Main Dishes
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
50 minutes
Yield
4
This delicious Oven Baked Chicken and Rice is an easy casserole recipe that you can prepare in 10-minutes and have on the table in an hour.
When September hits I find it feels like a bit of a reset to the year. I don’t even go back to school or have kids going back to school but it’s always just felt like a time to wind down a bit from the summer chaos and set my intentions for the new season. One of those things for many people is often getting back on track with cooking at home. This Oven Baked Chicken and Rice recipe is the perfect thing for those busy weeknights running kids to all their extracurricular activities, or just a date night.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Oven Baked Chicken and Rice
- Quick Prep: Prep this recipe in only 10 minutes. That’s it!
- Easy: We all need some effortless meals in our back pocket and this is one of them
- Family-Friendly: Make this casserole up and have a complete meal ready that your whole family will love
🍲 Ingredients
Chicken Thighs – For this recipe I like to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. I find having the skin-on and bone-in the thighs hold in so much moisture and flavor when baking for a longer period of time. They are so good and juicy.
Herbs – For this recipe I used fresh parsley and dill. I don’t like substituting this for dried herbs because they add a pop of freshness and flavor to this recipe that’s so good.
👩🍳 How to Make Oven Baked Chicken and Rice
- Make the marinade: whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, dried oregano, pressed garlic, salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken to a bowl and add ¼ cup of the marinade (put the rest of the marinade aside). Toss the chicken to coat it and let sit for 15-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, turn to medium heat and add the chicken thighs skin side down. Cook until the skin is golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes and then remove the chicken to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Add the diced onion to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until just softened. Then, add the minced garlic, salt, pepper and dried oregano. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the rice and stir well to coat with the oils in the pan.
- Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the chicken back in over top of the rice and any juices from the plate / bowl back to the pan as well.
- Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil and transfer to the preheated oven and bake until cooked through to 165F, about 30-35 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and fluff the rice a bit with a fork.
- Serve topped with fresh dill, fresh parsley, baby tomatoes and cubed feta cheese and drizzle over the rest of the marinade.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Serve this recipe with your favourite vegetable side or one of our salad’s like the Maroulosalata aka my Mama’s Salad
- If you love one pan meals, try our Greek Chicken and Lemon Potatoes or Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs & Lemon Potatoes
🗒 Substitutions
- Feta: You can leave out the feta if you don’t have any but it adds a nice saltiness
- Chicken Thighs: You can use skinless, boneless chicken thighs if you prefer
- Basmati: Use whatever your preferred rice is in this recipe
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
🤔 Common Questions
In moderation the skin on chicken is not bad for you. It’s actually full of healthy, unsaturated fats.
Absolutely. Prepare everything in the casserole dish in advance and throw it in the oven when you’re ready-to-eat. I would advise only doing this a few hours before you plan on cooking.
Oven Baked Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
For the chicken & marinade / sauce
- 6 bone in skin on chicken thighs
- juice of one lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp dijon or yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
For the rice
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
Toppings
- 2 tbsp fresh minced parsley
- 2 tbsp fresh minced dill
- 1 cup halved baby tomatoes
- 1/2 cup cubed feta cheese
Instructions
- Make the marinade: whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, dried oregano, pressed garlic, salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken to a bowl and add ¼ cup of the marinade (put the rest of the marinade aside). Toss the chicken to coat it and let sit for 15-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, turn to medium heat and add the chicken thighs skin side down. Cook until the skin is golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes and then remove the chicken to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Add the diced onion to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until just softened. Then, add the minced garlic, salt, pepper and dried oregano. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the rice and stir well to coat with the oils in the pan.
- Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the chicken back in over top of the rice and any juices from the plate / bowl back to the pan as well.
- Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil and transfer to the preheated oven and bake until cooked through to 165F, about 30-35 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and fluff the rice a bit with a fork.
- Serve topped with fresh dill, fresh parsley, baby tomatoes and cubed feta cheese and drizzle over the rest of the marinade.
Video
Notes
- Serve this recipe with your favourite vegetable side or one of our salad’s like the Maroulosalata aka my Mama’s Salad
- If you love one pan meals, try our Greek Chicken and Lemon Potatoes or Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs & Lemon Potatoes
Such a yummy dish!!! And such a BEAUTIFUL dish! Very easy & the flavors are so good. Don’t overdo the lemon & feta (I added a little extra but Maria’s measurements can be trusted). Will be making again!
you are the best sweetie! Thank you for the love!
Hi! I was wondering if you use regular olive oil or EVOO?
either is fine!!
This recipe was amazing and what fall dreams are made of!! The taste was amazing, but I couldn’t handle how good my kitchen smelled!!!
right!!!! welcome to a Greek child’s favourite candle scent lol
Made this for friends and my husband last week and people were closed-eyes smacking the table and humming with this recipe. The flavors are bright yet the recipe is cozy and it feels decadent. So easy to make. Hubby said it is officially the best chicken I ever made. In case it helps anyone, I used a stainless Steel casserole with lid and it worked fine.. you just have to be careful to not overbrown.
Loovvveed it!! My first recipe I made of yours but have been saving so many! Can’t wait to try out more!!<3
Thank you so much! Please let me know what you try next ok?
Maria, can chicken breast be used instead? If so, what cooking changes would be made?
Yes, that should be fine! I am not sure if any changes would be needed as we only tested this with thighs but I think you should be fine!
Could you make this with chicken breasts? How long would you cook it?
Cook till rice is tender and chicken is at 165F internal temp! Breast would be great.
So delicious!!! Will keep this one in the rotation!! How simple ingredients can create such a happy family 😂 I doubled the recipe and don’t regret it!! Thank you mama!!!
This makes me so happy, hunnie!!!!! Thank you!!!!
🧿 saving this one for sure!
let me know when you make it hun!
Made this for friends and my husband last week and people were closed-eyes smacking the table and humming with this recipe. The flavors are bright yet the recipe is cozy and it feels decadent. So easy to make. Hubby said it is officially the best chicken I ever made. In case it helps anyone, I used a stainless Steel casserole with lid and it worked fine.. you just have to be careful to not overbrown.
this made me smile from ear to ear – ana! Thanks so much for the love!!!!
Could I use my Dutch oven instead of a skillet?
I think so yes!!!
Looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. Can you tell me the make of your cast iron. I have been looking for one that looks just like that!
It’s Le Creuset! Please let me know how it goes hun!