Description
Made entirely in the oven (no stove!), the rice in this recipe is outrageously delicious! It’s buttery and garlicky, tender but not mushy. The secret tip is to briefly bake onion with garlic and butter before adding the rice, liquids and chicken – it adds a great flavour base!
Ingredients
- 5 bone in chicken thigh fillets, peel skin OFF , (Note 1)
- 1 onion , chopped (brown, white or yellow)
- 2 cloves garlic (large) , minced
- 2 tbsp (30g) butter (or olive oil)
- 1 1/2 cups (270g) uncooked white rice (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) chicken broth/stock , hot (I microwave)
- 1 1/4 cups (315 ml) water , hot (tap is fine)
Chicken Rub (Note 2):
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Optional garnish:
- Oil spray
- Fresh thyme leaves or finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Scatter onion and garlic in a baking dish (about 10 x 15″ / 25 x 35 cm), then place butter in the centre. Bake for 15 minutes (check at 12 minutes, mix if some bits are browning too much).
- Meanwhile, mix together Chicken Rub. Sprinkle on both sides of the chicken.
- Remove baking dish from the oven. Add rice then mix.
- Place chicken on rice. Then pour chicken broth and water around the chicken.
- Cover with foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, spray chicken with oil (optional, gives chicken nicer finish), then bake for a further 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
- Stand for 5 minutes, then remove chicken and fluff up rice. Garnish with parsley or thyme if desired, serve and enjoy!
Notes
If scaling recipe up, use multiple pans. If scaling recipe down, use a smaller pan. Scale recipe using slider – click on Servings.
1. Chicken – Bone in thighs is best because cook time is the same as rice and stays super juicy. Skin must be removed otherwise the rice will be too greasy. Just pull it off with your hands – it comes off easily.
Drumsticks will also work great with this, no need to remove the skin and no change to cook time or temp.
Boneless skinless thigh fillets or breast – put the rice in the oven covered with foil WITHOUT chicken. Bake for 30 minutes per recipe, then remove pan, take foil off, top with chicken then return to oven (no foil) for a further 20 – 25 minutes or until liquid in the pan is absorbed, per recipe.
2. Chicken Rub can be substituted with any seasonings you want! Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Italian Herb Mix – just use what you have.
3. Rice – Any normal white rice works great here. Long grain white rice will yield the fluffiest rice. Short and medium grain will work fine too but by its very nature, is a bit stickier. Basmati and jasmine are terrific too – same cook time.
Brown rice – add an extra 1/2 cup hot water. Bake covered for 1 hour then bake uncovered 15 minutes until rice is tender.
Rice not suitable – Minute Rice, Risotto or Paella Rice.
4. Nutrition assumes all the rice is consumed which it probably will not be.
- Prep Time: 10minutes
- Cook Time: 1hour 10minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Western
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 318g
- Calories: 574cal (29%)
- Sugar: 1g (1%)
- Sodium: 766mg (33%)
- Fat: 29g (45%)
- Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)
- Carbohydrates: 47g (16%)
- Fiber: 1g (4%)
- Protein: 28g (56%)
- Cholesterol: 153mg (51%)