Baked Chicken Thighs and Rice is a one-pan dinner staple that the whole family will love. After marinating the chicken for just 15 minutes, you add it to a baking dish along with the rice, onions, butter, and hot water. Then, the chicken bakes with the rice in the oven, allowing the flavors to meld together. The result? Tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs and fluffy and flavorful rice for any night of the week.
Personal Note
I almost always have the ingredients on hand to make this baked chicken and rice. I keep homemade chicken broth and chicken thighs well stocked in the freezer. And of course, I always have plenty of rice to go around.
So, on days when I just need something easy and reliable, I gather up all my staples and make this recipe. It’s one of my family’s favorite one-pan meals and has been an essential part of our dinner rotation for a long time.
I throw together a really simple side while the chicken and rice cook, so everything is ready to go at the same time. I love to serve it with a fresh cucumber salad or air fryer broccoli.
Main Ingredients:
Skinless, bone-in chicken thighs — I’ve tested this recipe countless times using different cuts of chicken like chicken breast, and thighs are always the winner. They take about the same time to cook as the rice without getting dry. I’ve also found that it’s best to use skinless chicken thighs (or remove the skin) because the skin can add extra fat and make the rice a bit greasy.
Long-grain white rice — Basmati or Jasmine rice works best because they stay fluffy even after an hour in the oven. I’ve tried using short grain rice like risotto or paella rice, but it was too sticky, and brown rice was a little too chewy. If you want the same flavors without the carbs, try my chicken and cauliflower rice.
Hot water & stock — I’ve found that heating up the liquid gives the rice a little boost to make sure it’s done at the same time as the baked chicken. If I don’t have chicken stock on hand, I’ll use up some of the homemade vegetable broth I keep in the freezer. Chicken bouillon and water work great, too!
You can find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How To Make Baked Chicken Thighs And Rice
First: Prep the chicken by coating it with olive oil and seasonings. I like to let it marinate for 15-30 minutes for the most flavor.
Second: Get your baking dish and add everything but the chicken. Stir it all really well, especially while the butter melts.
Then: Arrange the chicken thighs so that they’re nestled in the rice mixture, but sticking out a little bit on top.
Finally: Cover your baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake it for 30 minutes. Then, take the foil off and spray the tops of the chicken with oil. Then, bake it for another 30 minutes.
Perfectly Crispy Baked Chicken
For extra crispy chicken, try turning on the broiler for the last couple of minutes—it gives this oven baked chicken a beautifully golden, browned finish.
Top it off with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or thyme for a pop of flavor and color. After testing countless versions of this recipe, I can confidently say that this simple step makes a big difference in both taste and presentation!
Olivia’s Recipe Tips
- If you don’t love the texture of onions, try mincing them very finely. They’ll melt right into the casserole, and you won’t notice anything but the flavor– it’s one of my favorite tips for picky eaters.
- When I don’t have time to do a spice mix, I’ll just reach for pre-mixed seasonings. Italian seasoning is especially good in this chicken and rice recipe.
- Don’t skip covering the casserole with foil—it traps the steam and helps cook the rice until it’s perfectly fluffy, not mushy.
More Chicken Thighs Recipes
Lemon Chicken Thighs
24 mins
Chicken Thighs with Potatoes
1 hr 10 mins
Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
4 hrs 10 mins
Dijon Chicken Thighs Recipe
29 mins
Baked Chicken Thighs and Rice – With Buttery Garlic Rice!
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 chicken thighs skinless, bone-in
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil and seasonings. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat evenly. If possible, let the chicken marinate for 15–30 minutes.
- In a baking dish, combine the onion, garlic, olive oil, butter, hot vegetable stock, hot water, rice, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together to mix well. Then, place the chicken thighs on top of the rice mixture.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, uncover the dish, spray the chicken with a bit of oil, and bake for an additional 30 minutes. For crispy, golden edges, broil for a few minutes at the end.
- Once done, remove the dish from the oven and let the chicken and rice rest for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice (removing the chicken if necessary, then return it to the dish). Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
Notes
- The chicken thighs are fully cooked when they reach 165°F internal temperature.
- Use low-sodium chicken stock and add salt to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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my kids only like ck breasts. do you have any tips to keep them from over baking?? maybe start rice and add breasts at the 30 min mark??
yes exactly that 😉
So delicious!!!! I did use skinless-boneless chicken thighs and powdered garlic granules because that is what I had at home. I will definitely make again. Leftovers will be amazing!!
So glad you loved it! Great job making it work with what you had—skinless, boneless thighs and garlic granules are perfect swaps. Hope you enjoy the leftovers just as much! 😊🍗✨
Curious if the chicken overcooked since it was boneless. I am making this today with boneless and wanted to double check.
Was your time the same for the skinless boneless thighs?
Yes, you can use boneless, skinless chicken.
Boneless thighs: add them halfway through → cook about 25–30 min.
Boneless breasts: add them later → cook about 20–25 min.
Don’t cook them from the beginning or they’ll dry out.
I combined this and another recipe. Sautéed onions and mushrooms, then added rice and stock and cooked 20 min. Sautés chicked that was in a Chinese marinate , browned added to caserole then baked with blanched broccoli and carrots all in oven. Hope it’s good!
It sounds really good 😉
Sounds Delicious Seems like a lot of work ?
What ingredients in your marinade I would love to read
Thnaks
Can I add fresh broccoli to the pan? If so,for the full time?
Yes, you can definitely add raw broccoli to this recipe! Just toss the florets into the baking dish about 15 minutes before the end of the rice/chicken cooking time so they cook through but stay slightly crisp.
Could brown rice be used? If yes, what would I need to adjust? Liquid? Cooking time?
To cook with brown rice just add an extra 1/2 cup hot water. Cover the casserole and bake for 1 hour then bake uncovered 15 minutes until rice is tender.
Thank you! Making this tonight!
You’re so welcome 😉 Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do 😉
Could I use cauliflower rice instead of rice?
Thanks
Yes you absolutely can!
Sorry Please disregard my question on cauliflower rice I see your recipe
Thanks
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious!!
Thank you!
So happy you liked it. It’s one of our favorite recipes too 😉
Hi! At this very moment I have the baked chicken and rice dish in the oven. In the “main ingredients” section you said it’s best to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but the recipe has bone-in. I’d like to know which is better. Thank you. I will let you know how the recipe turned out for me.
Hi! Thanks so much for your question. You can use either boneless, skinless thighs or bone-in thighs for this recipe. Bone-in will give you a little extra flavor and keep the chicken juicy, while boneless is great if you want something quicker and easier to serve. I’m excited to hear how it turned out for you—please let me know! 😊
Just made this.
Delicious
Great oven meal!
Proportions were perfect.
So glad you enjoyed it! 🥰 Thanks for trying the recipe and I am happy to hear the proportions worked out perfectly for you!
Fantastic recipe, so delicious. I’m glad I downloaded it!!!
Olivia always has the best recipes
Aww you’re so sweet. Thank you 😉
I made this yesterday for the first time for the family of a sick friend and they raved about it. I had hoped to make a different chicken thigh recipe but didn’t have the ingredients, so I googled and found this one. Such good luck!! I will be making it for myself tomorrow,
That makes me so happy to hear! 💛 I’m really touched that you made it for your friend’s family — what a kind and thoughtful thing to do. I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, and I hope you love it just as much when you make it for yourself tomorrow! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with me. 💕
Okay so when I found this recipe I didn’t have chicken stock or vegetable stock. But I did have chicken bouillon powder mixed with 1 1/2 cups of water. It turned out just fine! Delicious!
So glad it worked out! 😊 Chicken bouillon with water is a great substitute, and I’m happy to hear it turned out delicious. Thanks for sharing! 💛
Hey I use chicken broth instead of chicken stock is that okay I hope so I cooked it from my family tonight and I use red onions instead of white onions I’ll let you know how those the outcome I hope the chicken broth is good
Absolutely! That’s totally fine! 😊 Chicken broth works just as well as stock, and red onions are a great swap too. I’m sure it will turn out delicious. Can’t wait to hear how it goes! 💛
It came out pretty good even though I use chicken broth instead of chicken stock and come out real good my family love it
So happy to hear that! 😊 I love that it turned out great with the chicken broth, and even better that your family loved it. Thanks so much for sharing! 💛