minor adjustments I make: I have a difficult time adequately securing the foil on the hot dish after it’s been in the oven to soften the onion and garlic. This made my rice a bit undercooked so I’ve been sautéing the onion/garlic/butter in a pan. Yes, it creates another item to wash but it is worth it for me. The chicken thighs shrink considerably while cooking, so I add 3-4 more additional thighs. I also leave the skin on and just remove the visible fat (maybe that is why I think my rice is so yummy?) No adaptations of other ingredients seems necessary in my experience making this comforting dish. Thanks for a great recipe!
Easy to make didnt have enough long grain rice and didnt feel like going to the shops used sushi rice and it worked well. Delicious served it with a greek salad and it was devine
I added fine diced mirepoix and used Swanson spicy chicken broth. It had a little bite and more depth of flavor. Perfect Pinch Cajun seasoning was great on the chicken.
Excellent and easy! Thank you.
Did I miss adding salt to rice? Rice had no flavor without it,
Sorry about my salt comment.. This recipe is heart loving.and so delicious! Just sprinkled a bIt of sal on rice.. 🤭
I’ve made this chicken and rice twice now, it is my absolute favourite! My kids love it, and it is so easy to make. Win win
This is the best rice I’ve ever made! It turned out great – so fluffy, soft and not dry at all. Such an easy recipe with minimal effort but maximum taste!
Thanks for the recipe! I made it for supper and everyone liked it.
I’ve made this again dunno-how-manyth-time, this time for 3 people following exactly the adapted recipe. My 7 and 9 year olds asked this for the dinner without dad.
Except that I replaced 10% of the (Basmati) rice with quinoa. And it was amazing, again +a!
This was delicious. The only thing I’d change the next time would be to cut back on the rice to 1 cup.
This is seriously great cooking and eating!!!!!! Another well-tested and presented recipe from Nagi!
My baked chicken and rice recipe I have used for 30+ years has just been replaced by this one. I will add some sautéed mushrooms to the gravy.
I’ve had other recipes of yours that have been delicious but this one is a no go for my family and I.
Good! I was scared because rice never cooks for me in the oven. I used a pan larger than 10×13, but it may have fit. I added diced green chile to onion garlic mixture and tossed the chicken with French onion sour cream dip. Topped the whole thing with sharp cheddar. Baked 45 min with foil at 350, then kicked up the heat to 450 for 15 more min uncovered. Pretty good
Amazing!! flavour is delicious enjoyed every mouthful
Nagi you are a genius
Made this for dinner tonight!! What a delight. Served it with some greens and a generous dollop of garlic yoghurt. *chefs kiss!!*
I made this with thighs without the bone and I didn’t read that you should only cook those at the end. I will do this next time. I came here for the temp and time. Thank you!
If I don’t have Chicken broth, can I substitute it with beef broth?
Family absolutely loved this and i served it with the ‘KFC esque’ gravy for an extra treat! Every element cooked perfectly as per receipe and I doubled the quantity to 10 servings to feed my hungry boys! Used one glass and one ceramic baking dish. Any ideas on what to do with the leftover delish rice welcome 🙏 🤗