No‑fuss dinner delight: Effortless roasted chicken & rice
Some days, cooking dinner is the last thing you want to do. But you still need to eat—preferably something that doesn't require standing over pots and yet tastes amazing. Enter roasted chicken over rice—a dish from the "throw everything into a dish and forget it until the smell calls you" category. Juicy meat, aromatic rice, and a golden crust—all baked together without stirring or unnecessary fuss.
You walk into the kitchen, check the clock, and in half an hour, someone will start asking what's for dinner. Sound familiar? In such moments, I rely on my tried-and-true method: roasted chicken over rice. There's no stirring, sautéing, or cooking the rice separately. I just layer everything in one dish, put it in the oven, and... forget about it for an hour. When I take it out, I have a meal like a Sunday dinner—juicy meat, aromatic rice, and a golden crust. All ready without stress or a mountain of dishes.
Recipe for chicken drumsticks with rice
Roasted chicken over rice is an ideal dish for those who are busy, hungry, and... tired of washing dishes. The ingredients are simple, the preparation is easy, and the taste is like a family dinner. The best part: everything is done in one dish with minimal involvement.
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
- 1 cup of long grain rice (e.g., basmati or jasmine),
- 2 cups of chicken broth (or water with a bouillon cube in emergencies),
- 4 chicken drumsticks (or thighs with bone and skin),
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter,
- 1 onion,
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika,
- Salt and pepper to taste,
- Oil for greasing the dish.
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil the baking dish. Pour the dry, unwashed rice at the bottom, add finely diced onion and pressed garlic, then pour in the broth. Season with salt and pepper, and mix.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika, brush with melted butter, and place on top of the rice, skin side up. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
- After this time, remove the foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the chicken browns and the rice absorbs all the liquid.
- Let the dish sit for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve with a napa cabbage salad, though other slaws work well too.
Why you don't need to cook the rice before
This question comes up often—and rightfully so. But that's precisely the magic of this recipe. The raw rice cooks directly in the oven, absorbing not only the broth but also the juices from the meat and spices. As a result, it's not bland—like after typical boiling in water—but full of deep flavor. Moreover, the rice doesn't overcook because the liquid is perfectly measured. Just don't rinse it, so it retains a slight stickiness and helps bind everything into a pleasant, soft structure. It's a method that saves time and guarantees an aromatic result effortlessly.
