Baked Chicken Legs and Rice
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Baked Chicken Legs and Rice are loaded with flavor and perfect for a cozy supper. This recipe uses simple, real food ingredients, requires just 10 minutes of prep, and bakes away. Easy clean-up, no pot-minding needed!
What busy home cook doesn’t love a dinner that effectively bakes itself? This easy baked chicken legs and rice recipe is a go-to for so many occasions: cozy weekend suppers, picnics, and any time we’re hosting, because it’s so nice to have all the work done well before dinner is served.
The concept of roasting or baking chicken alongside a grain or vegetable is one we’ve loved ever since living in Belgium several years ago, where a much-loved local food truck served rotisserie chickens with potatoes. The chicken was delicious, but the potatoes were the true star, because they were cooked under the chicken spits, thereby absorbing the delicious juices all day long.
This recipe takes that same basic concept and applies it to rice, a friendly and accessible grain if ever one was. We’ll nestle spice-rubbed chicken drumsticks right into the rice and bake everything in one pan. The end result? The best of both convenience and flavor.
Ingredients & Common Substitutions
Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need to make baked chicken legs and rice, as well as possible substitutions:
- Chicken: This recipe is designed for bone-in, skin-on drumsticks, which cook perfectly alongside the rice.
- Uncooked rice: Use white long grain rice; this recipe is designed to cook the rice low and slow right alongside the chicken, so minute or another type of microwaveable rice will not work. Basmati rice does work well. I have not tested it yet with brown rice, but you would almost certainly need more liquid and cooking time, which may compromise the chicken.
- Olive oil and butter: For flavor, richness, and browning of the chicken.
- Onion and garlic: Aromatics are always a win! For a sweeter take, try using shallot in place of or in addition to the onion. Fresh garlic is best for mixing in with the onion, but you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder if needed.
- Chicken broth and water: Use low-sodium broth to avoid an overly salty casserole. You can also use all water; this will simply impart less flavor into the rice.
- Seasoning: Coat the chicken with a rub of brown sugar, smoked paprika, dried thyme and oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. This delivers incredible flavor! You can use fresh thyme and oregano, but dried herbs work best here for rubbing concentrated flavor into the chicken.
I don’t have drumsticks! Can I use chicken breasts or thighs?
This recipe works identically with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; they make a wonderful substitute for drumsticks. Unfortunately, boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs will bake more quickly, so the timing will be off — the chicken will be done considerably before the rice. I recommend drumsticks or bone-in thighs for best results.
If you must make it with boneless meat, use a meat thermometer to check the chicken periodically for doneness (it should hit 165 degrees inside) and remove it when cooked through, then allow the rice to finish cooking, fluff, and serve.
How To Make One Pan Chicken and Rice
This recipe does require a small amount of prep on the stovetop before combining everything in the baking pan. It’s well worth it for two reasons: a quick sauté yields more tender, flavorful aromatics, and pre-boiling the liquid gives the rice a head start so it can cook in a reasonable amount of time.
Begin by combining the brown sugar, spices, and olive oil into a thin paste. Rub that mixture into the drumsticks and set them aside.
Now grab a small or medium saucepan and briefly cook the onions and garlic, then scrape those out into a large rectangular baking pan.
Add uncooked rice and salt to the onions and stir.
Now, using the same saucepan in which you cooked the onions, boil 2 cups of liquid. I like to use a mix of broth and water, but you can adjust this to taste, as long as there are 2 cups total. As soon as the liquid boils, pour it over the rice in the baking dish.
Now place the spiced drumsticks on top. Place a few lemon wedges around the chicken for added flavor.
How long to bake drumsticks at 350 degrees
These will need to bake for 30 minutes covered – you can just use aluminum foil tightly wrapped over the pan – and 20 more minutes uncovered. After this, the chicken will be perfectly moist, with a slightly crisp exterior where the spice rub worked its magic, and the rice will be nice and tender and ready to fluff.
Remove the chicken to a plate, then gently stir the rice with a fork. This will loosen the grains and also incorporate the pieces of onion, which tend to rise to the top as the dish bakes.
A sprinkle of parsley and extra lemon wedges add a pop of color and freshness. Serve and enjoy!
Can you overcook drumsticks?
It is always technically possible to overcook meat, but the naturally dark meat of chicken drumsticks and thighs tends to stay tender and juicy even if you accidentally leave them on heat too long. What’s more, chicken legs are among a whole chicken’s most tender and flavorful parts, thanks to the large bone at the center, so they are particularly forgiving.
Can you cook raw chicken with rice?
Yes, absolutely! As long as the chicken reaches the recommended internal temperature of 165 degrees F, it is perfectly safe to eat both the poultry and rice that cooks in the same pan.
This is true for any other grain or vegetable you would like to cook with the chicken, as well, and is the same principle and technique used in many recipes for a whole roasted chicken cooked over a bed of potatoes and carrots. One pot dinner for the win!
What is the best ratio of rice to chicken?
For average consumers, an ideal ratio is between 6-8 drumsticks per 1 cup of uncooked rice. I have experimented with more rice, and wound up with comical amounts of rice leftover long after the delicious chicken was gobbled up!
Serving Suggestions
Pair this cozy casserole with a simple Italian or arugula salad, or veggies such as steamed or roasted green beans, roasted asparagus, or broccolini for a complete and soul-warming dinner.
Storage, Reheating, and Freezing
This chicken and rice keeps and reheats exceptionally well, so it’s terrific for meal prep or lunch planning purposes. Leftovers always disappear!
- Store individual portions or a larger amount tightly-covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, then reheat on 50% power in the microwave until warmed through.
- You can also freeze portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge if possible, then microwave until warm, again on 50% power.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
Love dark meat? Try these lemon chicken thighs or sheet-pan peanut chicken thighs next. Prefer an easy skillet with quick-cooking chicken breasts? Creamy Tuscan chicken, lemon rosemary chicken, and lemon chicken pasta are three of our favorites.
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Baked Chicken Legs and Rice
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 15-20 cranks fresh-ground black pepper
- 6-8 chicken drumsticks
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup uncooked white rice see note
- 1 and 1/3 cups chicken broth low-sodium preferred
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- fresh parsley or thyme optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine olive oil, brown sugar, paprika, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, and mix into a thin paste. Spoon this mixture over the drumsticks and gently rub in to coat. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, just until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant, then scrape the onion and garlic mixture out into a 8”x10” or 9”x13” baking dish. Add rice and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to the baking dish and stir well.
- Add broth and water to the same saucepan you used for the onion. Bring these to a boil, then pour the hot liquid directly over the rice and stir it in.
- Arrange drumsticks on top of the rice, along with about half of the lemon wedges. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken fully cooked.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 2-3 minutes. Remove the drumsticks and lemons to a plate, then use a fork to gently fluff up the rice. Garnish with extra lemon wedges and a few sprigs of parsley or thyme, if desired, and serve.
Notes
- For Better Browning: If desired, broil for 2-3 minutes at the end of the baking time to brown the chicken more deeply, but watch carefully so that nothing blackens or burns.
- Rice: Do not substitute brown rice for the white: it requires a much longer cook time and will not be at all tender when the chicken is ready to go.
Not sure how this recipe got such high ratings… it was horrible! I ended up throwing it away. We Doctored up the rice with some lemon pepper and put bbq sauce on the chicken to try to help but that taste is still in my mouth!
Love this recipe!! I altered 2 things. I multiplied the recipe by 2.5 because of the amount of people in my family. (Did 2.5 cups of dry rice, 5 cups of liquid, and 15 drumsticks) and translated everything else in turn. I also amended some ingredients to make this recipe as no sodium as possible for my spouse who has Menieres Disease. It worked out perfectly!!
I will note: i was nervous at first when I put the drum sticks on top of the rice because there was so much liquid content, but everything turned out fine!! As long as you get that foil on there extremely tightly and make sure the liquid is BOILING-boiling before pouring it in, everything will come together.
Another note: I did set my oven to 375 rather than 350 because of a comment I saw on here. That was a good tip.
Thanks for this great recipe! My mom used to make something similar when I was a kid. She used Minute Rice and cream of chicken soup with a little bit of milk. But cream of chicken has too much sodium for my spouse so I used uncooked rice and used this recipe instead. It worked great! Thank you.
Followed recipe exactly. Chicken was underdone.
Thank you for such a delicious and easy recipe. Just great !
I think that broiling for 1-2 minutes might give a perfect finish to both the chicken and the rice.
That’s a great idea for a slightly crisp finish!
Why don’t you list measurements? For example…how much rice?
The recipe calls for 1 cup of uncooked white rice, and spells out all of the other amounts in detail in the recipe card, which is right above the section where you left this comment. 🙂
This was just so delicious. I accidentally put my chicken legs in freezer so had to make with skinless boneless chicken thighs. They came out perfectly cooked, not dry or overdone. They were medium to large sized. Next time I will use chicken legs. Thank you for such a great recipe.
So happy this was a winner for you! Thank you for leaving this review!
I have made this recipe twice and it is absolutely a new favorite. Have followed the recipe closely with one difference and that is to cook it in a cast iron Dutch oven. Highly recommend!
I am so happy to hear it! Always love a Dutch oven, and I bet that really helps to keep it tightly sealed during the first part of the cook time. Great idea!
I prepare this dish this evening. I followed the directions to a T and it turned out really yummy. Husband loved the rice and onion mixture.
So happy it was a winner for you and your husband! <3
this was terrible. it waway undercooked and the rice was very hard. I had to cook everything for about an hour or more and still did not come out satisfactory. I would not recommend this recipe. I don’t know what went wrong. I followed it exactly as written. I’ll move on and try something different next time.
I’m sorry this turned out poorly for you. If the rice was very hard I suspect the pan was not tightly covered and the liquid evaporated too quickly as it baked, rather than being absorbed into the rice. I am updating the post to make even more clear how important this step is. I hope your next dinners have turned out more pleasing to you!
I followed the seasoning to the letter. Even spreading it under the skin. I found the chicken to be very bland and lacking any flavor.
Sorry you didn’t find this very flavorful! Do you often have this problem and are you sure your spices are fresh or at least fresh-ish? Cooking times and temps do vary but with this amount of seasoning per the amount of chicken it definitely should not be flavor-less. Even plain chicken with the skin on it tends to be pretty tasty when roasted!
Same thing happened to me. I had to cook this chicken an extra hour than what it required when I pulled it out the first time the chicken was still bloody so I’ll put it back in for another 20 minutes. Put it back out. Still bloody finally did another 20 minutes at 375 instead of 350 because we didn’t wanna eat dinner at midnight and it was finally done. They must have had some skinny ass chicken legs for this one.
Do you cook the rice before putting it in the oven or will it cook itsself? Will be trying this recipe tonight!
Put the rice in uncooked BUT do two things to help ensure that it cooks in the recommended amount of time – 1.) be sure the water is very hot when you pour it over the rice, and 2.) be sure the baking dish is really tightly sealed with foil as it bakes. Enjoy!
Hi, I’m wondering how this would freeze for giving the entire meal to a friend having surgery. If I want to do that, should I assemble and freeze uncooked, or assemble, cook and freeze, or do I need to cook, debone the chicken, and then freeze? Thanks!
What a sweet thing to do! I have not actually tried this as a freezer meal, so you’ll have to experiment a bit. Unfortunately I don’t think it would work to assemble and freeze uncooked, because the liquid/rice mixture probably would not defrost properly and could lead to gummy rice post-baking. You could gift the chicken legs seasoned and frozen, from which they could be baked straightaway. Gifting the whole dish assembled and cooked should work in theory, but you’ll want to get absolutely as much air as possible out of the freezing container to prevent the rice from turning gummy in that scenario as well. I’m sorry I don’t have one clear answer and would love to hear what you do and how it turns out in the end.
I *can* say that this chicken and dumplings is an outstanding gift from the kitchen, as is a big container of bolognese sauce or this carrot red pepper soup, both of which freeze and defrost really well and go terrifically with either pasta, obviously, or a big loaf of crusty bread.
I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong with this recipe. I have followed it to a t. The first time I made this it was very good but the rice was just a tiny bit crunchy. The second time I used brown rice but still followed everything else and the rice was so crunchy it was completely inedible. Not sure what I did but I probably won’t make it again.
Hi Mariah- I’m sorry you had a poor experience. Brown rice takes a LOT longer to cook than white rice under any circumstances, so that actually is a major change to the recipe and certainly would explain the poor result that time. If the first time your white rice was just a bit crunchy, it may have just needed another 5 minutes to absorb the cooking liquid.
I made this last week and it was awesome. My family kept coming back for more. No leftovers!!!!
I didn’t follow the drumstick seasoning exactly, I seasoned them more like rotisserie style. Cooking times were spot on in a 9 x 13 glass Pyrex dish. My 7 & 3 year old devoured this and they both asked for seconds!
I am so happy to hear that – rotisserie style seasoning sounds like a really delicious twist, too! Thank you for leaving this idea and review!
Very yummy ! Left out the brown sugar and added lemon pepper seasoning instead. Had to cook mine a little longer because my chicken legs weren’t defrosted all the way through. Everything was delicious even my 2.5 year old ate it and she is very picky when it comes to meat.
I followed the recipe to a T and it came out perfectly. Initially I felt like I was overseasoning the chicken but I realized it was necessary to also flavor the rice. I never leave comment unless they’re well-deserved. Keep up the great work!
I made this for dinner the other night, following the recipe exactly, and it was a huge hit. I used basmati rice because that’s what I had on hand, and it was perfect (I *might* add some sliced almonds to it next time). It took about 15 extra minutes in the oven for the chicken to reach the right internal temp, because the legs I used were a little chonky. The chicken was good, but the rice was so delicious, I was sorry there weren’t leftovers! When I make this again – and I will – I will most likely increase the rice, liquid, and other supporting ingredients by 50%. Last thing – who knew roasted lemon wedges would turn out to be one of my new favorite things? I’ll probably increase those too.
I love this recipe. I have added some frozen mixed vegetables to the onion while it is cooking to make this a truly 1 pot dish. I do not add brown sugar, but I do add some artificially sweetener. I also pour the rest of the seasoning on top of the chicken before I bake it. Thanks for this recipe!
I will not be making this again, at least not with the drumsticks. I think it would be better with either chicken breast or thighs, and I would leave out the brown sugar and add some spice to the chicken seasoning, maybe some lemon pepper. The rice part turned out delicious though.
It’s a great recipe although I changed a few things. I browned the chicken on a cast iron skillet on the stove to give the skin a crisp, bbq texture before adding it to baking dish, and then mixed the broth in that and the onion as well. I added wayyyyy more seasoning and did not add any sugar. It came out great!
Wasn’t a fan of this. My rice was still crunchy, chicken easy dry inside and soggy outside, a bit too sweet, flavors didn’t blend very good, the sweetness got into the rice and mixed with the lemon wasn’t that great. Would not fix again
I made this dish tonight and it was delicious! My 1 year old grandson liked it too! Thank you so much for sharing! I also added some addition onion & red pepper to the sauté.
This is delicious I will say they only thing I would change is add a little spice to it like cayenne or red pepper flakes just to give it a little extra flavor.
Delicious! My family loved it! An excellent way to prepare drumsticks.😋