Baked Chicken and Rice

5 from 89 votes

Baked chicken and rice is an easy one-dish dinner made with seasoned chicken thighs, long-grain rice, vegetables, and chicken broth.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 40

Resting Time 10

Total Time 2 20

Servings people

Calories 607kcal

Combine salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon pepper
Rub spice mixture onto both sides of chicken. Set aside.
6 chicken thighs - bone in

Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a hot sauce pan.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauté onions, carrots and celery together until softened (3-5 minutes)
½ medium sized onion, 2 carrots, 1 stalk celery
Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Turn heat to low.
1 clove garlic
Add additional tablespoon of olive oil and add rice. Stir until every grain of rice is covered with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix together.
2 cups long grain rice, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper

Spray casserole dish with a nonstick spray. Pour rice mixture into bottom of casserole dish.
Place chicken thighs on top of rice
Carefully pour chicken broth around chicken thighs
4 cups chicken broth
Sprinkle broth with salt (if using unsalted chicken broth) and add bay leaves
2 bay leaves, ½ teaspoon salt
Cover tightly with foil and place casserole on a baking sheet
Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour
After one hour, carefully pull out rack with baking sheet and casserole dish. Remove foil to check on rice. Use a spoon and carefully stir or push rice down so the rice on top makes contact with any remaining liquid. Replace foil return to oven for an additional 30 minutes.
Remove foil and continue baking for 10 minutes to allow chicken to brown slightly and the top of the rice to crisp.
Remove from oven and gently place foil over top of casserole. Let set for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Keep the casserole tightly covered. The trapped steam is essential for cooking the rice. Keep the foil tightly sealed until the final 10 minutes of baking.
Don't worry if the rice looks undercooked after an hour. Give it a gentle stir or push any rice on top down into the remaining liquid, then cover and continue baking.
Use a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. The casserole fills the dish with the rice, broth, and chicken, so you need plenty of room.
Place the casserole on a baking sheet. This makes it easier to move the full dish in and out of the oven and catches any drips.
Let it rest before serving. Loosely cover the finished casserole with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Don't forget the bay leaves. Remove both before serving.