This Chicken and Rice Bake is the best one pot meal! It’s healthy, loaded with flavor, and takes just 10 minutes to prep!
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I’m such a huge fan of one pot meals…as I’m sure we all are! I mean, who doesn’t love a complete, delicious dinner with just one dish to wash?
This Chicken and Rice Bake is the best easy dinner recipe! It has perfectly cooked rice and tender, flavorful (crispy!) chicken that are cooked together at the same time.
Wait, what?!
Yep. You mix together uncooked rice, broth, and seasonings, top it with chicken thighs, then sit back and relax while everything cooks together. This recipe is so easy, made with pantry staples, and takes just 10 minutes to prep!
If you love this one, you’ll also love these Boneless Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs and these Creamy Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs!
Ingredients for this Chicken and Rice Bake:
This chicken and rice recipe is made with just a few basic pantry staples!
- Rice: I use long grain white rice. You could use brown rice, but it might require up to 15 minutes additional cook time, which could lead to your chicken being overcooked. To keep things simple, I use white rice in this recipe.
- Chicken Broth: I prefer to use low sodium chicken broth so I can control the saltiness. If you use regular chicken broth, you may want to add less salt yourself.
- Butter or Oil: butter adds delicious flavor but oil keeps this dairy free. Both keep the grains of rice from clumping together.
- Garlic: use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Seasonings: you’ll season the rice with a mixture of salt, dried parsley, and black pepper.
- Spice Rub: you’ll season the chicken using a mix of brown sugar, seasoning salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
How to make one pan Chicken and Rice
This one pan Chicken and Rice comes together quickly with little fuss!
- Prep the rice: Rinse the rice well to remove excess starch.
- Combine rice ingredients: In a baking pan, mix together broth, rice, butter, garlic, salt, parsley, and pepper. Make sure the rice is covered in liquid.
- Prep the chicken: In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, seasoning salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken thighs, then place the chicken on top of the rice in the pan.
- Bake: Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until cooked through (the chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F).
Chicken and Rice FAQs
I use either bone-in, skin-on or skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. The skin gets nice and crisp, but can make the rice fattier. I’ve done both and it’s delicious either way!
Yes! However, chicken breast cooks more quickly than chicken thigh does. If you’re going to use chicken breast, add it after the first 30 minutes of baking time when you remove the foil.
Absolutely! That’s part of what makes this recipe so great. You can add the uncooked chicken and rice in at the same time, bake it up, and it’s ready to go!
I recommend long-grain white rice for this casserole. It becomes perfectly soft, but not mushy. You can also use brown rice in this recipe, although it will take an extra 5-10 minutes to cook, and maybe even longer.
Yes! This is actually preferred. If you put already cooked rice in, it will become overcooked. By cooking it right in the casserole, it becomes perfectly soft with a slight bite.
Leftover chicken and rice can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen then microwave or warm on the stove with chicken broth if necessary.
Tips and tricks
- Rinse the rice. This helps remove any excess starch so the rice grains stay more separate as they cook. If you don’t rinse the rice, the texture will be much mushier.
- Check the temp. Make sure the chicken is at least 165ºF before serving.
- Cover to start. Don’t forget to cover the casserole for the first 30 minutes of baking. If you leave it uncovered, the top of the chicken will burn before the rice is cooked.
- Add veggies. Kick the nutrition of this bake up a notch by adding in frozen peas, mixed veggies, etc.
Serving suggestions
I love to pair this chicken and rice bake with a side of roasted veggies, roasted green beans, steamed broccoli, or garlic bread!
Check out more of my side dish recipes for more pairing ideas.
More one pot chicken recipes
Chicken and Rice Bake
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1½ cups long grain white rice (*see notes for brown rice)
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon melted butter or oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 bone in chicken thighs (about 800 grams) skin on or off according to your preference
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Rinse rice well to remove excess starch.
- In a large (3.5-4 quart) braiser, casserole dish, oven-safe pan or 9×13" pan, stir together the chicken broth, rice, butter or oil, garlic, salt, parsley and pepper. Smooth so that the rice is covered by the liquid.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, seasoning salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
- Rub seasoning over the top of the chicken thighs so they are all evenly coated. Place chicken thighs on top of the rice in the pan (the liquid should not cover them — don't press them down!).
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking for 20-25 minutes, until rice is tender and chicken thighs reach and internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F in the thickest part.
- Serve.
Notes
- Rinse the rice. This helps remove any excess starch so the rice grains stay more separate as they cook. If you don’t rinse the rice, the texture will be much mushier.
- Check the temp. Make sure the chicken is at least 165ºF before serving.
- Cover to start. Don’t forget to cover the casserole for the first 30 minutes of baking. If you leave it uncovered, the top of the chicken will burn before the rice is cooked.
Nutrition Information
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Cynthia M DeMink says
I used chicken breaststroke and after the cooking time the liquid didn’t absorb
Judy says
I add a can of Campbells cream of chicken mushroom soup to the chicken broth. Deliscious!
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad it worked out for you Judy!
Nikki says
Hello! My family and I loved this recipe. Thank you! Quick question— if I wanted to make the rice portion only for another recipe, would you still recommend the same amount of broth, butter, etc? Same cook time as well? Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Nikki! It would really be hard for me to say because I’ve only made the recipe as is. I’m thinking you would have to make adjustments especially to the cook time.
Terri says
I made this for dinner last night. I am sorry to have to say but this was horrible. My husband and I both choked it down because it was what I had made. It’s just awful. I followed the recipe exactly. Too much garlic for me and no other taste to this chicken. We each made a sandwich after dinner because we couldn’t eat anymore of this! This recipe will go in the garbage.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear you did not enjoy it! We all have different tastes, as we can tell by the comments of those who did enjoy it 🙂
Jennifer says
Do you put the frozen veggies in at the same time as you cook the rice?
Jennifer says
Do you put the frozen veggies in at the same time as you cook the rice?
Carol G says
I made this last night using boneless chicken breasts and we enjoyed the recipe very much. I am recovering from hip replacement and needed something easy and delicious to try. Loved the flavor and idea of a one pan dinner. Thank you
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Carol! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review! Speedy recovery!
Melissa says
This was delicious! I added some mushrooms, and next time will add frozen peas. The rice was so moist and flavorful; the chicken skin was amazing! Such an easy dish to make during the week.
I grew up eating chicken and rice casserole — mushroom soup, rice, onion soup mix, etc. I don’t like all these additives and high sodium. So, this recipe hit the spot!
Erica says
OKAAAY- I am NOT a fan of chicken cooked in the oven. Personally, it typically ends up being dry & not very flavorful. THIS RECIPE WILL GIVE YOU THE EXACT OPPOSITE!!! I am so very pleased with this recipe- the flavor is so great & the chicken is cooked to perfection. I used chicken breast and the above is still valid. BRAVOOO & also THANK YOU!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Erica! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Elizabeth Weiss says
I haven’t yet . I don’t like thighs. So I will try chicken legs. Hope it turns out ok. Thanks for the Recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoy it!
Vicki W. says
Could chicken legs be substituted? I have a husband who won’t eat thighs, but will eat legs…..in his words, the meat on thighs is “gooey” which turns him off. (I can’t understand that, as the legs are also dark meat and are attached to the thighs…try and figure that one out!) I’ve passed on a lot of great sounding recipes because this.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Vicki! I haven’t tested this with chicken legs , but you likely could. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Charla Eby says
Can you use boneless chicken thighs?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Charla! I haven’t tried this with boneless chicken thighs, but you would likely need to reduce the time some. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!