Chicken and rice are a very common combination, so why not assemble it into a beautiful presentation that will impress your guests and is served in individual portions for each person? The chicken is so tender and juicy. The rice is creamy and soaks up the flavors of the chicken as well. Since chicken thighs will not dry out as they roast like chicken breast, it’s a great option to serve it with stuffing, baking long enough to allow the flavors to meld into a creamy goodness.
Debone the chicken thighs. Leave the skin on.
Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 3-5 min, or until onions are soft and translucent. Add carrots, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until soft, another 3-5 min. Add to rice. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Take 1/4 -1/3 cup of rice stuffing and form into a log. Place in the middle of the chicken thigh (season chicken with salt and pepper) and wrap around the rice.
If there is any rice left over, spread in the glass casserole dish.
I actually like to have a little extra rice, so I intentionally make more and spread it in an even layer under the chicken and then serve it on the side.
Place in an 8×8 inch casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 min. Uncover and bake about 15 more min, or until chicken skin is golden brown. If the chicken is cooked through and the skin is still not crispy, broil for a few minutes.
This is another recipe that can be made ahead of time; you know I love that:) Prep it completely, cover, refrigerate and bake when needed. Just let the casserole pan warm up a bit before you put it in the oven, at least half an hour; the chicken will cook faster and more evenly and you won’t run the risk of a shattered casserole dish. This is a great option for entertaining. You can even make it the day before! Your guests will be so impressed.
Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 3-5 min, or until onions are soft and translucent. Add carrots, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until soft, another 3-5 min.
Add the onion and carrot to rice. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
Take 1/4 -1/3 cup of rice stuffing and form into a log. Place in the middle of the chicken thigh (season chicken with salt and pepper) and wrap around the rice.
If there is any rice left over, spread in the glass casserole dish. I actually like to have a little extra rice, so I intentionally make more and spread it in an even layer under the chicken and then serve it on the side.
Place in an 8×8 inch casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 min.
Uncover and bake about 15 more minutes, or until chicken skin is golden brown. If the chicken is cooked through and the skin is still not crispy, broil for a few minutes.
Thank you, we really love it.
Yes, just omit the cheese, Judith.
Do you trim some of the fat off? I tried making it and it turned out real fatty.
Yes, Tanya, I trim off as much of the fat as possible. You’re right, chicken thighs are very fatty, so they need to be trimmed. I trim them for any recipe that I’m using.
Do they sell the chicken with bone removed?
I have never seen boneless chicken thighs sold. I always take it out myself with a pair a kitchen shears.
There is boneless skinless chicken thigh in stores. bjs, sams club, acme, Giant, I think every big supermarket has it where I live.
You need boneless, skin ON chicken thighs for this recipe.
This really delicious, my husband said “wow, this is packed with flavor”! :)) One thing is that my baking dish was full of liquid by the time chicken cooked, I drained it as much as I could and put it in the oven for another 20 min. Does this happen when you cook it? The rice underneath turned into risotto, which everybody loved. Thanks for the recipe, Olga!
The chicken thighs are very juicy, so there will be some liquid. Like you said, the rice turns into a risotto – we love it too.
I always trim as much fat from the meat and the skin as possible, so that helps quite a bit.
I cook the rice half way for this dish. That way, when it’s cooking with the chicken, it absorbs the juices and there’s not much excess liquid.
Going to try this today. Thank you!
This is VERY delicious, and convenient. I prep it the night before and just bake it the next day for dinner. We love it too that rice turns into risotto – so flavorful!! Thank you for sharing!!
So you dont cook the rice before, right? It cooks with the chicken….
It is soooooo delicious! just made it today… Thanks Olga once again for such great recipes!!!
I’m so happy to hear your comment, blueberry. It’s such a pleasure hearing that others enjoyed my recipes.
This looks so yummy! I was wondering can you make a print friendly thing please?
Olga I have some chicken thighs without skin do you think it will still work?
Thank you, Yanina! Always a pleasure meeting other people from Minsk:).
Hi Olga, i buy boneless-skinless chicken thighs. Will they be fine? Or will there be a big difference without the skin on top?
The skin keeps them really juicy and moist, Yuliya. You can use skinless thighs, if you’d like, though. I prefer to make these with the skin on.
recipe calls out for shredded cheese. Do you sprinkle on top? Or add to rice? What about mayo?
Mix the cheese and mayo along with the rest of the ingredients in the rice mixture. The mayo and the cheese do not go on top of the chicken.
Made this last night for dinner and my husband loved it! Thank you for the yummy recipe. Will make again in the future.
Thanks for the delicious recipe! What salad would go well with this dish? Thanks!
Do you add cheese at the end?
Olga i made Elegant Chicken and Rice Dinner last Friday and IT IS SOOOOO DELICIOUS! ONE OF MY FAVORITE RECIPES FOR SURE!
Thank you so much for such a great dish.
That’s great, Natalie! I’m so happy to hear that.
One of my favorites. Thanks for a great recipe! God bless you!