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Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice Recipe

Bursting with rich buttery garlic flavor and tender chicken thighs, this Garlic Butter Chicken And Rice dinner is guaranteed to impress even the pickiest eaters!

A skillet with cooked garlic butter chicken and rice and garnished with parsley.

Everyone loves this Chicken and Rice recipe that’s baked in the oven! Imagine succulent, perfectly seasoned chicken thighs nestled on a bed of garlic-infused, buttery rice. The entire dish comes together in one pan with minimal prep, taking less than 10 minutes to set up.

Why People Love This Recipe

  • Flavorful: The combination of juicy, tender chicken with a rich, buttery garlic flavor makes this dish exceptionally comforting and delicious.
  • Convenience: As a one-pot dinner that’s ready in less than an hour, this recipe is incredibly convenient for busy schedules.
  • Practical: The 2-in-1 nature of the recipe, combining the main dish and side in a single cooking process, is not only a time-saver but also an excellent way to simplify meal planning.
Ingredients for garlic butter chicken.

Ingredients For Chicken And Rice

  • Skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
  • PaprikaSweet or smoked.
  • Dried thyme – Other dried herbs like rosemary work too.
  • Garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper
  • Butter – Salted or unsalted is fine.
  • Yellow onion – White onion is a good alternative.
  • Fresh garlic – Feel free to substitute it for 2 extra teaspoons of garlic powder.
  • Long-grain white rice – Basmati and Jasmine rice are perfect for this.
  • Low-sodium chicken broth – Veggie broth works, too.
  • Italian seasoning
  • Dried oregano
  • Fresh parsley

How to Make Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice

  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Melt butter in a large skillet (or Dutch oven) over medium heat.
  2. Spice Blend: Mix paprika, thyme, and garlic powder. Season the chicken and set aside.
  3. Onions: Sauté garlic and onions in the skillet until onions soften.
  4. Rice: Stir in rice for 30 seconds.
  5. Chicken: Add seasoned chicken, chicken broth, and water.
  6. Season: Sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
  7. Baking: Cover the skillet (or use foil). Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more or until the liquid is absorbed.
  8. Serve: Let chicken rest for 5 to 10 mins. Fluff the rice, garnish with parsley, and serve warm.
Cooked garlic butter chicken and rice in a skillet.

Recipe Tips And Variations

  • Avoid using skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe. It makes the rice greasy, which isn’t what we’re after.
  • Using boneless chicken thighs is okay if that’s all you have. However, remember that they might be a little overcooked when the dish is ready. My only other recommendations would be chicken drumsticks or leg-quarters for this recipe. Chicken breasts will dry out too much while they’re in the oven, whereas the bone-in pieces help retain moisture.
  • Use brown rice for a lighter option, but you’ll need to cook it for longer. Bake the dish covered for 45 minutes and then uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • You can prep this recipe two days in advance. Work up to the sixth step in the recipe, but don’t add the water and broth. Cover and refrigerate. Add the liquid on the day you’re going to serve it.

Serving Suggestions

Try my Grilled Vegetables with Halloumi, Garlic Butter Roasted Parsnips, and Cheesy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon for yummy veggie sides. As far as soups go, this chicken doesn’t get much better than with my Cream of Zucchini Soup and Creamy Tortellini Soup.

A fork with rice and chicken on a plate.

How to Store Leftovers

Refrigerate any cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze it for 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight. To reheat it, preheat the oven to 350˚F and heat it for 15 minutes or until warm.

More One Pot Chicken Recipes

a skillet with cooked garlic butter chicken with rice and garnished with parsley.

Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice Recipe

Katerina | Diethood
Packed with a buttery garlic flavor and juicy chicken thighs, this one pot chicken and rice dinner will win over even the harshest critics!
4.78 from 83 votes
Servings : 6 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
  • Season the chicken thighs with paprika, dried thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper; set aside.
  • Add the butter to a large oven-safe skillet and melt over medium heat. Stir in the diced onions and garlic; cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until the garlic is lightly browned, stirring very frequently. Do not burn the garlic.
  • Stir in the rice; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Place the seasoned chicken pieces over the rice, and add the chicken broth and water.
  • Season the top with Italian Seasoning and oregano, and bring to a boil. You can also add more salt and pepper at this point if you'd like.
  • Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil and transfer to the preheated oven; bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the lid or foil and continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
  • Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 to 8 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the pan and fluff up the rice with a fork.
  • Garnish with parsley and serve.

Video

Notes

  • Plan early. Get a head start on this recipe by preparing up to step 6 a couple of days beforehand. Just hold off on the liquid until serving day. Adding it too early means the rice will soak it all up.
  • Chicken: This recipe is prepared with bone-in, skinless chicken thighs. Using anything other than what is suggested will have different results. Boneless chicken thighs will cook up faster, while boneless chicken breasts will cook through much quicker and will dry out. I also recommend removing the skin from the chicken thighs because the casserole will be greasy with the skin on.
  • Rice: This recipe uses long-grain white rice. If you want to use brown rice, increase the cooking time. Bake it covered for 45 minutes, and then uncover and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 370 kcal | Carbohydrates: 39 g | Protein: 23 g | Fat: 12 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Cholesterol: 116 mg | Sodium: 395 mg | Potassium: 354 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 0 g | Vitamin A: 420 IU | Vitamin C: 1.6 mg | Calcium: 39 mg | Iron: 1.7 mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Lunch/Dinner
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: chicken thighs and rice, garlic butter chicken, one pot chicken recipes, one pot chicken thighs and rice
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124 comments on “Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice Recipe”

  1. This is my new favorite comfort food. I made it with bone in chicken breasts. Phenomenal! Thank you

    1. That’s fantastic to hear! Using bone-in chicken breasts is a great choice for extra flavor. I’m thrilled it’s become your new favorite comfort food. You’re very welcome, and enjoy your delicious creations! Thank YOU! 🙂

    1. So glad to hear it was a hit with your family and easy to make! It’s always great when a meal gets everyone coming back for more. Keep enjoying! Thank YOU! 🙂

    1. Sorry to hear that, but if I may ask – did you use bone-in chicken and long grain white rice? Using anything other than what is suggested will have different results. Please let me know if you have a minute. Thanks 😊

  2. We have used this recipe quite a few times now, and always use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it comes out perfect every time! The chicken is moist and flavorful, and the rice is fully cooked.

    1. Do you mean after cooking them? Yes. The freezing instructions are in the post above. Once fully cooled, transfer the rice and chicken to a freezer-friendly container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and then pop it in the oven at 350˚F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

  3. Absolutely love it. I did marinate my chicken in herb and garlic marinade and then seared it. I didn’t have an oven safe pan so I cooked the rice per the directions in the pan I seared the chicken and cooked the onions and garlic in and brought it to a boil and then transferred it to a 9×13 baking dish but it turned out amazing. Thank you for the recipe.

  4. This recipe is so yummy! We are a big garlic family, so everyone enjoyed! I have only done bone-in thighs in the past and it worked fine, but I think I will try boneless, skinless thighs this time for ease/time saving purposes. I also don’t have an oven safe skillet, so I just transfer the rice and chicken to a 9×13 to cook in the oven. If I use the boneless thighs, I know they cook faster – how long should I wait before I add them to the casserole dish?

    1. So happy to know that you like this recipe. It’s one of my faves and I make it very, very often.
      At 350˚F, boneless chicken thighs will need about 25 minutes to cook through. For a better result (taste and looks) I suggest browning the thighs for a couple of minutes per side before adding them to the baking dish.

  5. Recipe looked fast and easy and it was; however, it was quite bland and the chicken a bit chewy. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

  6. The flavor was good. I like garlic so I did add a little extra minced garlic. One thing I will do next time is follow the recipe and use the white rice. I used jasmine and my rice got a bit overcooked. But overall this is a really good recipe.

  7. Avatar photo
    Kaela Nagucki

    Boneless skinless thighs worked great (1.5 lb)! But!! I took it out after the initial 30 mins and it was done, didn’t need the extra 10 minutes. Even the kids ate it 🙂 major win!

  8. Avatar photo
    Carol Fischer

    Boneless chicken breasts were used; absolutely tender as could be. Flavor was tasty, but we added grated Parmesan to the dish on our plates, which increased the flavor. Not rice lovers, so I used cauliflower rice and only chicken broth, no additional water. Otherwise, instructions were followed. The onion-garlic aroma from the oven was divine. Was there much liquid? Yes, but it was delish. We’ll make this again and maybe add a touch of the solid chicken bouillon for flavor.

  9. This is a terrific recipe. Even though I had to make adjustments for what I had, I think I still stayed true to the basic recipe. I thought it was quite flavorful. I did add an extra clove of garlic and I seasoned the chicken generously. But you have to know your own tastes. I only had Better than Bouillon in Veggie form, so I used that. I know chicken would have made it better. The only thing I wonder about is the liquid amount. I had 1 and 1/4 cup jasmine rice and 2 cups liquid (broth). After the 30 minutes of cooking in the oven it was perfect. The rice was tender and fluffy and the chicken thighs were perfectly cooked.

    1. No, because the rice and the chicken need to cook evenly and simultaneously. Boneless chicken breasts will cook through much quicker and dry out if you wait for the rice to be done.

  10. My husband and I fixed this for dinner. We
    Followed your recipe. It turned out absolutely fantastic. We all loved it and will absolutely fix it again. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes.

    1. Yes, reduce the cooking time because boneless chicken thighs need less time to cook through. If you can, use an Instant Read Meat Thermometer to check for doneness – chicken is cooked through when its internal temperature registers at 165˚F.

  11. extremely delicious and easy to make! Great flavor throughout the dish. I used boneless chicken thighs and did not find the chicken to be overcooked at all especially when cooking in a cast iron skillet. This recipe has become one of my family’s favorites!

  12. Let me tell you how many ways I messed this up or did something different and it was still great!
    – didn’t have enough rice, topped it up with quinoa
    – only had the 10 min rice in hand
    – use a oven safe large pot instead
    – forgot to put the cover on my pot until 2 mins left
    – put the cover on for additional 10 mins 🤷🏼‍♀️
    – used veg broth instead of chicken.

    All was still great! Great flavour, easy, chicken was all cooked through and rice was maybe a lil over done but that’s because I used that rice.
    Thanks !

  13. I don’t know what i did wrong. Recipe bland. Used all chicken broth and no water. Rice not cooked all the way, chicken not cooked through. Followed the recipe to the tee other than chicken broth and water. Tried to save it with a boullion cube but that didn’t even help. Even cooked it 20 minutes longer and rice still wasn’t cooked.

    1. Hi!
      I am sorry it didn’t work out for you. I am not sure what could have gone wrong if you cooked it for over one hour and it still wasn’t cooked? You’re supposed to cook it covered for 30 minutes, and then uncovered for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Also, it’s bland because you didn’t add enough salt “to taste”. Salt and pepper to taste means the taste to the palate of the person that is making it. Some people like more, others like less salt. Always start with small amounts. For example, try adding 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Taste, then add more if needed.

  14. This is fabulous! I used brown rice and skinless, boneless chicken thighs. I have made this many times and it always turns out great! Thanks for the amazing recipe!

  15. Followed this recipe to the letter. Not sure where I went wrong but it was bland. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t good.

  16. Avatar photo
    Denise Lawrence

    Awesome recipe! Thanks for sharing! The only thing different I did was added 2 cups of rice & it was perfect!! Will definitely make this again!

  17. This recipe is very yummy!! The only thing I would do is add more garlic! I used boneless, skinless thighs and ended up frying them for 2 minutes on each side before putting them in with the rice. I cooked the rice covered for 10 minutes before adding the chicken in as well because of the boneless thighs. Turned out perfectly!! And SO easy!! Will definitely be making again soon.

    1. AMAZING. Best rice I’ve ever had. Do yourself a favor and keep the skin on…brown the thighs skin-side down in the pan before you add the rice and water. Delish! Also added some parmesan cheese before serving. Will definitely be in my weekly rotation!

  18. This is our favorite chicken and rice dish now, the rice turns out so buttery and perfect and the thighs are perfectly cooked. Thanks for a winner!

  19. Avatar photo
    Chris Jurrians

    I made this tonight for dinner and my husband said it was a keeper. He doesn’t really like thighs all that much, so I consider this a dinner win. I only had skin-on, bone-in thighs so I peeled off the skin and went from there. I think the next time I make this, I am going to try adding canned mushrooms during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking.

  20. This was a hit! My husband is very picky eater and although I have made chickent and rice before – this was a different way. He loved it and went back for seconds. I will definitely make this again! Thank you for sharing.

  21. Very delicious! I kept the skin on the thighs and seared them like someone else mentioned. They came out so flavourful and crispy. Will definitely make again!

    1. This is what I was thinking for this recipe. Did you put it into the oven without covering it? Or did you cover and bake and the skin was still crispy??

  22. Made with wild rice and sides of Parmesan roasted potatoes and asparagus it is AMAZING definitely going to make again!

    1. Have been wanting to try a chicken and rice dish, this did not disappoint. I seared my bone in breast first and added the flavors as directed! Wow!!! So delicious I mean very good. Thank you for sharing!

  23. This did not work for me. At an hour and a half of baking the rice is still hard and the thighs aren’t soft. At 30 mins the chicken was raw. I feel like I must have messed something up but I’ve read the recipe a dozen times and I followed it perfectly. What a bummer. Based on reviews this had to be my fault though.

  24. I love dishes like this and I can’t wait to try it! I only have 1 cup of rice on hand, would the liquid ratio be 2 cups? And do you think that will be enough rice for serving?

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      Yep, 2 cups of liquid is all you’ll need. 1 cup of uncooked rice should be okay for 4 people. 1 cup long grain uncooked rice yields to about 3 1/2 cups cooked rice.

      1. Avatar photo
        Glynn Carroll

        Hey, because of lockdown, I only have fusilli pasta, will it work the same with pasta instead of rice?

        Thanks

          1. Katerina - Diethood
            Katerina Petrovska

            Hi!
            I think if you put the beans in the pot while still frozen, it should turn out OK.

      2. Katerina, I just made this and I had a feeling there was way too much liquid. Indeed. Not sure how others have not commented on this. I now have chicken soup. 3 cups of liquid for 1 1/2 cups of rice? But you say 2 cups is okay. This is very frustrating. I don’t see how anyone made this and it didn’t turn out like mine. Also the YouTube video now that I watched has very little liquid. Mine almost covered the chicken

  25. I just bought boneless thighs will that work? Should I put them in a little later so they don’t over cook?

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      Yep, put them in later because they will definitely overcook if put in from the beginning. Also, brown the chicken thighs on the outside and then add them to the rice mixture.

  26. As a fairly accomplished cook for 40 years, I get bored with my go-to recipes and am always looking for something new and easy. This was simply delicious! I have never written a recipe review before, but you certainly deserve it. The rice cooked perfectly and the chicken was moist and tender. I had thighs and breasts in the freezer, put the thighs around the edge and cut the breasts in same-size pieces and put them in the middle. The only changes I made were that I used all home-made stock instead of stock and water, added lemon pepper to the seasoning and omitted the Italian spices. I think it would be good with tarragon too.
    Thank you so much for the great recipe!

  27. Avatar photo
    Sharon Avril-Thomas

    This is definitely a keepsake. Tasted delicious and is easy to make. My daughter Who is not a rice lover ate it all up.

  28. LOVE this recipe and all the info!
    The only suggestion I have is to PLEASE list ingredient amounts early in the narration. I was in somewhat of a time crunch the first time I made the recipe. It was very frustrating to finally find the amounts.
    Great recipe though!

  29. I made it and it was a bit plain for my taste so I added more seasonings and added vegetable to this time.

    1. I used brown rice (longer cooking time) and only 1 c of hot water but otherwise followed exactly. This was quite flavorful for how easy it was to cook! My fiancé had almost 3 helpings!! Just be careful with how much liquid you add (I couldn’t fit all the water like I said before so I only added 1 c and it was still a little runny). Thanks for a yummy recipe!

  30. Made it tonight and it was a hit.My husband is the picky eater, so he goes back for seconds you know its good, by the the way I thought it was yummy will make again except next time I will use all chicken stock. So thanks for the recipe , good and easy☺

  31. I made this last night and it was good. I’ll add a bit more salt next time. I did add about a cup of frozen vegetables and it was just as good.

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi! Yes, you definitely can. The chicken *might* be a bit overcooked so I would suggest using thicker chicken breasts – something like 1.5 inches thick. That should ensure that the rice and chicken will cook thoroughly, at the same time.

  32. I made this tonight. Was delicious. My two picky eaters ate it! The only change I made was to cut up asparagus and saute with the onion and garlic. Will definitely make this again… repeatedly!

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      Yes, definitely. 🙂 A 9×13 dish might be a little small, nothing too bad, but if you can use a 10×15-inch baking dish, that would be great!

      1. If you make it in a 10 x 15 would you prepare on the stove through step 5 then transfer to the baking dish and continue with the recipe?

        1. Katerina - Diethood
          Katerina Petrovska

          Hi! Yep, I would do exactly that, but if your pan or pot is oven-safe, then you don’t have to do that – just pop it in the oven.

  33. Avatar photo
    Natasha of Natasha's Kitchen

    Everything about this is good! I love easy meals like this and I’m sure my kids will love it!

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