Name: Curry Chicken Rice Bake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 4 tbs butter; 3 cloves garlic, (minced); 1 tbs finely chopped or minced ginger; 6 boneless skin-on chicken thighs ((see note below about chicken)); 1 1/2 tsp curry powder; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 3/4 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp paprika; 2 cups long-grain rice, (rinsed and drained); 1/2 head cauliflower, (cut into small chunks); 2 cups chicken broth; 1 cup coconut milk; 1 tbs fish sauce

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This curry chicken rice bake is incredibly delicious and comforting! All you need is one pan, which means easy prep, easy cooking, and easy clean-up! You are going to love this oven-to-table meal!

This dish is a combination of some of my favorite things…

…tender chicken…

…moist flavorful rice…

…and curry.

All cooked up in one pan, no muss, no fuss…

…using ingredients that are simple and that you probably already have on-hand.

Seriously, you can’t get better than this!

This curry chicken rice bake is so good, so comforting, and SO SIMPLE, and it’s an oven-to-table meal you’re going to love!

As Simple as 1, 2, 3

This meal involves at 3 rounds in the oven, but fear not! Even steps that would normally be done on the stovetop, like sauteing minced and ginger in butter in a skillet, are all achieved in one pan in the oven.

All you do is add the butter, garlic, and ginger to the baking dish and stick it in the oven for 5 minutes. In those 5 minutes, the oven heat will melt the butter, and the garlic and ginger will cook just enough to become fragrant…exactly what you want. And you don’t even need to watch it.

Then comes the layer of rice, cauliflower, and a mixture of chicken broth, coconut milk, and fish sauce. These layers get baked first, to get the rice and cauliflower cooked partway before adding in the chicken.

The Chicken

After the rice and cauliflower have had 30 minutes in the oven, it’s time to add the chicken. I use boneless skin-on chicken thighs in this recipe, but you can also use chicken breasts or bone-in chicken. Bone-in pieces require a longer cooking time and should be seasoned and added to the pan at the same time as the rice and cauliflower.

Before adding the chicken to the baking dish, I season the bottom of the chicken with a curry spice blend of curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. It’s a very simple but tasty blend of seasonings that seeps into the rice as the chicken cooks.

I lay the chicken, seasoned underside down, on top of the rice and cauliflower and season the top of the chicken, making sure to also sprinkle some of the seasoning between the pieces. The oven temperature is increased and the baking dish goes back in the oven, uncovered, to finish cooking the entire dish. Letting the chicken cook uncovered allows the dry spices on the chicken skin and the rice on the edge of the pan to crisp up.

Oven-To-Table Ease

It is incredibly satisfying to bring a delicious meal like this curry chicken rice bake to the table straight from the oven. You’ve got everything you need for your meal, right there in one dish, making preparing and clean-up very low stress, if not stress-free.

With the addition of curry, it gives this chicken rice bake an Asian twist, which is a nice change to typical chicken rice bake dishes. You could certainly skip the curry powder, but I, personally, love the flavor you get from those spices and it really takes the dish up a notch.

If you’re looking for another one-pan meal, considering my One-Pan Roast Chicken and Kale which is all meat and vegetables and equally as satisfying. If you insist on serving up something to go with this one-pan meal, try serving it Cold Spicy Cucumber Bites or a fresh leafy side salad. Even having a few fresh cucumber slices is a to serve alongside the dish is a perfect light and fresh touch to balance the meal.

Super tender chicken with a slightly crispy skin, on top of a layer of tender cauliflower and perfectly cooked rice…all laced with a beautiful curry coconut flavor…it will, undoubtedly, be one of the best…and easiest…one-pan meals you’ll serve up!

~ Lisa.