Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice Recipe
Aug 27, 2018, Updated Dec 17, 2023
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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!
Chicken thighs and rice are truly my jam—it’s a main and a side dish all in one pot! So don’t miss out on this fantastic recipe or this other amazing one for Chicken Thighs with Rice, or explore these popular boneless, skinless chicken thigh recipes.
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 Chicken And Rice
- Skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
- Paprika – Sweet 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
It’s time to enjoy some good ol’ comfort food with this savory chicken thighs and rice recipe, perfect for any family dinner. Follow these steps to create a wonderful meal that combines tender chicken with flavorful rice, all baked to a juicy perfection.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Melt butter in a large skillet (or Dutch oven) over medium heat.
- Spice Blend: Mix paprika, thyme, and garlic powder. Season the chicken and set aside.
- Onions: Sauté garlic and onions in the skillet until onions soften.
- Rice: Stir in rice for 30 seconds.
- Chicken: Add seasoned chicken, chicken broth, and water.
- Season: Sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- 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.
- Serve: Let chicken rest for 5 to 10 mins. Fluff the rice, garnish with parsley, and serve warm.
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
We’ve already established that chicken and rice is a meal in itself, but to boost this dish a bit further, consider pairing it with a tomato salad and vegetables seasoned with herbs.
- Start with the delicious Heirloom Tomato Salad, and then try my Grilled Vegetables with Halloumi!
- Also, include the best 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.
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
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
- Chicken Rice and Vegetable Skillet
- Wild Rice and Kale Chicken Casserole
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Recipe
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Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme,, or any other dried herbs of your choice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and fresh ground pepper,, to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion,, diced
- 4 large cloves garlic,, minced
- 1½ cups long grain white rice
- 1½ cups low-sodium, fat free chicken broth
- 1½ cups hot water
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- chopped fresh parsley,, for garnish
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
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.
This is one tasty looking dish! I have to add it to my menu this week!
Love how easy this chicken and rice is to whip up! So delicious too!
This is the perfect weeknight meal! Love that it’s so flavorful and made in just one pot!
Thank you for the tips on making this ahead. I’ve been trying to be better at planning our dinners.
This was definitely a winning meal! Very delicious and easy clean up too!
I made this tonight and my family loved it!
I made it and it was a bit plain for my taste so I added more seasonings and added vegetable to this time.
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!
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☺
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.
Could this be made in an electric skillet? Going camping with my electric skillet