If you love fried rice, you’re going to adore this one pot Chinese Chicken and Rice recipe! This is basically fried rice that’s been made in the oven – except you haven’t had to plan ahead to make sure you have day old rice – PLUS a Chinese marinated chicken that’s all made in ONE pan!
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love fried rice, especially Chinese chicken fried rice! It’s a universal food language that spans the world – from carnivores to vegetarians, and even vegans. This has to be one of my favorite Chinese chicken recipes. It’s a new twist on your chicken and rice casserole recipes!
I think the only people who avoid fried rice like the plague are those on a low carb diet – and that’s because it’s SO DARN TASTY it’s impossible just to have one mouthful. Am I right, or am I right?
YOU DON’T NEED DAY OLD RICE FOR THIS!
Fried rice is such a super convenient quick meal that can be made with almost anything but I think the thing that stops people from making it more often is because they don’t have day old rice on hand. You can cook it fresh but then it needs to be spread out on a tray and refrigerated to cool it down and dry it out – then all of a sudden fried rice is no longer the quick and easy meal that it should be.
Also, fried rice in itself tends not to be a one-pot-complete meal. It’s rice heavy, and light on the veggies, like Chinese lemon chicken.
While Baked Chinese Chicken and Rice recipes are also still a bit light on vegetables for my taste and I’d probably serve it with a side of steamed Chinese greens, this has more vegetables in it than most. You may enjoy some Chinese chicken dishes that have more veggies, such as Chinese Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry.
Can you cook rice with chicken broth?
You sure can! In this recipe, we use chicken stock or chicken broth. I love how the juices of the chicken drips into the rice as it bakes, flavouring the rice even more. The rice is gorgeously fluffy, not mushy and overcooked, and I think you’re going to be amazed how similar it tastes to fried rice!! It may just be one of the best chicken and rice casserole you’ve had!
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade:
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs halved
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine or Mirin or dry sherry
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
Rice:
- 1 ½ cups uncooked white rice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 green onions whites only
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups frozen diced vegetables thawed
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry or Mirin or cooking sake
- 1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock or chicken broth (low sodium)
- 1 ½ cups hot water
Garnish:
- sliced scallions
Instructions
- Mix Chicken and Marinade in a bowl. Set aside for at least 20 minutes, up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Place rice ingredients, including oil, soy sauce, cooking wine, stock, and water, in a medium pot and bring to a boil.
- Pour liquid into a 9×13 pan and add the rice and vegetables spreading them out evenly.
- Remove chicken pieces from the marinade (reserving marinade) and place on top – chicken will be partially submerged in the liquid.
- Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove foil, baste the chicken with remaining Marinade (dab it on generously), spray chicken with oil then bake for a further 20 minutes until chicken is caramalized, the liquid is absorbed
- and rice is fluffy. If you want more caramelization on the chicken, flick the broiler on for a few minutes.
- Set aside for 10 minutes before fluffing rice then serving, garnished with scallions if using.
Recipe Notes
- If you want to use chicken breast, put rice in oven without chicken. Then when you remove the foil, add the chicken breast on top of the rice at that stage.
