No Peek Chicken & Rice
This 1-dish chicken recipe is my kind of meal! It’s meaty, saucy, loaded with veggies, and there’s plenty of rice to go around, too. Called No Peek Chicken & Rice, you bake it all in a foil-covered 9×13-inch dish – it’s a whole meal in one casserole dish!
I love recipes like this No Peek Chicken & Rice dish. There’s plenty of flavor and not a lot of prep, and because you bake it all in a 9×13-inch baking dish, there’s also not a lot of cleanup.
No Peek Chicken and Rice
I use big, meaty, boneless and skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. They cook quickly and evenly when they’re boneless, and without the skin, they don’t give off a lot of fat. And when you uncover the dish, remember no peeking, it’s hot, tasty, creamy, cheesy, and loaded with flavor.
Read more: No Peek Chicken & Rice
Everything you could want in a meal is in this dish: rice, veggies, and of course, chicken. If you want to serve more with it, be sure to see my suggestions below, or just save room for dessert.
On the table in about an hour, prep this dish then sit back and let the oven do the cooking. Before long, you’ll be ready for an amazing chicken and rice recipe that’s super simple and super delicious!
Why I love this recipe
- It’s really easy to put together. You brown the chicken in a skillet first, but after that, everything goes into the baking dish and cooks in the oven.
- This No Peek Chicken recipe is meaty, cheesy, saucy, and has plenty of veggies and rice – it’s a complete meal!
- It’s an affordable dish, especially if you buy the chicken thighs on sale. Or, buy them bone-in and skin-on and butcher them yourself.
Gather these ingredients
- Olive oil – Or another cooking oil like canola or vegetable.
- Chicken thighs – Look for boneless and skinless, or butcher them yourself.
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Sweet onion – Diced.
- Carrots – Diced
- Celery – Diced.
- Garlic – Fresh cloves, minced.
- Fresh thyme
- Basmati rice
- Chicken broth
- Heavy whipping cream
- Parmesan cheese – Shredded.
- Gouda – Shredded.
- Fresh parsley – Optional garnish
How to make a 9×13 of No Peek Chicken & Rice
- Preheat your oven to 350-F, spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
- Lay the chicken thighs in a single layer on a cutting board.
- Combine the paprika, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle this evenly over both sides of the chicken.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on each side for 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking dish. It’ll continue cooking in the oven.
- Add the diced onion, carrots and celery to the same skillet you browned the chicken in and cook over medium-high heat until the veggies are tender, about 6 minutes.
- Reduce the heat, add the garlic and thyme, and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, Gouda and basmati rice to the skillet with the vegetables and mix. On medium-high heat cook, stirring the sauce, for about 5 minutes, then simmer for another 5-7 minutes to thicken the sauce. Then, pour this mixture over the chicken in the baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the foil, top with chopped parsley, and serve!
Tips & substitutions
- This recipe was tested with basmati rice. You can use other kinds of rice, but cooking times may vary.
- You can use bone-in chicken thighs but it’ll take longer to cook. Always cook your chicken to an internal temperature of 165-F.
- Switch out the cheeses! Other good picks include pepper Jack if you like a bit of spice, mozzarella for super creamy rice, or cheddar if you like it a bit sharper.
- Make sure and use “heavy whipping cream” so the sauce thickens!
- You can pop the dish under the broiler for a 1-2 minutes after removing the foil, to brown up the chicken a bit.
Serving suggestions
This is basically a 1-dish meal, so you don’t need to serve much with it. Sometimes, I’ll serve it with cut-up veggies and a great dip or a fresh and fabulous salad.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Check out these awesome chicken recipes while you’re here
- Sticky Coconut Chicken & Rice
- Bruschetta Chicken Bake
- Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
- Last Minute Chicken Recipe
Get the Recipe:
No Peek Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz. heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup shredded Gouda cheese
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
Equipment
- 9×13 glass baking dish (I use my Pyrex baking dishes all the time)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Lay the chicken thighs out on a large cutting board.
- Combine paprika, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Whisk together and sprinkle over both sides of the chicken.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute the chicken over medium high heat, for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan (it’s okay if the chicken is not cooked completely through, it will continue cooking with the rice), and place the chicken in the 9×13 baking dish.
- In the same hot skillet, add the diced onion, carrots, and celery (mirepoix). Cook until the veggies are softened, for 6 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and thyme, cooking for 1 minute.
- Making the sauce: Next pour in the chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, Gouda cheese, and the basmati rice and stir. On medium-high heat cook, stirring the sauce, for about 5 minutes, then simmer for another 5-7 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken thighs in the 9×13 baking dish.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the chicken is cooked through. Remove the foil; garnish with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!
- Optional to broil for 1-2 minutes after removing the foil, to brown the chicken.
- Serve and enjoy!
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
This is a scrumptious one-dish meal! Thanks for sharing.
Looks so yummy 😋 could you use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Yes you can use chicken breasts (make sure they aren’t too thick, so they cook through). You can always slice them in half :)