Oven Baked Chicken and Rice

Dinner doesn’t get any easier and better than this oven baked chicken and rice dinner! Juicy, tender, and flavorful chicken baked with fluffy butter rice. This is a family-friendly one-pot complete dinner that is loved all over the globe. and the best part? It’s entirely made in the oven (no stovetop!), and minimal prep and washing up is required. Perfect for lazy days!

Chicken and Rice Recipe

When it comes to dinner, oven-baked chicken is always a winner. I love easy baked chicken recipes like this sheet pan chicken thighs dinner with roasted veggies. It’s so quick, a breeze to make, and everyone in my family loves it.

And lately, I’ve been making this oven-baked chicken and rice quite a lot, it’s a complete meal and I LOVE how soft and flavorful the rice turns out. So this recipe has been added to our monthly rotation as it quickly became a favorite. So good!

I love recipes where the chicken is so tender and juicy because there is nothing worse than dry chicken. And this recipe ticks all of the boxes in terms of juicy, tender, and properly seasoned chicken with big flavors. And when the chicken is paired with seasoned rice, it’s so satisfying, and definitely filling!

What You’ll Need

• I use bone-in chicken thighs to make this recipe as it takes the same time as the rice to be ready. I remove the skin as I found that leaving the skin on makes the rice too greasy as the fat drips off the skin into the rice.
• Removing the skin off the chicken thighs is quite easy, and literally takes just a few seconds, plus it ensures that your rice is perfectly cooked so it’s well worth the effort.
• I like to add a lot of seasonings to the chicken, as it results in flavorful chicken AND rice. Feel free to use your favorite seasonings though. Italian seasoning is perfect in this recipe.
• You can use any long-grain white rice in this recipe (more on this below).
• The vegetable stock or chicken stock and water MUST be hot for this recipe to work. I always make my own homemade vegetable stock as it’s much healthier, cheaper, and it actually tastes better than store-bought stock.
• If you’d like to make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, I suggest checking the chicken for doneness at the 40 minute mark. Remove the chicken once it’s fully cooked and continue to cook the rice until it’s done.

How to Make Chicken and Rice

1. Rub the chicken seasonings all over the chicken thighs, marinate for 15-30 minutes if the time allows.
2. To a baking dish, add onion, garlic, olive oil, melted butter, chicken or vegetable stock, hot water, rice, salt, and pepper. And give everything a quick mix.
3. Add the chicken to the baking dish.
4. Cover with foil and bake covered for 30 minutes.
5. Uncover, spray the chicken with oil to help it crisp up, and bake for 30 more minutes. Broil for a few minutes to give the chicken golden, crisp edges and a crust.
6. Allow the chicken and rice to rest for 10 minutes, garnish with fresh herbs, and serve!

What Type of Rice to Use

Long-grain white rice works best in this recipe. I usually either use either basmati or jasmine rice as they seem to work best. You can use brown rice, but the baking time will be different and you will need to add more liquid.

Avoid short grain rice like risotto, paella rice, or quick/minute rice as these will turn into mush.

What to Serve with Chicken and Rice

I recommend serving this dish with these sides:

• Yogurt – Plain natural yogurt or Greek yogurt is amazing with chicken and rice!
• Salad – A simple leafy green salad with a basic vinaigrette is perfect for this dish. Another option I love, and often make with this dish is this Shirazi Salad.
• Roasted vegetables – Broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, or green beans work best here.

Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.