Crispy chicken bakes over a bed of tomato basil rice in this One Pan Tomato Basil Chicken & Rice. Dinner is ready in 45 minutes! All made in one pan and so easy to prepare, you won’t believe it when it’s done. No rice cookers and no extra pans needed!
Tomato Basil Chicken & Rice has the most popular vote for dinner in my house!
Back up a second. Let me rephrase. Chicken SO crispy on the outside; tender and falling apart on the inside; tomato, basil rice with so much flavour and cooked in so.much.sauce. Chicken broth, tomato juices and chicken flavours, mixed through with chopped tomatoes, fresh basil leaves AND the addition of sun dried tomatoes if you so desire.
Easy ✔️
Delicious ✔️
One-pan ✔️
CHECK.
This Italian inspired recipe comes from this One Pot Italian Chicken and Rice recipe from so long ago. Do you remember it?
I was all set to remake and reshoot it to fix up those photos, when I decided to give you an even BETTER version of it. Times a thousand.
I have no doubt in my mind you will fall in love with THIS ONE more than THAT ONE.
Fist, you’re going to sear your chicken thighs (or you can use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts).
THEN, you’re going to follow the recipe exactly as it’s written, because it has the perfect rice to liquid ratio when using crushed tomatoes.
Chicken thighs are crisp-tender and juicy, cooked WITH the rice in one pan to minimise cleanup! You are SO welcome!
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- 6 chicken thighs , skin on, bone in
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic , chopped
- 1 onion , diced
- 1 red bell pepper / capsicum , deseeded and chopped
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomato strips in oil , chopped (optional: but adds flavour)
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice , rinsed (arborio rice may also be used for a risotto-like consistency)
- 1 x 14.5 ounce (400g) tin crushed tomatoes, with liquid
- 1 1/3 cups chicken broth (or chicken stock)
- 1-2 teaspoons salt (adjust to your taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper , (adjust to your taste)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves , chopped
- extra chopped fresh basil (to serve)
- Preheat oven to 200°c | 400°F. Heat the oil in a large, deep ovenproof cast iron skillet/or pan. Add the chicken, skin side down; sear for 3-4 mins on medium-high heat. Turn each thigh and sear until golden all over. Transfer the chicken onto a warm plate.
- Add the garlic; fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the onion and red peppers / capsicum; fry for about 3 minutes or until and onion is transparent. Stir in the sun dried tomatoes, rice, crushed tomatoes and chicken broth (stock). Season with salt, pepper and dried basil. Bring to a simmer and allow the rice to soak up all the tomato flavours.
- Place chicken thighs, skin side up, over rice. Bring to the boil; rotate the chicken in the tomato sauce to coat; cover with foil; transfer to preheated oven and allow to bake for about 40 minutes, or until the rice has softened and absorbed the liquid and the chicken is cooked through. Stir through an extra 1/4 cup of water to the rice ONLY if needed (if rice hasn't cooked fully).
- Remove cover; change oven settings to broil / grill on medium heat for a further 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is crispy and golden.
- Season with extra salt to taste; sprinkle with freshly chopped basil to serve.
*I have re-edited the recipe to fit normal large-sized skillets. Feel free to double the recipe and pour into a baking dish if needing extra rice or extra serves.
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Marki says
I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious. I didn’t have a cast iron so I made everything on the stove top as directed but then transferred to a 9×13 Pyrex to stick in the oven. I kept all the baking directions the same and it turned out wonderful. Just had an extra dish to wash. Also the basil at the end is necessary for peak deliciousness. I added extra garlic because I also do lol.
Steve says
I used a 24 oz can of peeled tomatoes (with liquid) and 2 cups of rice, came out perfect!
Abhilasha says
Hi, i had query infact. My microwave is not working. So what should i do with the oven part. How can i furthr cook on gas or stove??
Karina says
I’m so happy to hear that Celia! Thank you so much for stopping by to share your feedback!
Celia says
Made this for dinner tonight and loved it! I was a little worried the rice wouldn’t be cooked because I used brown Basmati rice (I thought I was buying white), but it turned out perfectly, I also used diced tomatoes instead of crushed and didn’t have any fresh basil to add, but it was still delicious. Thanks for posting!
Linda says
I don’t have a cast iron skillet. Could I make this on the stovetop, then tip it into a pyrex glass casserole dish & cook it in the oven? Would I cook it for the same length of time?
Tanya says
How to make in a crockpot?
Charlotte says
I made this a few days ago using fresh tomato puree and a bit of tomato paste. It was delicious and full of vibrant flavours! Will definitely make it again.
Andra says
This was the first time I made this dish and it turned out excellent! The only thing is make sure there’s enough liquid for the rice so that none of it will be crunchy.
Meghan says
Had this tonight for dinner. Very simple recipe that made a very tasteful and satisfying dish. Will definitely have again. Only thing we did differently, was excluded the peas. Yummy!!!
Doug Resar says
excellent recipe added a big splash of white wine when I sauted the onion and red pepper also added mushrooms great recipe
Alex says
This dish is really good. I’m a guy who can’t cook but I followed the recipe as close as possible. If you like tomato flavors, then you will like this dish a lot.
sandy says
just made this tonight and it is so so YUMMY!
easy and quick and just perfect for the fall weather that has come suddenly in vancouver!
make sure to add the sun-dried tomatoes, they are so flavourful in this dish!
Karina says
Hi Tamela! No I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker, but I will now!
Tamela says
Can’t wait to try this. Making it tonight. One question…for future, have you tried this in a slow cooker? Does it turn out?
Di says
Had this for tea tonight. Amazing! Will definitely be making a weekly appearance at my house. Thank you for the recipe 😀
Karina says
Laura! Mine is 15-inch! Ah I’m so sorry I should have included that in the recipe. I’m glad you liked it though!
Laura Haines says
I made this over the weekend, and I’m curious what size skillet you used. I have a 12″ cast iron skillet and it was full to the top before I added the chicken back in. I had to split it out, and put part into a 9×9 Pyrex baking dish to make it all fit without overflowing.
Otherwise, it was a delicious dish and I’d make it again, for sure!
David Lee says
Making this dish tonight! Looks tasty.
karen Crossan says
This sounds yummy!