Lemon Chicken Rice Bake

This Lemon Chicken Rice Bake has incredible lemon and herb flavors, all done in one pot and super fast to prepare! Perfect for any night of the week!

Lemon Chicken Rice Bake

We all have those dishes that are kind of nostalgic to us because it’s something our mom used to make often. When my sister and I were growing up, my mom worked so she always made dishes that were fairly quick and easy after a long day. These dishes would feed the whole family and most importantly were dishes everybody liked.

This lemon chicken rice bake recipe is one that hits a home run with even the pickiest eaters, I mean how can it not when it’s cooked with so much love? If you’re looking for a dish that comes out perfectly every single time, scroll on and enjoy a little walk down my own memory lane.

Ingredients In Lemon Chicken Rice Bake

We’re going to be marinating this chicken so that lemon herb-y flavor is well incorporated. I recommend letting it marinate overnight but if you’re in a rush 20 minutes will do just fine.

Marinade

• Liquids – Olive oil, white wine (I like Sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio), and fresh lemon juice. The white wine can be substituted with low sodium soy sauce or extra chicken stock.
• Oregano – I used dried oregano for this recipe.
• Salt & pepper – To taste.
• Garlic – Mom always used lots of fresh garlic, if minced is all you have on hand just keep in mind that 1 1/2 teaspoons is equal to one fresh clove.
• Chicken – Bone in skin on thighs are best but if you’d rather use chicken breast just keep in mind that breast meat cooks quicker. Consider 1 breast is equal to 2 thighs. Drumsticks would also work well for this recipe

Rice

• Olive oil – For sautéing and browning.
• Onion – I used white onion but yellow will work just as well, we want something that hold up well to cooking and mellows out.
• Garlic – Even more fresh garlic! See the section above for substituting with minced.
• Rice – This recipe calls for long grain rice. Other varieties can definitely be substituted, just keep in mind that this may affect cook time. This guide is handy for figuring out how to cook the rice you’ve got on hand.
• Salt & pepper – To taste.
• Chicken broth – Aim for low sodium as we want to control the salt content of this dish. Adjust the salt in the rice if full sodium is all that’s available.
• Lemon – We want both zest and slices so be sure to pick up some lemons before making this dish. We want this lemon chicken rice to be bursting with lemon!
• Parsley – My favorite garnish! Fresh is best but if dried is all you have on hand that will work too.

How To Make Lemon Chicken Rice Bake

• Marinate your chicken: Combine marinade ingredients in a large Ziploc bag (shake it well) and marinate for at least 20 minutes. Place in the refrigerator if you’re planning on marinating overnight. Make sure to reserve the marinade before cooking your chicken.
•  Prepare the oven: Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
• Brown the chicken: Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken thighs till golden and crispy, don’t worry about cooking the chicken all the way through.
• Prepare the rice: In the same skillet, saute the onion till it is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook just till it become aromatic. Stir in the rice and cook for 2 minutes before adding chicken stock, reserved marinade, salt & pepper, and lemon zest. Give this all a good stir and bring to a boil.
• Finish the dish: Add the chicken back to the skillet on top of the rice and arrange your lemon slices across the top and cover your skillet with a lid. Bake covered for 20 minutes before removing the lid and baking uncovered for a further 10 minutes. Garnish you lemon chicken rice with parsley and serve warm!

What Else Can I Use In My Rice Bake?

My mom made so many different variations of this lemon chicken rice recipe, and not necessarily with just chicken. She would use sausage or fish and lots of veggies. Things like beans, corn, peas, peppers, etc are all so tasty in this dish.

Storing Lemon Chicken Rice Bake

Fridge

Rice is very moist and can begin to grow bacteria in under 2 hours if left sitting out. Seal it in an airtight container while still warm and it will last in the fridge for 4 – 5 days.

Freezer

If you’d like to make and freeze this recipe ahead of time just place it in the fridge till it’s completely cool in an airtight container then transfer to the freezer and it should last up to 3 months. When ready to eat you’ll just want to allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before popping it back in a 350 F degree oven for 20 minutes.

Looking For More Chicken  Recipes? Try These:

• Chicken Rice Pilaf
• Lemon Rice and Chicken Soup
• Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
• Mexican Chicken and Rice Salad
• One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
• Creamy Parmesan Orzo with Chicken and Asparagus
• Harissa Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
• Coconut Basil Chicken Curry
• Chicken Fricassee

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Lemon Chicken Rice Bake

4.32 from 35 votes

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 50 mins

Total: 1 hr

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Serves: 6

Print Pin Rate

This Lemon Chicken Rice Bake has incredible lemon and herb flavors, all done in one pot and super fast to prepare! Perfect for any night of the week!

Ingredients

For Marinade

• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup white wine I used Sauvignon blanc
• ▢ 1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon oregano
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 8 chicken thighs with bone and skin

For Rice

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 onion chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 cup rice long grain uncooked
• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
• ▢ zest from 1 lemon
• ▢ lemon slices
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a ziploc bag combine with wine, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic and chicken thighs. Shake the bag well and marinate for at least 20 minutes up to overnight.
• Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees.
• Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet that's oven safe. Add the chicken thighs and cook on both sides until skin is golden brown and crispy. Make sure to reserve marinade. Chicken doesn't have to be cooked through since it will continue cooking in the oven. Transfer the chicken to a plate. 
• In the same skillet add the onion and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes just until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds just until it becomes aromatic.
• Stir in the rice and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, reserved marinade and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Add the lemon zest, stir and bring to a boil. Add the chicken back to the skillet on top of the rice, arrange lemon slices around the chicken and cover the skillet with a lid. 
• Bake covered for 20 minutes then remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley and serve warm.

Video

Recipe Notes

I prefer to use chicken thighs with skin and bones for flavor and because the thighs are juicier. Chicken drumsticks or chicken breast will work as well. 

If you don't want to use wine, substitute it with low sodium soy sauce or additional chicken broth.

Total time does not include time required to marinate the chicken. You could prepare the chicken the night before and marinate it over night in the fridge.

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 532kcal (27%)Carbohydrates: 29g (10%)Protein: 27g (54%)Fat: 32g (49%)Saturated Fat: 7g (44%)Cholesterol: 147mg (49%)Sodium: 794mg (35%)Potassium: 463mg (13%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 170IU (3%)Vitamin C: 12.5mg (15%)Calcium: 38mg (4%)Iron: 1.5mg (8%)

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:American

Keyword:chicken rice bake, chicken rice recipes, lemon chicken rice bake

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