Description
Hearty chicken and rice casserole brings comfort straight from grandma’s kitchen to your dinner table. Succulent chicken nestled with fluffy rice creates a perfectly balanced meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken:
- 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
Rice and Liquid:
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cups (473 milliliters) chicken broth
Aromatics and Seasonings:
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 cup (150 grams) frozen peas (optional)
Instructions
- Warm the oven to a moderate temperature of 375°F (190°C), ensuring an even heating environment for the dish.
- Generously coat chicken thighs with a blend of aromatic spices, massaging paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper into the meat for deep flavor infusion.
- Create a golden sear on the chicken thighs in a hot skillet with olive oil, developing a rich caramelized exterior while locking in moisture.
- In the same skillet, gently sweat chopped onions and minced garlic until they release their fragrant essence and become translucent.
- Introduce uncooked rice to the skillet, allowing it to toast and develop a nutty undertone for approximately 1-2 minutes.
- Pour chicken broth into the rice mixture, incorporating frozen peas and adjusting the seasoning to enhance overall taste profile.
- Carefully transfer the rice blend into a baking dish, strategically positioning the seared chicken thighs on top of the grains.
- Seal the dish completely with aluminum foil, creating a steamy environment for even cooking.
- Slide the covered dish into the preheated oven and allow it to bake for 35 minutes, ensuring rice and chicken cook uniformly.
- Uncover the dish, returning it to the oven to crisp the chicken skin and finish the rice, baking for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the dish rest for 5 minutes, allowing flavors to settle and juices to redistribute before serving.
Notes
- Choose bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for maximum flavor and juiciness, ensuring tender meat that doesn’t dry out during baking.
- Toast rice briefly before adding liquid to enhance its nutty flavor and prevent mushiness, creating a more complex taste profile.
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free chicken broth and confirm all seasonings are certified gluten-free.
- Customize the dish by swapping peas with other vegetables like diced carrots or bell peppers for added nutrition and color variety.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg