I make a lot of one-pot dinners during the week, but this baked chicken thighs and rice recipe has quickly become one of my favorites! Boneless chicken thighs, long-grain white rice, and frozen veggies all cook together in a single dish, making it a super convenient option for busy weeknights!
Most of my chicken thigh recipes focus on the chicken itself, so I had a lot of fun developing this one-pot chicken and rice dish that includes everything you need for a complete meal.
This recipe is so easy and flavorful because:
- The chicken thighs cook right on top of the rice, allowing the rice to absorb all of those savory juices as it cooks.
- Frozen peas and carrots keep things simple and add vegetables to the dish without any extra prep work.
In terms of flavor and convenience, you can't beat it! Everything cooks together in a single pot, keeping hands-on time minimal and making cleanup easy.
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Fast Facts: What you Need to Know
- Cut: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs only. Unfortunately, these cannot be substituted with bone-in thighs or chicken breasts.
- Baking dish: You'll need a heavy-duty, oven-safe baking dish, ideally with a tight-fitting lid. I prefer to use this Lodge Casserole Pan, but a 13-by-9-inch ceramic baking dish covered tightly with foil works too.
- Cook time: This recipe can be completed in 1 hour or less, from start to finish. Bonus… most of that is hands-off cooking time!
If you only have bone-in chicken thighs on hand, try this oven-baked bone-in chicken thigh recipe instead!
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs - Use 6-8 medium-sized chicken thighs. Try to avoid over-sized thighs as they take much longer to cook. Bone-in thighs won't work for this recipe. If that's all you've got, try these bone-in Dijon chicken thighs instead or this sheet pan chicken thigh recipe.
- Rice - You can use either long-grain white basmati rice or long-grain white Jasmine rice. Unfortunately, brown rice takes too long to cook, so you can't use it as a substitute.
- Seasoning blend - This simple seasoning blend adds flavor to the chicken thighs. Feel free to mix this up and put it on the chicken ahead of time.
- Frozen peas and carrots - I love the convenience of using frozen vegetables here since there's no chopping involved.
- Olive oil - A tablespoon of olive oil adds a little richness and flavor to the rice, and also helps prevent it from sticking to the pan. The remaining oil is used on the chicken.
*See the recipe card below for a detailed list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos
Step 1: Mix the seasonings in a small bowl, then toss the chicken thighs with olive oil, Dijon mustard, and the seasonings until well coated. You can do this step ahead of time if needed.
Step 2: Pour the dry rice into a large casserole dish, then combine with the hot water, olive oil, salt, and diced onion.
Step 3: Nestle the seasoned chicken thighs into the rice, cover, and bake at 375°F for 40 minutes.
Step 4: After baking, remove the chicken thighs to a clean plate, stir in the frozen peas and carrots, and then return the chicken to the pan. Continue baking, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken and rice are fully cooked.
Expert tips
- Be sure to use hot water when mixing the rice before baking. It helps the rice to start cooking immediately and ensures it cooks evenly in the oven without extending the bake time. I use hot water from my spring water dispenser.
- Use small to medium-sized chicken thighs. Large thighs can take longer to cook and could leave the rice overdone by the time the chicken is finished.
- Stir the frozen peas and carrots into the rice as directed in the recipe. If we were to do this at the beginning, they would overcook and turn to mush.
Common Reader Questions
No. Bone-in chicken thighs take longer to cook and also produce a significant amount of fat. The longer cooking time and extra fat would cause the rice to overcook and make the entire dish very oily. This recipe for baked chicken, potatoes, and carrots is my go-to one-pot meal using bone-in chicken thighs!
No. Brown rice requires a much longer cooking time and more liquid, so it won't cook properly using this method.
No. Short-grain rice releases more starch as it cooks and tends to become sticky.
I instruct you to take them out of the freezer and let them sit at room temperature while the chicken thighs and rice bake. That's all the thawing they need!
If you tried this Baked Chicken Thighs and Rice recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and tell me how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
One Pot Baked Chicken Thighs and Rice
Ingredients
- 8 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs about 2 pounds
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard smooth
- 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice dry, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 small onion white or yellow, diced
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and get the frozen peas and carrots out of the freezer. You can leave these out at room temperature to thaw slightly while you're getting started on the chicken and rice.
- Combine the kosher salt (2 teaspoons), pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried thyme in a small bowl.
- Place the chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, Dijon mustard, and the seasoning blend, then toss everything together until the chicken thighs are evenly coated.
- Pour the dry rice into a large, oven-safe casserole dish. A casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid is best. If you don't have a lid, you can use aluminum foil.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, the diced onion, and hot water to the rice, then mix to combine.
- Place the seasoned chicken thighs on top of the rice in an even layer. It's okay if they overlap a little bit, but try your best to keep them in a single layer.
- Cover and bake at 375°F for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, remove the dish from the oven, uncover it, and transfer the chicken thighs to a clean plate. Stir the frozen peas and carrots into the rice.
- Place the chicken thighs back on the rice, return the dish to the oven, and bake, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes.
- The dish is done when the chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F, the rice has absorbed all of the liquid and is light and fluffy, and the tops of the chicken are lightly golden. Let the dish rest for about 5 minutes before serving, then fluff the rice with a fork, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
- Be sure to use hot water when mixing the rice before baking. It helps the rice to start cooking immediately and ensures it cooks evenly in the oven without extending the bake time. I use hot water from my spring water dispenser.
- Use small to medium-sized chicken thighs. Large thighs can take longer to cook and could leave the rice overdone by the time the chicken is finished.
- You'll need a heavy-duty, oven-safe baking dish, ideally with a tight-fitting lid. I prefer to use this Lodge Casserole Pan, but a 13-by-9-inch ceramic baking dish covered tightly with foil works too.
- The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice.
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