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! I love this recipe, it’s so yummy and easy (like all of yours- yours is my go-to recipe site for every occasion!) I was wondering whether it would work to add veggies? maybe some chopped carrot or celery with the onions, or some frozen peas with the rice?? what do you think? xx
I only have chicken breast. If I use that do you recommend cutting back on the cooking time?
Yes me too. Did it work ok?
So, I had to try this one-pan dish. Was sceptical about not washing the starch from the rice (I know, habits die hard). Oh my… dinner was eaten in silence, with nary a crumb left on the plates (much to the Dog’s disgust!).
I was told to put this on our regular meal rota by the fussy eaters. Win!! Thank You! x
Oops. Forgot to rate! 5-star recipe, and then some!
I made this with drumsticks but perhaps I needed tighter foil, because there was a layer of uncooked rice on top (and stuck to the chicken) and the chicken wasn’t well cooked or browned at the end of the cooking time either. (My oven usually runs hot, so I wasn’t expecting that.) I turned the drums over, re-sprayed them, added a bit of boiling water and gave it 15 more minutes and it came out nicely. Went really well with the suggested gravy. I’ll try with thighs next time and see if that works better.
If I rinse the rice, do I adjust the amount of water I put in?
Hi Janet – Yes, it will affect the cook time and the amount of water – I haven’t tested this to give you a complete accurate answer but I’d reduce the water by 1/4 cup and knock 5 minutes off the cook time. N x
I made this recipe but instead of 1 1/4 water I took half cup of water away and substituted it for diced tomatoes from a can. And during the last 20 minutes I added grated parmesan cheese on top of the whole thing. Everybody was fascinated , they loved it.
Thank you so much.
That’s great to hear Tica! N x
I have made this twice. Delicious both times!
Thank you for easy recipe…
You’re so welcome Tammy! N x
So once you remove the foil at 3o minutes, you leave it off for the remaining 20 minutes?
Yes that’s correct Tammy 🙂 N x
I don’t have bone in chicken, can I use boneless skinless thighs for this?
Hi Mona, this is referenced in the recipe notes 🙂 N x
Never mind, I followed the recipe notes for the boneless version. This recipe is so good!! I love it and even my picky 6 year old is eating it. Adding it to my rotation. Thank you 🙂
So delicious and easy to make! Hubby and my 2 girls (4 & 1) also loved it! Great family dinner. Thanks Nagi x
You’re so welcome Sarah! N x
I’ going to use basmati rice, packaged in a burlap bag. The Rice instructions say to rinse rice first. (I guess to remove starch.) should I skip this step and go straight to cooking directions.
Nagi I love your recipes. They are always super yummy. Do I wash the rice or us it dry?
Hi Lynn, no need to wash the rice here – N x
Made this dish tonight and my girlfriend and I loved it! The one pot makes it even better 🙂
Yes! I’m all for minimal clean up! N x
Hi Nagi. Love your website! Just wondering, the recipe instructions say to add rice, then mix but in your video you don’t mix! Does it make a difference?
Hi Maria, sometimes I don’t show all the processes in my videos otherwise they’d go far too long! Just follow the instructions and you’ll have a great dish 🙂 N x
Good morning Nagi,
I made this dish last night using skinless chicken thigh fillets…. it was success on a plate🤗full of flavour and succulent. Thank you again, for a lovely recipe💝
That’s awesome to hear Janice! N x
I searched for “chicken and rice” recipe and came upon this recipe and your website. This was easy to make and really delicious. I look forward to trying other recipes!
That’s great to hear Barbara! N x
If I don’t have a 10×15” pan can I use a 9×13” pan? Would I need to change to cooking time or temperature if I do?
Hi Sarah, that will work fine here – enjoy! N x
I made this rice/chicken dish a few weeks ago and we loved it. I’ve never had rice so flavorful in a dish with meat and it was fluffy, not dry. This will definitely become a dish I make again and again!
Can I make this with chicken breast?
That’s great to hear Rose! N x
Sounds great, I can chicken breasts be substituted for bone in chicken? If so would there be any changes in the cooking instructions?
Made in the US with US sized organic skinless boneless chicken breasts. Followed instructions as posted on notes. 3 hours later, still cooking. Next time will try cooking the chicken breasts on top of the rice from the get go. Maybe then will be done in an hour.
Hi Joe – I talk about this in the recipe notes. N x
Currently cooking… The pan I used was too small so 1) I was unable to use all the liquid at once. I plan to add more halfway through… Wish me luck! Next time I will definitely use bigger pan.
Oh no Jessica! You definitely need to use a bigger an then! N x
How.long to.cook if doubled?
Thanks