Oven Baked Chicken and Rice
Updated Aug 11, 2025
This baked chicken and rice recipe is easy. Grab a baking dish, chicken thighs, rice, and seasonings. Bake in the oven until the rice is cooked and the thighs are juicy.
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One Pan Chicken & Rice!
I’m all about easy dinners, especially the kind where you toss everything into one dish and call it a day. I didn’t grow up eating casseroles all the time, but my mom would make simple meals like this oven-baked chicken and rice because they were quick, hands-off, and got the job done.
That’s actually how I learned you can cook rice in the oven! And when you add marinated chicken thighs right on top, all those flavorful juices soak into the rice. No extra pots, no extra steps – just tender, juicy chicken, seasoned cooked rice, and way less cleanup.
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice Ingredients
- Chicken thighs: I like using boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they take about the same amount of time as the rice to cook and stay tender and juicy. You can use chicken breast, but there’s a chance that the meat will come out a bit drier.
- Garlic: If you’re out of fresh garlic, you can substitute 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder.
- Spices and seasonings: I season the chicken with a mix of paprika, oregano, thyme, turmeric, salt and pepper, but feel free to mix and match different options from your spice cabinet.
- Basmati rice: Basmati rice is great for casseroles because it stays fluffy. Other varieties of long-grain rice also work if you don’t have basmati available, the cooking time may vary though.
- Onion: Both white or yellow onions work — use whatever you’ve got!
- Olive oil: You can sub in any neutral cooking oil.
How to Make Baked Chicken and Rice
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 3 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs 3-3 ½ pounds
- Chopped parsley for serving
For the rice
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion finely diced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil, garlic, paprika, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and turmeric. Add the chicken thighs and mix until the chicken is well coated. Allow it to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- In a 9×13 baking dish, add the rice, olive oil, onion, salt, pepper and hot water. Stir to combine everything together.
- Arrange the marinated chicken thighs over the rice. Cover with foil and bake covered for 45 minutes.
- Uncover and continue to bake uncovered for 15 more minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and browned.
- Remove from the oven. Use tongs to set the chicken aside and fluff the rice with a fork. Return the chicken back on top of the rice, garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Popular Additions
- Add vegetables. Add a cup of diced carrots, peas, chopped broccoli, zucchini, or spinach to the rice mix.
- Use broth instead of water. For even more flavor, cook the rice in chicken stock or vegetable stock.
- Make it cheesy. After you uncover the chicken you can add 1-ish cups of shredded cheese on top to finish it off.
Recipe Tips
- Use long-grain rice: Basmati, jasmine or other varieties of long-grain rice are best for casseroles because they stay nice and fluffy. Avoid short-grain rice like the ones for risotto and paella, which are sticky and clump together.
- Add hot water to the rice: This gives the rice a head start and helps make sure it cooks at the same time as the chicken.
- Cover the casserole before baking: Wrapping the dish with foil stops the water and juices from evaporating so the rice can absorb all of that liquid (and flavor!). That’s why I recommend starting with a covered casserole, then removing the foil near the end to brown the chicken.
FAQs
Store leftovers right in the dish or in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. To reheat, just place in the microwave until warmed through. If reheating the full dish, only do so once since it contains chicken.
Yes, you can totally freeze it! Simply cut the cooked casserole into portions and place them in freezer bags or airtight containers for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw a portion in the fridge overnight and then reheat. You can also freeze, thaw and reheat an entire cooked casserole.
To make ahead without baking, prepare the recipe in a freezer-safe dish except for the hot water. Skip the cooking, cover it with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, let the frozen casserole defrost overnight in the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap, add hot water, and bake following the recipe instructions.
No! That’s part of the magic and convenience of this one pan chicken and rice bake. The rice and chicken both cook at the same time in one pan so there are no extra steps or dishes required.
The rice gets soggy and mushy if it has absorbed too much moisture. That’s why it’s important to use long-grain rice and the right ratio of water.
Comments
Great go-to recipe for either dinners or plating a portion for lunches. I added a bit of sautéed mushrooms/creamed mushroom soup and sour cream to the casserole feast, using jasmine rice but don’t expect the rice to be “fluffy” but still succulent, creamy and delicious. Also stores great! You’ve given me a great foundation from which to build!
Amazing!! Love that you’ve used this recipe to create so many variations! Thanks so much, Chef Gregory!
So good! I added some green beans in there and was planning to add some carrots too but store was out. My son who is a very picky eater loved it and even asked for seconds! We’ll be making this again in the future. ☺️
Aww, that makes me so happy! So glad you loved it!! Thank you!
Yummmm! The flavor was so tasty. Made a couple minor adjustments. My whole family loved it.
Awesome!! So glad it was a hit! Thank you, Whitney!!
Great method, easily adapted to personal taste. Delicious, devoured by my family with the following modifications: Didn’t use turmeric (forgot), added chicken bouillon to the water, cubed a few tablespoons of butter into the rice, added chopped zucchini.
Yum, love those changes!! Thank you so much! Glad you all liked it!!
Awesome recipe! I cut the pepper in half because I have little kids and they loved it!!!
Yay!! So happy you loved it, Kylie! Thank you!!
So easy to make! It’s surprisingly tasty too! I added frozen veggies to the meal and there you have it, a complete hassle free meal. Thank you so much!
Love that!! So happy you enjoyed it, Laura! Thanks!!
Any idea if I could add some baby potatoes to the dish??
Yes, I think that would work! Check the doneness of the potatoes with a fork to see if they’re cooked all the way and add extra time if needed. Hope that helps!
Absolutely delicious! I used 10 chicken thighs instead of 8 and it came out perfectly. Everyone loved it!
Yay! So happy everyone loved it!! Thank you, Mandee!
This one is so tasty and makes the whole house smell so cozy and delicious! I’ve made it three times now and aside from my first try when I knew I used too much rice, it has been perfectly moist chicken and perfectly cooked and tasty rice!
Aww, that makes me so happy to hear! Love that it’s become a staple at your house!! Thanks, Lisa!
Delicious! I totally underestimated this recipe. It’s very good, and easy to throw together. Will definitely make again. Thanks so much!
Aww, thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed it and found it easy to make!!
With your prepare ahead instructions, do you instruct to do it complete with rice AND water, add chicken and freeze, or would you add the water when ready to bake?
Good question! I would add the water when ready to bake.
Rice is cooked well with no flavor, even with the small onion, salt, pepper and olive oil. Next time will try with chicken or vegetable broth instead of water. Chichen is flavored well.
So sorry you didn’t love how it turned out, Amber. Did you use chicken breasts or thighs for this recipe? I find that chicken thighs provide way more flavor.
RICE WAS SO MUSHY
Hmm, I’m not sure what happened. Did you follow the directions exactly including the temperature and cook time?
Just wondering🤔 IF the rice was rinsed REALLY well? Only b/c that happened to me one time when I made a dish very similar to this recipe for a close friend of mine & myself. I had asked her over to critique the dish, b/c she had worked in an upscale resteraunt for 3 yrs. She said rice, especially basmati rice needs to be rinsed in a bowl of water, swished around, and drained 3x OR rinsed well for about a full minute. So next time when I rinsed it more, the rice turned out, much better.
This was absolutely delicious!!!! I’ve bookmarked it and will be going back to this recipe A LOT! Yum!!! Thank you.
So happy to hear this, thanks for sharing!
Is there anything special I need to do to cut the recipe in half using 4 chicken thighs?
This looks like the perfect meal to make for my family! I would like to add veggies to the rice mix- would it be okay to use frozen or fresh? Thank you!
Yes, that sounds great! You can use either, just stir them in when there are about 5 minutes left of cooking time.
I only used 5 chicken thighs and followed the rest of the recipe to a T. It was delicious!
Thanks for sharing this!
Beautiful recipe. Followed everything, except I used my own homemade chicken bone broth (hot) in place of boiling water. Delicious! Would be really lovely with fresh lemon juice and grated rind I think.
This was excellent. However I felt it was too crowded in the dish for 3 pounds of chicken.
Sorry to hear about the space issue! Did you use chicken thighs? I find those usually fit well in the 9 by 13-inch pan.
This is another good recipe, as many of yours are. Easy and delicious. Thank you
Aww, so happy you liked it!! Thanks!
Wonderful recipe! Very easy to prepare and once baked, the flavors were delicious. I used a low sodium chicken broth in place of the water, and brown basmati rice. I needed to bake the rice a bit longer – not sure if it was because I used a different kind. Regardless, it’s a great recipe I’ll be making again.
Brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice, so that makes sense. So happy you liked it, Kate! Thank you!!
Is the 2 tsp thyme dried or fresh?
I use dried thyme.
Hi! I’m hoping to make this tomorrow for dinner. I’ve made it before with regular long grain white rice, but I’m all out and only have brown rice right now! Do you have any idea how this might work with brown rice/what changes would need to be made? Thank you!!
Good question! I would try adding an extra cup of hot water and add about 30 minutes to your cook time, adjusting as necessary. Let me know how it turns out!!
It was easy and delicious!!
Amazing! So happy you loved it!! Thanks, Judy!
Can I use bone in chicken thighs in this recipe??? That’s what I have on hand 🫣
Yes, that should work! Just add about 15-20 extra minutes and use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Enjoy!
Kids absolutely love this meal. The kids wanted more rice so if I was to add 2 cups of rice, how many more cups of water and spices would I add to make this rice cook well with the chicken? I will definitely be making this meal more often. Thanks for an awesome recipe.
Yay, so happy your kids liked it!! Hmm, I think adding just 1/2 cup of rice would be difficult. I recommend doubling the recipe just for the rice instead so the ratio is easier to figure out! You could keep the amount for the chicken the same and it should work out. Let me know how it goes!
Too much pepper for my taste but easy to prepare.
Thanks for the feedback, Patricia! Glad you liked it.
Amazing dish! Quick to prepare and full of flavors. My family loved it.
Aww, I’m so happy it was a hit! Thank you so much, Ghina!
All I can say is OMG!! This was soooo yummy. The kids even liked it. I am not a fan of onion so I’d say it could use less onion but other than that it was sooo good. It was just as good the next day
Yay! So glad you and your kids liked it!! Thanks, Tasha!
Excellent! My family loved this recipe. Will definitely make it again. I used brown rice instead of white rice so I added more water. It did take an extra 30 minutes for the rice to be cooked.
Amazing!! Aww, so happy your family loved it. Thank you so much for sharing your notes on using brown rice, Julie!
Making this for dinner tonight and can’t wait to try! Could the chicken be marinated longer to really enhance the flavor?
Yes, definitely!
This is recipe is so convenient. I love to prepare my meals in advance so this way I only have one dish to wash! Great! Thank you for sharing!
Aww, so glad you like it!! Thank you, Dilshard!
Delicious! 2 thumbs up from both of my picky kids and my daughter’s boyfriend who is gluten free. This is a great recipe which also happens to be gluten free.
Aww, so happy it was a hit at your house!! Thanks, Sandy!
Yummy flavours and pleasantly surprised that I could bake rice! Top part of the rice came out nice and crispy, kind of tough to have it cooked the same way all the way through.
Glad you liked it, Faye! Thank you!
Hi I was wondering if you can freeze this recipe? It looks so good, I am going to make it tonight. Thank you.
Yes, absolutely! You can cut the cooked casserole into portions and place them in freezer bags or airtight containers for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, just thaw a portion in the fridge overnight and then reheat. Hope you enjoy!!
Wow! This was so delicious! Easy prep and tastes so good. Used chicken breasts instead of thighs and brown basmati rice. Otherwise followed the recipe. Definitely adding this to the dinner rotation. Your recipes never disappoint! Thanks for sharing this great one.
Aww, so happy you loved it!! Thank you so much, Suzan!
Tasted greedy very easy recipe
Simply delicious! Super easy to make and the addition of carrots and zucchini made it extra special. I used brown basmati rice and upped the covered cook time to 65 minutes and it was perfect. A great addition to our dinner rotation.
Thank you, Susan! So happy you enjoyed the recipe and found it easy to make!!
I tried this and at 325ºF the rice never even cooked…chicken was almost done but not quite…and it was very soupy. Not sure if the temp was wrong in your recipe or what but rice never cooked even after 1 1/2 hours…
Hi there! This recipe needs to be cooked at 375ºF, not 325ºF. I’m not surprised that your rice didn’t cook all the way, since your oven was 50 degrees lower than it needed to be. Did you also make sure to add hot water to the recipe and cover the baking dish with foil for the first 45 minutes? Then remove the foil for the next 15 minutes, or until the chicken browned? Making those changes, especially the correct temperature, should help!
Since pan dimensions, especially the depth, can affect how well the rice cooks, I have a question about the listed pan size. The recipes lists a non-standard pan size of 9×11; standard baking dish sizes are 7×11 and 9×13. To ensure proper cooking of the rice, which of the standard baking dish sizes would you recommend be used? Thanks!
Sorry this was a typo and should actually say 9×13 which is what is pictured! I just fixed the typo. Thank you!
Hi! I want to make this tonight for dinner. Can I use regular white rice instead?
Hi there! Basmati is a type of long grain white rice, so if your rice is also long grain it will work as a substitute in this recipe. Hope that helps!
Hi Yumna, it should Yumyes. It was a wonderful! I had no broth but was able to make my own. I love trying new recipes but I should cut it in half because it’s just me😋
Haha thank you, Bill! So happy you liked it!
Delicious!! My family – full of picky eaters – loved this. I had all the ingredients on-hand, more or less (chicken breast and jasmine rice instead of thighs and basmati). The only small change I made was I sautéed the onions before adding them to the rice (for my anti-veggie picky eaters). It takes a little longer than my typical weeknight dinner to marinade and bake, but it’s the best baked rice dish I think I’ve ever made!
Amazing!! So happy it was a hit at your house, Mindy! Thank you so much!!
I was out of turmeric so I used curry. I love that with chicken thighs which is what I used without the skin. I had some compound butter in the freezer that I sliced 4 thin pieces and put under each thigh. I halved the recipe. It was AWESOME!
Yay, I’m so glad you loved it!! The curry powder sounds like a great substitution. Thank you, Debbie!!
Would curry be good with this instead of turmeric?
Yes, I think that would work well! Enjoy!
This recipe was so good. I was a little skeptical thinking that with just water instead of any broth that this would be bland but I was wrong. I also didn’t think the rice would be cooked but again I was wrong. I used bone in chicken thighs so all I did was increase the cooking time by 15 minutes and everything was perfect. I also added a little bit of garlic salt as I was fluffing up the rice just for a little more flavor but I didn’t have to add a lot. Thank you for a wonderful recipe that I will now add to my dinner rotation. This was super easy and yummy!
Aww, so happy you liked it! Love the tweaks you made. Thanks so much, Irene!!
So delish! Made the recipe exactly as-is and it was perfect! Also very easy too!
Awesome!! So happy to hear you loved it!
This was really good! I used chicken broth instead of water for the rice and put about 2tbsp of butter in little pats all over the rice before adding the chicken. Will definitely make again!
Yum, love those tweaks!! So happy you liked it, Rachel! Thank you!!
When I first read this recipe I thought, wow this sounds fantastic. But we were rather disappointed. First of all, the rice was bland with only using water. The marinade and onion mixed into the rice was not enough. Secondly, 2 cups of water was not nearly enough for the rice and I added both water and then chicken broth while cooking. Thirdly, it took much longer than the stated 45 minutes. It ended up taking more like an hour and a half. Yes, I double checked my proportions according to the recipe and the temp and size of casserole dish were spot on. I don’t think this will be a keeper.
Oh no, so sorry it didn’t turn out well for you! There are a few things that I think may have gone wrong. First, did you make sure to add hot water to the rice mixture? Second, did you cover the dish with foil for the first 45 minutes if cook time, then remove for the last 15 minutes? Lastly, I think adding extra liquid likely affected your cook time and diluted the flavor as well. To add more flavor next time, I recommend replacing the water with broth and making sure to heat it up before pouring it into the dish with the rice and seasoning. Hope that helps!
I’ve been cooking your recipes for some time ! Everything comes out delicious! This one is is on rotation we love it! Just wanted to say thank you and enjoy watching you on Instagram.
Aww, thank you so much!! So happy you love this one!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was sooo good, juicy and flavorful even though I forgot to mix the spices before putting the chicken thighs in. I didn’t have any turmeric so I left it out. I used bone-in chicken thighs because that’s all the grocery store had. I’ll definitely make this again and add this to dinner rotation. I love simple and easy recipes!
Yay, I’m so happy you loved it!! Glad bone-in chicken thighs worked for you too, that’s great. Thanks, Angela!
Truly, so good! Clear directions were easy to follow. Tasted delicious!
Yay!! So happy you loved it and found the recipe easy to follow. Thanks, Irene!
After 45 minutes the chicken was still not done. I put it back in for 15 minutes and using a thermometer the chicken was finished but after serving discovered the rice was still firm to the bite. The oregano and turmeric produced an odd flavor for chicken. Onions were also not cooked enough and I had diced them small. Won’t be making this again.
Hi Amy! This recipe takes a total of 1 hour to cook—45 minutes covered with foil and an additional 15 minutes uncovered. It sounds like you cooked it for the right amount of time, so the rice should’ve been cooked all the way through. Did you cover your dish with foil? And did you also make sure to add hot water to the dish with rice and seasoning before adding the chicken thighs? If you added cold or room temperature water, that may have also affected the rice’s cook time. Hope this helps!
Can this recipe be doubled for a large family?
Yes, absolutely!
Can I use jasmine rice or parboiled rice for this recipe?
Jasmine rice will work!
Can the chicken be browned before baking in the oven with the rice?
Hmm I suppose it could be, but I think it might dry out your chicken. I like to bake it covered with foil for 45 minutes and then remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to give the chicken thighs a nice golden brown color. If you find that 15 minutes isn’t enough, you could broil them on high for 2-4 minutes to crisp them up even more. Hope that helps!
OMG…yummy!! I’m not usually a fan of thigh but it was really good and the rice…so much flavor, thank you!!!! ” So good”
Yay, so happy you loved it!! Thanks, Nicole!
This looks delicious! Quick question: do you have any suggestions on lowering the amount of fat? Less olive oil maybe, or chicken thighs with less fat? I’m excited to make this, but my stomach is sensitive unfortunately. Any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks!
Hi Anna! Good question. I recommend using chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs because they have about 1/3 the amount of fat. You can reduce the amount of olive oil in the marinade as well, if you’d like. Hope that helps!
When I showed my hubby that I wanted to make this recipe he said Ewww are you going to boil the chicken in oven with the rice?! So I didn’t make it. But I still kept thinking about it and read all the comments praising the recipe so I made it anyway 😉 Hubby loved it! He said the chicken was great. I browned it on top. He said the rice had great flavors. He really loved it. An hour later he was still rubbing his belly with a big smile on his face saying Mmmm! Thanks again for an awesome dish, Yumna! 🥰
Yay, so glad you decided to go for it and that your husband loved how it turned out!! Thanks, Sonia!
Made this recipe today and it was super delicious. My family and I loved it. Definitely will be repeating this recipe often. Thank you
Aww, so glad you all loved it! Thank you so much!
Really good. Loved the layers of flavor. Even my sometimes fussy eater liked it. So glad I found your site .
Yay, so happy it impressed even your fussy eater! Thank you so much, Raven!!
Yummy!! All I had was Nishki Japanese rice, but it was still delicious! 😋
So happy you liked it, Lisa! Thank you!!
I tried it with the sliced chicken last night and it was delicious! You were right – the extra 15 minutes weren’t necessary. This will be another one of your recipes in my dinner rotation! Thank you!
Aww, that’s awesome! Thank you for coming back to let me know how it turned out, Carolina. So happy you loved it!!
Hi! Is it possible to use sliced chicken thighs for this recipe? Would that affect the cooking time in the oven? Thank you can’t wait to try this!
Yes, I think that would work! They will cook faster than whole chicken thighs, so I recommend checking on them after the covered bake—they may not need the additional 15 minutes. Please let me know how they turn out, I’m curious to hear!
Do you recommend rinsing the rice?
Yes! I would recommend it and I just updated the recipe card to mention this. Enjoy!
I just made this and wow! Not only is it insanely easy to make, the flavors are fantastic! The chicken and rice cooked beautifully. Thank you so much, Yumna, for another delicious and easy recipe. This one is a keeper!
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it, Sabrina!! Thank you!
Hi! This looks delicious! Will this work with bone in chicken thighs? Will I need to do anything different? Thank you!!
I haven’t tested it with bone-in chicken thighs but I assume it would take about 20 more minutes.
We really enjoyed this dish! The spices create wonderful depth of flavor and the chicken is so juicy. Easy prep and easily modified to include veggies. This will definitely be a part of our menu again. Thanks!
Yay, so glad you loved the flavor and found it easy to make!! Thank you, Cheryl!