One Pan Chicken & Garlicky Rice
Jan 30, 2026
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This one pan chicken and garlicky rice is everything I love in a meal. It’s made with a handful of simple ingredients, fills the house with the most comforting smell while it cooks, and gives you leftovers that can be turned into something else the next day. It’s unfussy cooking at its best, making it the perfect mid-week meal!
Why you’ll love this one pan chicken & rice!
I love a quick and easy mid-week chicken dinner from my crispy breaded crumbed chicken to my chicken breast in a creamy mushroom sauce. But I truly love this one pan chicken and rice for how simple it is. The chicken only needs olive oil and salt and pepper and it all roasts in the same pan (yes, this includes the rice).
What really makes this dish shine, though, is the rice. Once the chicken has finished roasting, we take all those gorgeous pan drippings (the olive oil, the golden bits left behind in the tray, and a whole bulb of roasted garlic that’s turned soft and jammy) and use them to cook the rice. It soaks up every bit of flavour and turns into the most comforting, garlicky rice you’ll ever make.
This is a true shove it in the oven and walk away kind of recipe. My favourite kind for busy weeknights. While it roasts, I’m usually tidying the house or bathing my daughters. It’s easy, comforting, and always hits the spot. And if you have any leftovers, toss the chicken through a comforting bowl of pastina and save the carcass to make homemade chicken broth.
Ingredients for One Pan Chicken & Rice
This one pan chicken and rice uses a handful of simple ingredients. All you need is olive oil, salt and pepper for the perfect roast chicken.
- Rice – I like to use a long-grain rice such as basmati or jasmine. They stay fluffy and separate as they cook, while still soaking up all those gorgeous pan drippings and roasted garlic without turning mushy.
- Whole chicken – Using a whole chicken gives you the best of everything: juicy meat, crispy skin, rich pan juices for the rice, and bones that can be turned into homemade stock. It’s economical, deeply flavourful, and means nothing goes to waste.
- Garlic bulb – The garlic bulb is shoved into the cavity of the chicken and then roasts until soft and jammy. It gets stirred through the rice for a deep, garlicky flavour
- Chicken stock – Use a good quality chicken stock to cook the rice in! It will flavour it beautifully. You could also use vegetable or beef broth.
A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card below.
How TO Make One Pan Chicken & Garlicky rice
This is an incredibly easy, low-effort recipe that mostly takes care of itself in the oven. Using a roasting tray is essential for achieving that beautifully crispy chicken skin while capturing all the pan drippings needed to flavour the rice.
Step 1: Stuff & truss chicken: Pat the chicken dry and season well with salt. Using a sharp knife, slice the top off the garlic bulb, about 2–3 cm down from the top, to expose the cloves, then place in the cavity of the chicken with the lemon and fresh herbs. Tie the legs of the chicken together with kitchen string as this will help the chicken cook evenly.
Step 2: Roast chicken: Transfer the chicken to a baking tray with a wire rack. Season the chicken with pepper and drizzle olive oil all over. Massage into the skin. Bake for 1hr 20mins or until the chicken is cooked through and golden all over.
Step 3: Bake rice: Transfer the chicken from the baking tray to a chopping board and remove the lemon and garlic from the cavity. Squeeze the garlic cloves and lemon juice into the baking tray. Add the rice and chicken stock to the baking tray and stir through to combine all ingredients. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
Step 4: Serve: Carve the chicken and serve with the rice and tzatziki.
Tips & Tricks
- Brine. Salt your chicken at least an hour if not the night before and leave uncovered in the fridge as this will act as a dry brine and leave you with moist and juicy meat
- Room temp. Take the chicken out of the fridge at least 30 mins before roasting it so it cooks evenly
- Pat dry. Remove as much moisture from the chicken as possible by patting the skin dry with paper towels
- Stuff the cavity. Anything you stuff into the cavity of the chicken will seep into the pan while cooking and create the most delicious jus. You can stuff it with anything you like from citrus and garlic to herbs and vegetables.
- Season generously. The more seasoning the better but this doesn’t mean you have to use a variety of seasoning! Just Olive oil, salt and pepper can create the most delicious chicken you will ever eat.
- Truss – tie up the legs of the chicken. Not only will this help the chicken cook more evenly, it will also lift the thigh meat off the bottom of the pan and help create a golden skin.
- Leave to rest. Allowing the meat to rest will allow all of that flavour to combine and for the juices to be redistributed across the meat – resting meat is very important and it needs to be done for at least 10 minutes.
- Use a roasting tray rather than a casserole dish to help the chicken skin crisp up properly.
FAQ’s
Yes, chicken thighs or marylands work well, but you’ll miss out on some of the rich pan juices and bones that add extra flavour to the rice and leftovers. You will also need to adjust your cook time to 45 minutes at 200°C / 400°F.
Long-grain rice such as basmati or jasmine is best, as it stays fluffy while absorbing all the pan drippings and roasted garlic.
Yes, both the chicken and rice reheat well, making this a great option for meal prep or busy weeknights.
Use a roasting tray, pat the chicken dry before seasoning, and avoid covering it while roasting so the skin can crisp properly.
How To Serve
This one pan chicken and rice is perfect just as it is but you can find some of my favourite serving options below:
- Serve with a homemade sauce such as my homemade garlic butter, cowboy butter, olive oil mayonnaise or some tzatziki.
- Pair with a light and green salad such a tabouli or a creamy cucumber salad.
- Serve with some vegetables on the side such as garlicky green beans or hot honey roasted carrots.
How To Store
- Allow the chicken and rice to cool completely before storing
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Reheat the rice in the microwave or add to an air fryer to get extra crispy. I like to toss crispy rice through my salads!
- Store the chicken carcuss in a ziplock bag in the freezer for when you want to make homemade chicken stock.
- Toss any leftover chicken meat through soups, stews or even pasta sauces!
More Mid-week Chicken Dinners!
If you make this one pan chicken and garlicky rice, please tag me on Instagram, Tik Tok or Pinterest so I can see your wonderful creations from Daen’s Kitchen!
If you have any questions or would like to leave a review, please do so here! I always love answering your food and recipe related questions and hearing your feedback on my recipes.
One Pan Chicken & Garlicky Rice
Ingredients
Chicken & Rice
- 3.3 lbs whole chicken
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 garlic bulb
- 4 sprigs parsley, optional
- 9 oz long grain rice
- 17 oz chicken broth
- salt and pepper
Tzatziki
- 1 cup plain Greek Yoghurt
- 1 cucumber, grated
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 tbsp dill, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Chicken & Rice
- Prep chicken: Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towel and generously season with kosher salt all over, not forgetting the cavity. If time allows, place the chicken into the fridge uncovered over night. This step acts like a dry brine for juicy chicken results.
- Bring chicken to room temp: When ready to roast, remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes prior to take the fridge chill off.
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 355°F / 180°C.
- Stuff & truss chicken: Using a sharp knife, slice the top off the garlic bulb, about 2–3 cm down from the top, to expose the cloves, then place in the cavity of the chicken with the lemon and fresh herbs. Tie the legs of the chicken together with kitchen string as this will help the chicken cook evenly.
- Roast chicken: Transfer the chicken to a baking tray with a wire rack. Season the chicken with pepper and drizzle olive oil all over. Massage into the skin. Bake for 1hr 20mins or until the chicken is cooked through and golden all over.
- Bake rice: Transfer the chicken from the baking tray to a chopping board and remove the lemon and garlic from the cavity. Squeeze the garlic cloves and lemon juice into the baking tray. Add the rice and chicken stock to the baking tray and stir through to combine all ingredients. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
- Serve: Carve the chicken and serve with the rice and tzatziki.
Tzatziki
- Squeeze cucumber: Grate the cucumber and place into a tea towel. Give it a big squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Mix: Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Video
Notes
- Brine. Salt your chicken at least an hour if not the night before and leave uncovered in the fridge as this will act as a dry brine and leave you with moist and juicy meat
- Room temp. Take the chicken out of the fridge at least 30 mins before roasting it so it cooks evenly
- Pat dry. Remove as much moisture from the chicken as possible by patting the skin dry with paper towels
- Stuff the cavity. Anything you stuff into the cavity of the chicken will seep into the pan while cooking and create the most delicious jus. You can stuff it with anything you like from citrus and garlic to herbs and vegetables.
- Season generously. The more seasoning the better but this doesn’t mean you have to use a variety of seasoning! Just Olive oil, salt and pepper can create the most delicious chicken you will ever eat.
- Truss – tie up the legs of the chicken. Not only will this help the chicken cook more evenly, it will also lift the thigh meat off the bottom of the pan and help create a golden skin.
- Leave to rest. Allowing the meat to rest will allow all of that flavour to combine and for the juices to be redistributed across the meat – resting meat is very important and it needs to be done for at least 10 minutes.
- Use a roasting tray rather than a casserole dish to help the chicken skin crisp up properly.
- I like to use a long-grain rice such as basmati or jasmine. They stay fluffy and separate as they cook, while still soaking up all those gorgeous pan drippings and roasted garlic without turning mushy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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