This is one of my favorite one-pot recipes. Without a doubt, it exceeded my expectations. Easy and mess-free with very little prep work and loaded with flavor.
You won’t believe how fluffy and flavorful the rice is and how tender and juicy the chicken is. My family loves baked chicken and rice days. It’s the one meal everyone can agree on. It is not only good for family nights, though.
You can serve this to guests any day. It is that spectacular, believe me! This and an easy salad, and you’re done.
But please, don’t take my word for it. Go ahead and make it (you’ll be so glad you did!)
How To Make Oven-baked Chicken And Rice
- Preheat oven to 350F. In a 9×13” baking dish, scatter onion and place cut butter pieces on top.
- Bake for 15 mins, or until you see some brown pieces of onion.
- Mix your spices for the chicken rub
- Rub chicken pieces on both sides with a spice mix.
- Place rice on top of baked onions and mix
- Add chicken stock and water to rice.
- Place chicken pieces on top of rice mixture
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil, spray thighs with oil spray and bake 20 minutes more, uncovered.
Can You Reheat Oven-baked Chicken And Rice?
You certainly can. My pro tip here is just added a tablespoon of water to the rice before heating it in the microwave, and it will come out like just baked!
Cover your dish before putting it in the oven, and the chicken will too come out really tender and juicy.
You can refrigerate this recipe for up to 5 days. Store it well covered in your fridge to keep it from drying out.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 5 bone-in chicken thigh fillets, skin off
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp butter cut Into pieces
- 1 ½ cups uncooked white rice (long-grain, jasmine, or basmati work great)
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 ¼ cups water
- Oil spray
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
CHICKEN RUB
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- In a 9x13” baking dish, scatter onion and place cut butter pieces on top
- Bake for 15 mins, or until you see some brown pieces of onion.
- Mix your spices for the chicken rub
- Rub chicken pieces on both sides with a spice mix
- Place rice on top of baked onions and mix
- Add chicken stock, garlic and water to rice
- Place chicken pieces on top of rice mixture
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minute
- Remove foil, spray thighs with oil spray and bake 20 minutes more, uncovered.
Answering Your Burning Questions:
- Do You Have To Cook Rice Before Putting It In A Casserole? Definitely not! This is the great thing about this casserole. You add uncooked rice and chicken stock/water mixture, and it cooks all by itself inside the oven. Just make sure you cover your casserole for the first 30 minutes of cooking time. Rice comes out perfectly done and fluffy!
- What Goes With Oven-baked Chicken And Rice? This is a complete meal all by itself, but if you want to complement it with something else, add a salad or some steamed veggies with butter and herbs. I love to serve it with lettuce, tomato, onion, and avocado salad with balsamic vinaigrette.
I made this dish with a few change’s. I used chicken legs and thighs with the skin on. Nine pieces of chicken was used so I doubled the amount of rub and included creole seasonings. Cream of mushroom was added to the broth and water mixture. My family likes the rice with a creamy texture. The chicken pieces were a little big so I had to increase the cook time to 40 covered and 40 uncovered. Brussels sprouts as my side dish was perfect.
Made this tonight for dinner. I didn’t have regular paprika for the chicken, so used smoked paprika. Going off previous comments for needing extra flavor and cook time for the rice, I made some changes by doubling the garlic (we love garlic!) and using a can of French onion soup for the water. I also added an extra 15 minutes of covered cooked time and an extra 5 minutes of uncovered cooked time. Served with a side of steamed broccoli. It was all a huge hit and I’ll definitely be making it again!
Great recipe!
This is one of the best chicken and rice recipes around. Don’t EVER use water when making rice, if you use chicken stock and let the flavors mend, it is really good. You don’t need cream of chicken or mushroom, use the stock!
A keeper, that says a lot! Ty for recipe 👌🏼
I love how this came out but is there a way to adjust the liquid or cooking time? I commented yesterday but it’s gone. 😔 Hope I didn’t offend, just wanted to know how to adjust cooking time when there’s too much liquid or how to adjust the liquid.
How should I go about adding more time to it? 15 mins more? It’s wasn’t quite done at the time suggested. It smells DELICIOUS 🤤 I’m so excited!
This is an excellent recipe, but I’ve made a few mods I’d like to share: 1) Sautee the onion and garlic in a frypan to save time.
2) I double the rice but keep the water and broth about the same.
3) I double the seasonings and add some olive oil to it so that it brushes on and sticks better to the chicken.
4) I bake it at 400°F, as every time I’ve tried at 350°F it takes twice as long as the recipe says for the chicken to cook through to a safe temp (and no, my oven isn’t old).
5) This works just as well with chicken drumsticks as thighs. I just take the skins off.
I apologize that I have not written a review for this. I thought I had. I’ve made this a few times and each time I wish I could eat it all in one sitting and then have more a while later! This is really really good!
I make it with skinless and boneless chicken thighs. I use gluten free chicken broth.
Thank you again!
We had friends over tonight for dinner and I made this dish…, I reviewed the comments and decided to add some seasoning to the rice. First off, I diced celery and added it to the onions for the first step. I used a bit more chicken broth and less water for added flavor. I also added salt and pepper, celery seed, dried thyme, onion powder and garlic powder to the rice and liquid. All of it worked really well. I think I’ll definitely make this again. Everyone loves the dish! Thanks for the recipe!
I had some chicken marinating in the fridge in Italian dressing which I usually cook in the air fryer and serve with a salad. But I wanted something more comforting. Since the chicken was already marinated I didn’t use the rub, but instead put some herbs in with the rice. It came out SO delicious! And it was incredibly easy. I will make this again and again.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Deedee!! 🙂
My family and I love this recipe. I mix in Knorr’s Tomato Bouillon with Chicken flavor to make it more of a Spanish rice. Perfect for a busy family.
Thank you for your kind words, Sonya! You are a kitchen rockstar!
My family loved it! I did use the thighs with the skin and the bone, I also substituted some of the water for more chicken broth. It was delicious all the same. It will be a menu staple!!
Haha I love that! Thanks so much, Jacque!
I was wondering if I had to use an onion? That is the only item I don’t have in my house right now 🙁
I didn’t use an onion and it was delicious
Can you use chicken legs, if so, how many legs do you suggest for proper cooking? Still 5?
You can definitely use legs. I would use 5 or 6.
Yummy! I made it my own by adding broccoli to the dish. I cut thawed broccoli into bite size pieces. Then once the foil comes off I sprinkled sliced almonds. Your spices are spot on. I think I’ll use it for future roasting. So good.
Thank you for posting such an easy and delicious meal! I use boneless chicken breast chunks instead so monitor the rice for being cooked because my chicken needs less time. Delicious and family-pleasing!
Thank you for your feedback Erica! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe.
Can you use chicken breasts instead and if yes, is there a change in cooking times? I understand the flavor will be different.
Simply easy and delicious
EXACTLY. So super easy!
Can you use brown rice instead of white?
You can, but I would recommend you use minute brown rice since regular brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice.
Hi
Can you use boneless, skinless thighs ?
Thank You
Joan
Yes you can.
Love it! I tweaked the seasoning a bit, and used chicken breast tenderloins instead, but followed the recipe other than those changes. Turned out great! Thank you for a new favorite to add into my weekly rotation.
Thank you for this recipe. Its cooking right now !! Used breasts instead of thighs. It smells great !!
Making this dish as we speak and can’t wait to see how it turns out! Thanks for the recipe!
Love this. Used rolled chicken breasts and drumsticks. Didn’t have thyme so I used poultry seasoning and better than bouillon chicken. Turned out fabulous and picky hubby loved it tooo
This is a great recipe! I add a little more chicken, so I add a little more time. But, I always go back to your recipe. It’s become a weekly favorite at this house. I like that it gives me a great base to use what I have on hand. I used Louisiana seasoning once, because i was out of garlic and thyme, and another time i didn’t have any chicken stock, so i used water with bullion. It’s great. Thanks!
Great recipe!! I followed the instructions just like they said and my dish turned out perfect!!
I only have chicken tenders on hand. Could I sub them for the thighs? Would that alter the cooking time?
Yes, you can use chicken tenders. The cooking time would be the same.
I like this recipe because it doesn’t use the soups that add extra sodium. I tweek it but the rest is the same. Very satisfying with a good garden salad or Greek salad
Oh my goodness you are so kind scott. Thank you for coming back to leave a review!
The dish is in the oven now and it smells wonderful! I agree with the other comments that the cooking time is not enough. I have an oven thermometer and even when set at slightly higher than 350 F, the suggested time is not enough to cook the rice or the chicken properly. Made sautéed mushrooms and steamed green beans to serve with it. Can’t wait to eat it!
Thank you for your comment! I hope you enjoy your dinner. I will look into the cooking time again.
Last time I made this I added zucchini and a squash and it was amazing! Today I’m adding butternut squash and some grape tomatoes. Delicious dish and so easy.
Where do you add the garlic?
Add it with the chicken stock
I’m in the middle of cooking this recipe and decided to add black beans and season the rice with cumin. After the 30 minutes of baking covered with foil, should there still be a lot of liquid?
Remember you have to cook it uncovered for 20 more minutes. Water will evaporate by then
I’m about to cook this now. Is it possible to add some cream of mushroom soup to this recipe?
Have you tried substituting breasts for thighs? What temp/cooking time would need to be adjusted?
Yes. You can use thighs instead of breasts. You don’t need to adjust the temperature or cooking time!
Hi, Can you use thighs with the skin on? They usually crisp up really nicely in the oven. Obviously, I can see how the foil and steaming inside would make that less ideal. Any suggestions?
Yes. You can definitely use chicken thighs with the skin on. They will obviously not be that crispy, and you will be adding a bit more fat to the recipe, but also more flavor. Remove the foil for the last few minutes of baking (try 5 minutes) and see if the rice doesn’t dry up too much.
Hi I made this recipe the other day it was good but the rice doesn’t have a lot of flavor so next time I make it I will add some cream of chicken soup or golden mushroom soup. I also let it cook for a hour and a half with the foil on then removed the foil and cooked it till the chicken was golden brown. After I removed it from the oven I melted a stick of salted butter and pooped over the top of the rice it was really good so I will be making this again just adding some other things to it,
Thanks for the suggestions. So glad you decided to try it again and customize it to your liking. 🙂
Great idea. I also added cream of chicken soup with half the amount of water. Adds flavor to the rice. Recipe time needs to be adjusted to about 45 mins with the foil. Rice didn’t overcook.
Add half a packet of ranch seasoning to the rice after you add the water/broth adds so much flavor!
Great recipe…I’d like to add cheese, at which stage should I include it? thanks
Hi Rose, If you’d like to add cheese, add shredded cheese of your choice 15 mins before finishing the baking time,