Go Back
+ servings
Logo of The Forked Spoon showing Spork
Large cast iron skillet filled with cooked bone-in skin-on chicken thighs set atop lemon rice and garnished with sliced olives and feta cheese.
4.82 from 132 votes

Chicken and Rice Bake

This One-Pot Chicken and Rice Bake is the very best easy, comforting, and delicious home-cooked dinner. Made with juicy marinated chicken thighs cooked atop fluffy long-grain white rice with green and black olives, artichoke hearts, lemon, and fresh herbs. Dinner doesn't get much better than this!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
marinate30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 758kcal

Ingredients

For the Chicken and Marinade

For the Rice

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil - divided
  • 1 yellow onion - finely chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • cups long-grain white rice - washed and drained
  • 1 (6 ounce) can Green Ripe Olives - drained and roughly chopped
  • 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts - drained and quartered
  • cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice - (from approx. 2 lemons)
  • Fresh chopped oregano - to garnish
  • Fresh chopped parsley - to garnish

For the Olive and Feta Topping

  • 1 (6 ounce) can Green Ripe Olives - drained and halved
  • 1 (6 ounce) can Black Ripe Olives - drained and halved
  • 8 ounces feta cheese - cut into cubes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoon fresh parsley - diced

Instructions

For the Chicken and Marinade

  • Combine the chicken with the marinade ingredients in a large zip-lock bag. Mix well to coat the chicken in the lemon and herbs. Set aside to marinate for at least 20 minutes, or transfer to the refrigerator to marinate overnight.

For the Rice

  • Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade, discarding the zip-lock bag and any leftover marinade. Place the chicken in the skillet, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook the other side for an additional 4-5 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the skillet and transfer it to a clean plate. The chicken will not be fully cooked, but that's ok. 
  • Pour off any excess fat left behind in the pan and carefully scrape off any burnt bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet with a scrunched-up, slightly damp, paper towel. You may clean the skillet if the burnt bits do not come off (see note 2).
  • Return the skillet to the stove. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic, dried Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, and rice to the skillet and mix well to combine with the onion. Cook, stirring continuously, for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the green olives, artichoke hearts, low-sodium chicken broth, and lemon juice to the rice and stir to combine. Bring rice to a simmer and place the chicken on top.  Preheat oven to 350 Degree F.
  • Remove from heat and cover the skillet with a lid, baking sheet, or piece of foil. Transfer to the oven to cook for 30 minutes covered, plus an additional 15 minutes uncovered, or until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid and the chicken is fully cooked.
  • Remove from the oven and allow your chicken and rice to cool for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and oregano and serve with the herbed olives and feta (see below). Enjoy!

For the Olive and Feta Topping

  • In a medium bowl combine the black olives, green olives, feta cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh parsley. Mix well to combine. Keep stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

  1. This recipe calls for an oven-safe skillet that is at least 12.5 inches.
  2. You may also de-glaze the pan with a splash of dry white wine.
  3. You may also use boneless skinless chicken thighs. However, to prevent over-cooking, skip browning them in your skillet before cooking. Instead, marinate the chicken, as instructed, and place them atop the uncooked rice just before transferring to the oven.
  4. For skinless chicken breasts, marinate your chicken as instructed. However, rather than cook the chicken with the rice for the entire baking time, add the chicken to the pan or skillet 15-20 minutes into cooking. This means that, rather than cooking for 45 minutes in the oven, the chicken would cook for approximately 25-30 minutes. 
  5. To reduce the total fat in this recipe, while ensuring that your chicken is juicy and delicious, use bone-in skinless chicken thighs. Skip searing the chicken before adding it to the uncooked rice.
  6. Please wash your rice. Washing your rice will remove any surface starch which contributes to soggy, mushy rice after it's finished cooking.
  7. The best rice for this recipe is any long-grain white rice - standard, jasmine, basmati, etc. Minute Rice, risotto, and arborio rice (paella rice) will not work to make this recipe).
  8. If using brown rice - add an additional 1/4 cup of cooking liquid and increase the cooking time to 45 minutes covered, and 15 minutes uncovered. Keep an eye on the internal temperature of your chicken. If your chicken registers an internal temperature above 160 degrees F. before your rice has finished cooking, remove the chicken to a clean plate and cover it with foil to keep it warm as the rice finishes cooking in the oven.
Originally published November 8, 2018

Nutrition

Calories: 758kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 1317mg | Potassium: 451mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Vitamin C: 18.3mg | Calcium: 251mg | Iron: 2.3mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @theforkedspoon and hashtag it #theforkedspoon and please leave your star rating in the comment section on this post.

Copyright © 2024 The Forked Spoon