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…..
Great recipe!! The rice is reallyy tasty!! I just have a question regarding the chicken.. how to make it juicier? More tasty and maybe add some sauce?
Thank u for lovely recipe
Hi Jimy! You can marinate it overnight in the rub 🙂 That will help! If you want sauce, it would need to be made separately 🙂
Hands down the Best chicken and rice dish EVER! I hate cooking rice as it never comes out right but my husband loves rice so its always a battle….this makes us both happy! Every time I make it the rice is perfect! I have added lots of stuff, tried different spices and every time it is fabulous!! Thank you so much!!
I’m so pleased to hear that Becky! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x 😊
Really tasty, used jasmine rice, came out perfect. My wife thinks some kind of gravy or sauce would make it even better. Any suggestions for that?
I’m so pleased to hear that Skip! Thanks for sharing your feedback! I think a gravy will make the rice soggy, Sorry! N x 😊
Hello,
I’m trying this recipe for the first time. How do you recommend baking this dish if using boneless skinless chicken thighs and brown rice?
Hi Brittany, please see recipes notes 🙂
Hi, I’m looking at the notes and wondering the same thing to compute the changes properly …wanting to make this tonight…do I just put the boneless skinless thighs in the dish with the brown rice and cook all of it covered for 45 minutes then uncover for 15-20 mins? Thank you.
Hi Nagi, I’d like to make this with 6 thighs. How would you adjust the amount of rice, liquid and cooking time?
Just made it the same rice/liquid/time. Portions were decent for 6 serves. Really tasty and easy to make. Thanks!
WHOOT!
The recipe will be enough for 6 thighs 🙂
If you want a better seal you can first rap the dish in Saran Wrap and then put foil over the top and it will create a way better seal. I’ve cooked in kitchen for over 10 years and that’s what we always do with our dishes when we cook chicken just a little FYI for everybody.
What a great tip Adam! Thanks!
So it’s safe for me to use Saran Wrap and foil? I will be so sad if this ruins my dinner lol
Please don’t!!! Cling wrap melts!
So If I’m using boneless chicken breast I cook the rice for 25 minutes (covered) on its own and then I add the chicken and bake uncovered for 25 more minutes?
That’s right! 🙂 N x
Can I use wings
Yes!!
If using boneless skinless chicken thighs when in the baking process would I place the chicken in the pot? Cook the thighs for 10 min covered and for 15 min uncovered?
Thanks!
That’s right Taylor! 🙂
The rice was very flavorful, and the whole family enjoyed the seasoning on the chicken. My comment would be to ensure you are careful to wrap the foil tightly as my rice in one dish did not cook in 35 minutes, but in my 2nd dish, I also had a lid for my pan to cover the foil making a much better seal and the rice was nearly cooked in the first 35 minutes. I had plenty of time after the final uncovered 15 minutes of cooking, so I allowed both of them to sit recovered tightly for more than 30 minutes in a warm oven allowing the rice to completely cook. Another thought, If you prefer the rice less starchy, then rinse the rice several times before adding to the pan.
That’s terrific to hear VA! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review – N x
Delicious! My husband is a very fussy eater but he cleared his plate with this recipe. Thank you Nagi. Just reading this page made my mouth water.
I used chicken breast but as they were quite thick I put them in after baking the onion and garlic – to ensure they were cooked through. I also only used one clove of garlic as I was only cooking for 2.
For the Rub I used garlic salt only so ommited the garlic powder, onion powder and salt but added lots of black pepper. I think maybe next time I will only use 1/2 TSP of thyme as I found it quite strong.
I have 2 questions. Could you freeze left overs? If using a fan assisted oven would you cook at 170?
Thanks again Nagi.
Can I use only stock. Why use water?
Hi Victor! You can totally just use stock, it just gives the rice a stronger flavour that’s all 🙂
Can I use minute rice somehow?
Hi Kelly! I’m sorry to say this needs to be made with normal rice. 🙂 N x
I made it with a packaged chicken flavored long grain rice and additional Jasmine rice and it came out great.
I’m so pleased to hear that James! Thank you for trying my recipe! N xx ❤️
A llittle confused on the cook time for boneless chicken breasts. Am i cooking the rice covered for 25 minutes, then adding chicken and cooking for another 25 minutes uncovered? I’m sorry, I’m not much of a cook, still learning!
Hi Claudia! Yep that’s exactly right 🙂 N x
Could I use skin on wings for this recipe?
I haven’t tried that but I’m pretty sure it will work great! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, the meal came out very delicious and flavorful. My one issue was the rice in some sections felt like it did not cook all the way through. I used white jasmine rice. Should I have cooked it longer than an hour ?
Hi Rob! I’m sorry to hear that, is there a chance your oven runs a bit weak? 🙂 N x
can you use a 9x13inch pan
That’s fine! 🙂
Can I use chicken breast?
Yes! See notes in the recipe 🙂
This is not your usual chicken and rice (which I loathe). I love this recipe. Making it for the 2nd time in two weeks – and I never do that. So easy and so yummy. One caveat to folks out there – if you use a mix of wild rices, it needs to be cooked a bit longer. Not sure how much longer actually because I needed to serve it so finished off the rice portion in the microwave. Going to do white rice like the recipe calls for this time.
It’s so great to hear you enjoyed this Dianne!!! N x
Simply delicious!!!
It’s so great to hear you enjoyed this Dana! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, is it possible to add any kinds of veggies to this dish to make it a complete meal? What would you suggest?
Hi Liz! Carrots, peppers, peas, and baby spinach stirred through the rice at the beginning 🙂