Lemon Garlic Parmesan Baked Hen and Rice

When dinner must be simple, this lemon garlic butter baked hen and rice completely delivers. Every little thing goes into one baking dish. No additional pots, no stovetop steps, and no fuss. You find yourself with juicy hen thighs on prime of creamy, tacky rice, all flavored with loads of garlic, contemporary lemon, and probably the most scrumptious seasoning mix.

It is a twist on our basic model of baked chicken and rice, which can also be tasty.

Why My Recipe

No stovetop steps. Simply combine, layer, and bake.
Creamy parmesan rice bakes proper in the identical dish
Garlic butter and lemon give each the creamy rice and juicy hen tons of taste.

A casserole dish of lemon garlic butter baked chicken and rice. A wooden spoon is resting in the corner where it has already dished out the first helping.

The seasoning on the hen is completely heavenly. All that buttery, lemony taste seeps down into the rice because it bakes. It’s severely filled with taste and couldn’t be simpler to make. Simply stir the rice collectively within the pan, season the hen, and bake. This one’s positively going into the common dinner rotation.

Ingredient Notes

An overhead view of the ingredients needed to make Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Chicken and Rice.

Lengthy Grain White Rice: Jasmine or basmati work greatest. Keep away from brief grain or instantaneous rice, which may flip mushy on this recipe.
Hen Broth: Use low-sodium broth to raised management the salt. You may as well use vegetable broth if wanted.
Heavy Cream: You possibly can substitute with half and half, however the rice gained’t be fairly as creamy.
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese: Pre-grated parmesan doesn’t soften the identical means. A block of parmesan offers the perfect texture and taste.
Minced Garlic: Contemporary garlic offers the strongest taste, however pre-minced from a jar works too. It’s simply barely extra bitter.
Boneless Skinless Hen Thighs: Thighs keep tender and juicy. You need to use hen breasts, however they could cook dinner sooner and dry out if overbaked.
Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Crushed Pink Pepper Flakes, Black Pepper: This mix is what makes the hen so flavorful. The crushed purple pepper provides slightly warmth, nevertheless it’s not overpowering. You possibly can go away it out if you happen to’re delicate to spice.
Lemon: You’ll use each the zest and the juice, so go for a contemporary lemon as an alternative of bottled juice.
Salted Butter: This melts over the hen because it bakes and infuses the dish with taste.
Lemon Slices (Optionally available): These are only for garnish, however they do add a pleasant visible contact.
Chopped Contemporary Parsley (Optionally available): Provides a pop of shade, however completely non-obligatory.

Utilizing Hen Breasts As a substitute

If you happen to choose hen breasts, you may completely use them. Since they cook dinner sooner than thighs, you’ll need to give the rice a head begin.

Assemble the rice combination and bake it coated for 20 minutes by itself. Whereas that’s baking, season your hen breasts as directed. After 20 minutes, take away the dish from the oven, nestle the hen breasts into the rice, and return it to the oven. Proceed baking, uncovered, for an additional 25 to half-hour, or till the hen reaches 165°F and the rice is tender.

Greatest Pan to Use

A 9×13-inch baking dish is ideal for this recipe. You need to use glass, ceramic, or metallic. Simply make certain it’s deep sufficient to carry all of the liquid with out effervescent over.

Glass and ceramic are likely to cook dinner extra evenly and maintain warmth higher, whereas metallic might pace up cooking only a bit. In case your dish is shallow otherwise you’re frightened about spillage, place it on a baking sheet to catch any drips.

An overhead view of a plate with two baked chicken thighs on a bed of buttery parmesan rice and garnished with lemon slices and chopped parsley.

Serving Solutions

This dish is filling by itself, however you may positively serve it with a easy inexperienced salad or roasted veggies to spherical out the meal. A facet of inexperienced beans, steamed broccoli, and even some crusty bread would work nice.

FAQ and Troubleshooting

My rice isn’t absolutely cooked! What ought to I do?

In case your rice continues to be undercooked after the complete baking time, it probably wants only a bit extra moisture or time. Add 1/4 cup of heat broth or water, cowl with foil, and return to the oven for 10 to fifteen minutes.

Can I take advantage of brown rice as an alternative?

Brown rice takes longer to cook dinner and doesn’t work nicely with this precise timing. Follow long-grain white rice for greatest outcomes.

Can I make this dairy-free?

You possibly can swap the heavy cream for canned full-fat coconut milk and use a dairy-free parmesan substitute. The flavour shall be totally different, however nonetheless scrumptious.

Why is my rice crunchy on the perimeters?

That’s fairly regular with baked rice. For much less crispiness, cowl extra tightly or stir midway by baking.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.

Reheat particular person parts within the microwave in 30-second increments till warmed by. For bigger parts, cowl with foil and reheat in a 325°F oven for 15 to twenty minutes.

Freeze: This dish could be frozen, however the creamy rice might change texture barely. Freeze in an hermetic container for as much as 2 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating.