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…..
Another stunning recipe packed with flavour, thanks for sharing.
The negative comments below mustn’t of followed your recipe ie: using hot liquids.
Made this tonight, the chicken was okay. I was very disappointed with the rice. This dish took longer than t0 minutes to bake. At 50 minutes part of the rice was done others parts were still water logged and uncooked. On another note the gravy was very good. Definitely not making this again.
Do you use the entire batch of chicken run or just a little sprinkling? I’m worried I used most of it and it will come out too salty…. Time will tell!
Hi Velvet – the entire amount 🙂 N x
Can you make this recipe without the rice and just the chicken..would you remove the more liquid like the water?
The Temperature should be kept as 180degree during the entire preparation?
Great easy dinner. My Husband loved it.I didn’t have chicken thighs so i took 4 to 5 chicken breasts and slices them like chicken strips. I added a little more butter and when i sauteed the onions and garlic i also added bell peppers and diced tomatoes. I used 2 cups of rice and added a little seasoning. and a little more broth which made it sooo delicious. The rice was nice and fluffy. String beans on the side.Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. this was the best every.
Great easy dinner. My family loved it. I only adjusted the butter and salt amounts. I added more of each which made it scrumptious. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Delicious and easy to make. It was nicely seasoned.
Thanks so much Connie! N x
Hi Nagi,
Can I use only water if I don’t have chicken stock? Replacing the stock with water amounts of course!
Thank you 🙂
Hi Alaina, you may find it lacking in flavour – do you have stock powder you can add to the water to make stock? N x
I made this tonight after finally getting the rice and having time!
The onion and garlic were very strong smelling as the dish was cooking but the taste was divine! My only complaint was the rice. I remembered why I quit making rice, for anything! I live at 5700 feet and rice takes forever to cook. I had to take the dish out of the oven, put the chicken on a plate then dump the rice in a pot for at least 15 more minutes cooking. Until the liquid was absorbed. It was still too chewy for my taste. Next time I will precook the rice to a point before baking. My second option is to use the Minute Rice you say is not suitable! I’ll let you know how it goes,
Deliciously simple, the perfect one-pan oven meal I was looking for! Yum. Will make again and again. Thank you! 🙂
Delicious!!!! The rice was amazing! Next time I’ll have to try that gravy! Another winner and another family favourite to add to our dinner rotations!
I’m making this now and wonder about this. After it’s cooked for the first 30 minutes, then spray the chicken, do I put the foil back on for the rest of the bake?
No. Do not put the foil back on.
Excellent, rice cooks up a treat. I think experimenting with the chicken rub ingredients is the next step, I’m not keen on onion powder, but middle eastern flavours would suit this.
Hi found this recipe 2 months ago And have made it so many times since. I alter the spices sometimes to change the flavour sometimes. Indian herbs are yummy on this.
Now comes my question – I want to make this for lunch today but forgot to remove the chicken from freezer last night. Will frozen chicken thighs work in the recipe?
Love you recipes. Was going to try this one but the package of rice says cooks in 10 minutes. Is thst ok to use in this recipe. Thank ypu for all your exceptipnally delicious recipes.
Are there any changes you can make to the recipe to allow for use of 10 minute instant rice?
Hi Lisa, the recipe as written wont work with minute rice sorry – the liquids wont absorb and the chicken would be raw! N x
Wowsers! Cooked this for the first time last night. Its was an absolute hit. I scaled up to 400g rice and a litre of liquid as we’rebig eaters. It was perfect. Utterly delicious; clean plates all round!
Hey Lucy
With the scaled up rice, did you cook it for the same amount of time?
Hi Jen, I add half again of everything and cook for an extra 5 minutes and works perfectly
I’ve been taught to always rinse my rice first, so can this step be missed from your recipe? Looks good and can’t wait to try!
Hi Les, I don’t since my rice – it will change the cook time and liquid amount if you do! N x
Oh, how delicious this recipe is! Will definitely be made again and again and again…
Thank you for this excellent & simple family recipe. Even my fussy three year old eats her entire portion-she rarely eats much of her dinner!
This was absolutely one of the most delicious most easiest recipes I’ve made! Hubby loved it, definitely one of our dinner favorites…thank you!