When dinner must be straightforward, this lemon garlic butter baked hen and rice completely delivers. All the pieces goes into one baking dish. No additional pots, no stovetop steps, and no fuss. You find yourself with juicy hen thighs on high of creamy, tacky rice, all flavored with loads of garlic, recent lemon, and probably the most scrumptious seasoning mix.
This can be a twist on our traditional model of baked hen and rice, which can 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.
The seasoning on the hen is totally heavenly. All that buttery, lemony taste seeps down into the rice because it bakes. It’s critically full of taste and couldn’t be simpler to make. Simply stir the rice collectively within the pan, season the hen, and bake. This one’s undoubtedly going into the common dinner rotation.
Ingredient Notes
- Lengthy Grain White Rice: Jasmine or basmati work finest. Keep away from brief grain or immediate rice, which may flip mushy on this recipe.
- Rooster Broth: Use low-sodium broth to higher management the salt. You may also use vegetable broth if wanted.
- Heavy Cream: You may substitute with half and half, however the rice received’t be fairly as creamy.
- Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese: Pre-grated parmesan doesn’t soften the identical means. A block of parmesan provides the perfect texture and taste.
- Minced Garlic: Contemporary garlic provides the strongest taste, however pre-minced from a jar works too. It’s simply barely extra bitter.
- Boneless Skinless Rooster Thighs: Thighs keep tender and juicy. You should use hen breasts, however they might prepare dinner quicker and dry out if overbaked.
- Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Crushed Purple Pepper Flakes, Black Pepper: This mix is what makes the hen so flavorful. The crushed crimson pepper provides just a little warmth, nevertheless it’s not overpowering. You may go away it out in case you’re delicate to spice.
- Lemon: You’ll use each the zest and the juice, so go for a recent 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 (Non-obligatory): These are only for garnish, however they do add a pleasant visible contact.
- Chopped Contemporary Parsley (Non-obligatory): Provides a pop of shade, however completely non-obligatory.
Utilizing Rooster Breasts As a substitute
Should you want hen breasts, you possibly can completely use them. Since they prepare dinner quicker 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 one more 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 should 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 inclined to prepare dinner extra evenly and maintain warmth higher, whereas metallic might velocity up cooking only a bit. In case your dish is shallow otherwise you’re anxious about spillage, place it on a baking sheet to catch any drips.
Serving Recommendations
This dish is filling by itself, however you possibly can undoubtedly serve it with a easy inexperienced salad or roasted veggies to spherical out the meal. A aspect of inexperienced beans, steamed broccoli, and even some crusty bread would work nice.
FAQ and Troubleshooting
In case your rice remains 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.
Brown rice takes longer to prepare dinner and doesn’t work effectively with this precise timing. Keep on with long-grain white rice for finest outcomes.
You may swap the heavy cream for canned full-fat coconut milk and use a dairy-free parmesan substitute. The flavour will likely be totally different, however nonetheless scrumptious.
That’s fairly regular with baked rice. For much less crispiness, cowl extra tightly or stir midway by way of 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 way of. For bigger parts, cowl with foil and reheat in a 325°F oven for 15 to twenty minutes.
Freeze: This dish might 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.
