Oven Baked Chicken And Rice

Buttery, garlicky mushrooms and rice team up with perfectly seasoned, juicy chicken in this Easy Oven Baked Chicken and Rice recipe. This chicken is so easy to put together, you'll wonder why you haven't tried it before.

Normally, one pan chicken and rice recipes start on the stove top first to sear chicken and render out the fat to get it ultra crispy, just like our much-loved Spanish Chicken And Rice or our One Pan Tomato Basil Chicken & Rice. Other recipes fry onion and garlic first before adding in rice. With this oven baked chicken and rice recipe, there is no need for any of that!

How? You're going to use skinless chicken thighs (with the bone-in if you can find them for extra juicy chicken pieces), coated in an good flavoured rub. You can use any additional seasonings you like: dried basil or oregano, rosemary, onion powder or whatever you have at hand!

Why this Recipe Works

Mouthwatering baked chicken thighs, coated in a beautiful rub, baked on top of fluffy soft rice, all made in the oven. Dinner doesn't get any better than this one dish wonder! We mean, who doesn't love perfectly baked chicken and steamy, fluffy rice? Two ingredients that were meant to be together; kind of like Garlic Naan and Butter Chicken.

Plus, you'll also have the option to add in plump garlic butter mushrooms that rival even our famous Garlic Mushrooms recipe!

What Goes into this Recipe

• Chicken: We love using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs here. You can choose boneless thighs or any other cut of chicken you have at hand.
• Seasonings: A mix of garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, light brown sugar, salt and pepper.
• Aromatics: Fresh onion and garlic, to build that savory base. We also used some chopped green onions to garnish.
• Mushrooms: For an extra nutritional boost. We used white button mushrooms.
• Chicken broth: For extra flavor. Choose low sodium chicken broth or just use water.
• Rice: We used long grain white rice here. Basmati rice and Jasmine rice are two good options that work perfectly for this recipe.
• Olive oil + butter: For that rich flavor.
• Herbs: To garnish. We used chives and parsley.

Note: please see recipe card at the bottom for list of full ingredients and measurements

On the stove

To make the easy oven baked chicken and rice, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

1. Marinate chicken: Combine the seasonings for the chicken along with some olive oil in a mixing bowl, and rub the marinade all over the chicken. Set this aside.

1. Prep rice: Grease a 25 x 35 cm baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add garlic, onion, oil, butter, seasonings and boiling hot broth. Add rice and give it a quick stir.

1. Bake time: Arrange the seasoned chicken thighs over the rice, cover the dish with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Uncover it, spray the chicken with oil and bake for another 25-30 minutes until the chicken gets a nice golden brown exterior. Broil during the last 2-3 minutes if you want to get that extra crispiness.

1. Let it rest: Remove from the oven, place the chicken thighs on a plate. Mix the rice in the baking dish and arrange the chicken back again on the top. Cover and allow this to rest for about 10 minutes.

1. Prep mushrooms: Meanwhile, heat butter in a pan over medium heat and saute the chopped garlic until soft and aromatic. Next, add the mushrooms and season with salt, pepper and chives. Cook until softened.

1. Garnish and serve: Portion out the rice on a plate, add a spoonful of sauteed mushrooms and mix. Top with chicken thighs, garnish and serve.

The beauty of this dish is that it is a complete dinner on its own. If you do want a little something extra on the side, try a Soft Dinner Roll or a light side salad like our Balsamic Chickpea Avocado and Feta Salad. Veggie sides like Buttery Sauteed Green Beans and Cheesy Garlic Roasted Asparagus can also be excellent choices.

Recipe FAQ's

Yes, you can. Just remember that brown rice takes a significantly longer time to cook, so you'll need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

We wouldn't recommend using short grain rice or quick rice here. It has a tendency to turn mushy, and you won't get those fluffy rice grains you're looking for.

During testing, we added the mushrooms at the beginning of the baking process and didn't enjoy them at all. They need that buttery, garlic, pan fried cooked flavour before getting mixed through the rice for a reliable results.

Watch It Made

What you need

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar option for keto: use a brown sugar substitute
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon mild sweet paprika or hot
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper to taste
• 6 skinless chicken thighs bone in or out
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 4 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 1 1/2 cups hot chicken broth or stock
• 1 1/4 cups hot water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 14 ounces button mushrooms quartered
• 1/4 cup chives or green onions, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped to garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. In a shallow bowl, mix together the olive oil, sugar, oregano, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and coat each piece evenly with the seasoning. Set aside, allowing the flavours to absorb into the meat. If time allows, marinade overnight for a deeper flavour.
3. Spray a large baking dish (10-inch x 15-inch OR 25 x 35 cm) with nonstick cooking oil spray. Add the onion, garlic, oil, salt, pepper, HOT boiled broth, hot water and butter into the dish. Mix well to melt the butter and combine. Stir in the rice.
4. Arrange thighs in the dish over the rice, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, spray chicken with oil and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked right through to the bone and rice is soft. Change oven setting to broil to brown the chicken and crisp rice (only needs 3-5 minutes).
5. Remove chicken thighs, mix the rice through, then arrange the chicken back on top of the rice. Cover and allow it to rest for 10 minutes to set all of the flavours in the hot dish. The rice will finish off cooking while resting.
6. While chicken is resting, prepare mushrooms (OPTIONAL):
7. Transfer chicken onto a plate; fluff rice with forks, then mix the mushrooms through the rice. Arrange chicken back onto the rice in the dish, garnish with remaining chives and chopped parsley. SERVE and enjoy!