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If you’re craving comfort food that’s quick and full of flavor, this Basil Chicken with rice is the perfect choice. Crispy, golden chicken bakes right on top of a bed of tender tomato basil rice, creating a dish that’s hearty, fresh, and completely satisfying. Dinner is on the table in just 45 minutes, making it ideal for busy weeknights.
The best part? Everything cooks in one pan; no rice cookers or extra dishes required. This easy tomato basil chicken recipe has become a family favorite in my house, and I’m willing to bet it will earn a permanent spot in yours too.
What Makes This Recipe Work
This Basil Chicken dish is all about simplicity meeting flavor. The chicken turns out juicy on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside, while the rice soaks up all the tomato, basil, and garlic goodness. Cooking everything together in one pan means every bite is layered with flavor, from the savory chicken to the tender grains of rice.
It’s also a versatile dinner you’ll want to make again and again. Whether you’re after a comforting weeknight meal or something impressive to serve guests, this tomato basil chicken recipe delivers. Pair it with a side salad or enjoy it as is, either way, this easy take on basil chicken rice is a guaranteed win.
What Goes Into Basil Chicken
This Basil Chicken recipe comes together with simple pantry staples and fresh basil to give it that vibrant flavor.
- Chicken Thighs: Bone-in, skin-on thighs stay juicy while baking, and the crispy skin adds rich flavor to the rice beneath.
- Long Grain Rice: Rinsed before cooking, it absorbs all the savory juices, tomatoes, and herbs, making every bite full of flavor.
- Crushed Tomatoes: They create a saucy base that blends beautifully with basil, giving this meal its classic tomato basil chicken taste.
- Fresh Basil: Chopped basil leaves add brightness and freshness, turning the dish into a fragrant, herby basil chicken rice you’ll love.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients with measurements.
How To Make Basil Chicken
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat the oven to 200°C | 400°F. Heat olive oil in a large, deep ovenproof skillet or pan about 30 cm (12 inches) wide.
- Sear the Chicken: Place the chicken thighs skin side down and sear for 3–4 minutes. Flip each thigh and sear until golden, then transfer to a warm plate.
- Cook Aromatics: Add garlic to the pan and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in onion and red bell pepper and cook for about 3 minutes until softened.
- Add Flavor Base: Mix in sun dried tomatoes, rice, crushed tomatoes, and chicken broth. Season with salt, pepper, and dried basil, then bring to a simmer.
- Return Chicken: Nestle the chicken thighs skin side up into the rice mixture. Spoon some tomato sauce over the tops, cover with foil, and bring to a gentle boil.
- Bake the Dish: Transfer the covered skillet to the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Crisp the Chicken: Remove the foil, switch to broil or grill, and cook for 10 minutes more until the chicken skin is crispy and golden.
- Finish and Serve: Taste and adjust seasoning with extra salt if needed. Sprinkle with freshly chopped basil and serve hot.
Serve this hearty basil chicken rice with a side of Zucchini Carbonara for a creamy yet light vegetable dish that won’t overpower the main. The zucchini noodles give a fresh twist while the sauce adds just enough richness to balance the tomato and basil flavors. For something warming to start, a bowl of Lentil Soup is simple, nutritious, and earthy—perfect for pairing with the bright, herby notes of the chicken and rice.
To finish the meal, Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake makes an indulgent finale with its rich chocolate base and tangy berry swirl. Together, these sides and dessert turn your tomato basil chicken recipe into a memorable dinner spread that feels equal parts cozy and refined. And if you want to sneak in an extra savory side, my Brussel Sprouts With Bacon adds the perfect crispy, smoky touch.
Recipe FAQ’s
Long grain rice is perfect since it cooks up fluffy and absorbs the sauce beautifully. You can also use arborio rice if you prefer a creamier, risotto-like texture.
Make sure to rinse the rice before cooking and don’t add extra liquid unless needed. Covering tightly while baking helps it absorb just the right amount of broth.
Red bell peppers are classic, but zucchini, spinach, or even mushrooms would work nicely and blend with the tomato-basil base.
Video
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One Pan Tomato Basil Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs skin on, bone in
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper deseeded and chopped
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomato strips in oil chopped, optional: but adds flavour
- 1 1/3 cup long grain rice uncooked, rinsed (arborio rice may also be used for a risotto-like consistency)
- 14.5 ounce crushed tomatoes with liquid
- 1 3/4 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
- 1 pinch fresh basil extra chopped, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°c | 400°F. Heat the oil in a large, deep ovenproof cast iron skillet/or pan (over 30 cm or 12-inches). 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this recipe last night…easy to make and very delicious!
My family loved it!
Hi, read recipe few times and watched video, confused when you add the 1/4 cup of fresh basil?
Is there a marinade anyone has used for the thighs beforehand?!
Forgot to mention that I used a Le Creuset Braiser with lid. a perfect fit for this recipe.
Delicious! The only changes I made were to concentrate on the skin side of the chicken during the sear so that I could skip the broil at the end and to stir the arborio rice into the onion mixture and cook for a minute or so before adding the liquid ingredients. Sun-dried tomatoes added tons of great flavor. If making again I might use the ones not in oil as my only complaint was the the finished dish was a bit on the oily side.
This was excellent! I used boneless skinless chicken. I did have to cook the rice longer and add more broth because I didn’t have enough white rice on hand and had to use about 1/3 cup of brown rice to piece it out, but that one was on me. I ended up taking out the chicken after the first bake to keep it from overcooking and covered it on a separate plate. Worked perfectly.
This was also a great way to use some garden produce, too! We’ve been overrun with tomatoes, bell peppers and basil recently, so this was a great way to use them up, too. To use the tomatoes, I washed them, boiled them for a minute, then dumped them into ice water. Then I peeled the skins off and chopped the tomatoes into a bowl set on my kitchen scale. Worked perfectly.
The few tweaks I made were to add a pat of butter to the olive oil before browning the chicken, sprinkle the chicken with a small amount of garlic salt before browning it and, at the recommendation of one of the commenters here, added a couple pinches of saffron to the mixture before transferring it to the oven. I served it with a summer squash side dish (more tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini and yellow squash and an onion), and the flavors really complemented each other well.
Excellent! I’m keeping this recipe, for sure! Thank you for sharing!
I have been married 27 years and have cooked many chicken and rice dishes. I made this dish last weekend and my husband said it is the best chicken and rice dish he has ever had and I have ever cooked for him! My mom said the dish was perfect! My sister and sister in-law both said the flavor was so good. Every thing cooked so well, the measurements were right on. Thank you for this recipe.
This is one of my favourite recipes. It just tantalises my taste buds. I have made it so many times since discovering it. 🙂
I’ve made several of your recipes and all of them have been great but this one blows the rest out of the water!! The way the rice soaks up the crushed tomato juices along with the fresh basil is simply HEAVENLY!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes, you’re truly a wonderful cook!
thank you for another wonderful recipe. Your website is my go-to now. Just a random question: what is the funky music (or what genre) that you always have to go with your recipe videos? They are awesome, and would love to play that at home while I am cooking.