Baked Chicken and Rice

This is more of a recipe template than an actual recipe; it can be changed significantly with the use of different rice or vegetables or seasonings or chicken preparation. The core recipe will be described in the instructions, for suggestions on how to change it check the "Variations" section at the bottom of the page.

Cooking Confidence Scale Score

High 2 to Low 3 This recipe has two main parts, both of which are simple and neither of which needs to be done with any special speed. The most difficult part is working with the hot baking pan after the oven sauté of the onions. Skills required are coarse chopping, slicing raw boneless chicken, handling a hot pan, and measuring ingredients.

Time Commitment

Prep time: 5-10 minutes depending on chopping speed
Assembly: 5-10 minutes depending on hot pan handling skills
Oven time: 15 minutes oven sauté + 45 minutes baking

Total: 1hr 20 minutes

'For best results, prep and season the chicken for at least one hour prior to cooking'

Tools

Oven
13x9x3 inch baking pan
Chef's knife
Cutting Board
Cooking spoon
Heat-proof work surface (a cold stovetop, tile counter, or wooden cutting board will work, or simply a good trivet to place the pan on)
Tinfoil
Oven Glove, Oven Mitt or Potholder (Oven Glove preferred if available)
Non-stick cooking spray (Optional; you can also use oil or butter to grease the tinfoil)
Meat thermometer

Ingredients

Core Ingredients

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut widthwise into 1-inch strips
2 large onions, diced
6 cloves minced garlic (or 1tsp rehydrated garlic powder)
1.5 cups long-grain rice (short grain rice can be substituted but will absorb less liquid and will end with a more moist final product)
1.5 cups cooking stock, hot (vegetable or chicken stock preferred, but any will do)
1.5 cups water, hot
2tbsp cooking oil (olive oil or melted butter preferred but any will do)
1tsp salt (separate from salt in the spices section)

Spices

There are nearly infinite ways to season this dish, which are discussed in the "variations" section below. The seasonings in this section are a basic rub for the sliced chicken that will season the outside of each piece but will not penetrate the meat. I strongly recommend using a marinade instead of a basic rub, but if you are short on time or ingredients, this will suffice - though I'd recommend serving the final product with some sauce that you like on the side.

1tsp salt
2tsp paprika
1tsp black pepper
1tsp chili powder (or cayenne pepper for a little heat)
2tsp garlic powder
2tsp onion powder
1.5tbsp brown sugar

Cooking Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Oven Sauté

Ingredients: Oil, diced onion, diced garlic (or rehydrated garlic powder), and salt.

Coarsely chop onions and mince garlic.
Add oil, diced onions, garlic, and salt to the baking pan.
Stir until all ingredients are combined.
Spread oil-coated onions evenly across the bottom of the pan.
Place pan on center rack of the hot oven.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the onions are translucent and are browning in raised areas.

Rice and Chicken

Ingredients: Chicken, Rice, Stock, Water, Seasoning Rub

Slice three chicken breasts widthwise (along the shortest axis) into one-inch strips.
Evenly distribute your seasoning of choice on the chicken strips; this can be done by stirring the chicken together with the seasoning in a large bowl, or by rubbing the seasoning into the surface of the meat, or by saturating the chicken in a marinade if you choose to use a marinade. For best results, cut and season the chicken at least one hour before cooking.
While the onions are heating, mix the stock and water and heat to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit (the temperature of a hot drink).

Assembly

Carefully remove the pan of onions from the oven and place on a heat-proof surface.
Pour rice evenly across the bottom of the pan.
Slowly pour hot stock and water into the pan.
Distribute the chicken slices evenly across the top of the rice; liquid in the pan should come up about halfway over the chicken.
Grease the shiny side of the tinfoil and carefully cover the pan with tinfoil shiny-side down.
Use your oven glove or other heat protection to make a loose seal around the pan with the tinfoil.

Baking

Carefully - being mindful of the liquid - return your pan to the oven.
Bake covered for 35 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Check that the internal temperature is at least 165 Fahrenheit; if so, cover with tinfoil and wait 10 minutes for dish to cool before serving.

Serving

This recipe produces about eight servings of chicken and rice.

Storing

Store covered for three days.
Once cooled, portions can be separated into airtight containers and stored for three months.

Re-Heating

To preserve moisture, oven re-heating is not recommended.

2min in a 900w Microwave for one serving.
To reheat on a stovetop, add chicken and rice plus a few tablespoons of stock to a small saucepan and heat covered to your desired temperature, stirring occasionally.

Variations

This is an extremely flexible recipe and you can do anything you want to it that sounds good; the base recipe is very forgiving so it's a good opportunity to experiment. My favorite way to prepare this is to use a lemon juice and yogurt marinade with garam masala spice and extra garlic, though I've also used a tamari and orange juice marinade with chili sauce and ginger for some variety.

If you have a pre-made marinade that you like for chicken, you can use that or you can make your own (check out my Marinade Template for inspiration). If you want to experiment with rubs, you can try to change up the spices any way you like. Worst case scenario, you'll end up with something that tastes funky but it still edible.

You can also add variation to the rice; I generally choose not to season the rice for this dish but I do like to add in vegetables from time to time. If you are using frozen vegetables, I recommend thawing them first, but you can add them to the rice before you pour in the stock and they will cook with the rice. Broccoli, peas, carrots, and green beans are some of the options that I like to add.