This delicious oven-baked chicken and rice recipe is bursting with Thai flavor! A quick and easy one-pan meal, your whole family will love!
Be careful how you interpret the world; it is like that.
Erich Heller
We know how much you love Thai food, and I’m pretty sure this oven-baked chicken and rice recipe is one you’ll want to make on repeat! It’s made with chicken thighs seared in Thai red curry paste, nestled in fragrant coconut rice, and baked in the oven. It only requires a few ingredients and just 20 minutes of hands-on time before baking. Perfect for busy weeknights!
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Why You’ll Love this
- Bold flavor. Spicy red curry flavor with hints of ginger and lemongrass.
- Quick and easy. Only 20 minutes of hands-on time using simple ingredients, before baking in the oven (40 mins).
- Healthy! Wholesome, high-protein chicken baked with antioxidant-rich aromatics.
Baked Chicken and Rice Ingredients
- Chicken thighs: To save time we use boneless chicken thighs cut in chunks. Feel free to use bone-in skin-on thighs—leave them whole and increase baking time.
- Red Curry Paste: We love Maesri red curry paste for its authentic flavor, but Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste ( 2nd favorite) or Thai Kitchen (least favorite) works too. Or make your own!
- Aromatics: Shallot, garlic cloves, ginger, and fresh or frozen lemongrass.
- Fish sauce: Use vegan fish sauce if desired.
- Chicken broth: Or veggie broth.
- Coconut milk: Canned, use full fat.
- Coconut sugar: Or brown sugar.
- Jasmine rice: Don’t substitute with white rice. Jasmine rice is best. It is softer than other types of white rice or brown rice and requires less liquid to cook.
- Lime juice: Fresh, plus lime wedges for garnish.
- Garnish: Cilantro, basil, chilis, and peanuts.
Baked Chicken and Rice(Instructions)
Preheat oven to 400F.
Step 1: Season chicken. Pat chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper, then brush generously with red curry paste onto both sides.
Step 2: Sear chicken. In a hot oven-proof pan, braiser, or large skillet (3-quart), add oil and sear the chicken over medium heat for 5 minutes. Flip and sear for 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Sauté aromatics. Move chicken to edges and add oil to center, sautéing shallots for 2 minutes, then add garlic, ginger, and lemongrass and stir until fragrant.
Step 4: Add liquid and rice. Add fish sauce, chicken broth, full-fat coconut milk, sugar, salt, and rice and bring to a simmer.
Step 5: Bake! Cover tightly, place in the oven, and bake 40 minutes.
Step 6: Garnish. Serve in bowls with fresh lime juice, chilis, fresh basil or cilantro, and optional peanuts.
Serving suggestions
- Roasted vegetables: Roast veggies on a sheet pan at the same time, for 20 minutes!
- Salad: Serve with Green Papaya Salad, Thai Crunch Salad, or Thai Grilled Eggplant Salad.
- Garnish with Peanut Chili Crunch.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or gently in a skillet. It makes a delicious midweek lunch!
Recipe Variations
- Curry paste: Try this recipe with different Thai curry pastes, like yellow or green curry.
- Make it vegan: Swap the chicken with tofu or veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, peas, onion, and red bell pepper) and use Vegan Fish Sauce.
- Add fruit: Mango or pineapple adds a sweet tartness to this dish.
FAQs
Jasmine rice is best. It is softer than other types of white rice or brown rice and requires less liquid to cook. If you use a different type of rice, you’ll need to adjust the liquid amount.
Try our recipe here! Thai Red Curry Paste
Depending on the brand it varies from mild to medium. You can always put a little on your finger to taste test it. We like Maesri brand of curry paste—it is a bit on the milder side.
Yes! Sauté the curry in a skillet with oil, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass.
Full of rich flavor, this Red Curry Chicken has subtle spice, a touch of sweetness, and savory flavor. The fish sauce adds umami, while the aromatics add fragrant flavor.
Yes, but you’ll need to prepare everything in a large skillet first, then transfer to a 14-ounce casserole dish.
Yes, use boneless chicken breast, cut into pieces.
Please let us know what you think in the comments below!
xoxoxo
More Thai Recipes You May Enjoy
Thai Baked Chicken and Rice
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 60 mins
- Yield: 4-5 1x
- Category: Main, Paleo, keto,
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This delicious oven-baked chicken and rice recipe is bursting with Thai flavor! A quick and easy one-pan meal, your whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (see notes for bone-in)
- 1/4 cup red curry paste (we love Maesri Red curry paste) *adjust to taste, every brand has a varied spice level
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh or frozen lemongrass finely chopped or use lemongrass paste
- 1 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 can coconut milk, full-fat
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups jasmine rice uncooked
- 6–8 Thai lime leaves (optional but so good- *see notes)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus more wedges for serving
Garnish with lime wedges, fresh basil (Thai basil is nice), chilis, and fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400F.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and generously salt and pepper both sides of chicken. Rub or brush red curry paste on both sides of the chicken.
- Sear: In a hot oven-proof pan or large skillet (3-quart), add oil and sear chicken on both sides over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes; turn over and sear the undersides for 2-3 minutes. Move the seared chicken to the edges of the pan. Add more oil to the center and saute shallots for 2 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and lemongrass and saute for about 1 minute.
- Add liquid & rice: Add fish sauce, chicken broth, coconut milk, sugar, salt, rice, and lime leaves, stir a little, and bring to a simmer.
- Bake: Cover with a lid or tightly with foil, place the skillet in the hot oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- Garnish: Drizzle lime juice on top and garnish with chilis, fresh basil and cilantro.
Notes
Feel free to use, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, keeping in mine cooking time may increase, cook until internal temp reaches 170F
We like Maesri Red curry paste. It is a mild to medium spice level with a balanced flavor profile. Mae Ploy (second pick) or Thai Kitchen works too.
Rice: We recommend sticking with Jasmine rice for this recipe. It is a softer rice and needs less liquid to cook. If you use a different type of rice you will need to adjust the liquid measurements.
Thai lime leaves ( aka Makrut lime leaves, or Kaffir lime leaves): dried lime leaves are so convenient to keep on hand and have great flavor. They are also often available at Asian markets fresh or frozen ( freeze some for later!)
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days sealed in an airtight container in the fridge and can be reheated.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 thigh + 1 cup rice
- Calories: 442
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 1086.7 mg
- Fat: 13.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 66.7 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 13 g
- Cholesterol: 28 mg
This was phenomenal. I used bone-in thighs, pan seared them for 5-6 mins/side and the cooking time in the oven was the same. Our guests were blown away.
So great to hear this Karen! Good to know on the bone-in thighs.
So good!! I made this Thai Baked Chicken and Rice for dinner tonight and it was perfect! The chicken was so tender and the rice sopped up all that flavorful, spice-filled liquid leaving it delicate and creamy! YUM! Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Great to hear Rennie! Happy you enjoyed. 🙂
When do you add the kefir lime leaves and can any of this be made in advance?
Updated the instructions- lime leaves go in with the rice. It comes together pretty fast, the chicken is best seared just before baking.
Soooo good!
Awesome, thanks for the review Josie!
Just finished eating and this is amazing. My family loved it. Will be making it again frequently!
Yay! Wonderful to hear Jennifer.
I use brown jasmine rice. Do you have any suggestions on adaption in this recipe
I have not tried this with brown Jasmine rice. I assume it will need more liquid and more time, but not sure about specifics. Let us know if you play around with it!
Another keeper! This chicken was perfectly spicy and tender. Served with coconut rice and peas so it was an impromptu rice bowl. Would also be awesome as a chicken satay. Super simple and tasty!
Awesome to hear Lindsay!
This was simple and perfect! Easy, juicy, and flavorful. I added garlic powder, and a touch of cayenne for a flavor boost.
Glad this worked for you!
was so good
This is a great “go to”
I often do this with a Noodle broth, place the chicken on top of a lovely vegetable packed broth for some added texture, not to mention a little bit of fire
Delicious and easy. My daughter keeps bugging me almost demanding to make it again! We served it with garlic mashed potatoes.
Do not omit the lime and cilantro !! They add so much flavor! In fact, they make the recipe sing”!!! Yum Yum !!
Do not omit the lime and cilantro !! They add so much flavor! In fact, they make the recipe sing”!!! Yum Yum !!
Very simple …… tasty but seems as if the recipe is lacking another spice ??? Maybe I’ll add garlic &/or curry powder next time. I used store bought chili paste…… homemade would be tastier but then recipe not as simple!! All in all, very good & quick ! Thank you!
Easy-quick, on-hand ingredients, simple directions resulting in a fantastic taste. A recipe I’m adding to the repitoire or rotation, as we call it. I prepared the chicken with rice and book choi, I can only add that the lime and cilantro truly enhanced the dish and should not be considered optional. Thank you PNW Feasting at Home for posting.
Great recipe, I will try with my Air Fryer.
I browned the drumsticks in vegetable oil first and set them aside until the last ten minutes of the simmer stage. No bad odor and no scum to skim. Very tender and not too sweet. I added extra garlic, used that rooster hot chile sauce, and topped with toasted sesame seeds and some green onions. I served with white rice and some garlicky broccoli. I will make this again. Thanks, Jan!
I have a chicken marinating right now, and cant wait to hear the sizzle when i drop it in the grill pan coated with coconut oil. I’ll be serving it with Thai fried rice, which we purchased last nite at a Thai restaurant 🙂 What can i say, we like Thai food 🙂 Stay blessed.~!~
Thanks much Rhonda…let me know how you like it.
These look so awesome! I love chicken thighs cooked crisp like this.
Happy Birthday! I love all of your recipes and this one is no exception. So simple!
Trish
Ahhh….thank you!! have a beautiful week Trish.
I have all these ingredients in the house!
Awesome….makes it even easier!!
Super Simple!!!! And I love this as a flavoring. Wonderful!
Glad you like 🙂
This is so perfect! 🙂
Thanks Tiegan!
I love all the amazing flavours going on with the chicken – looks delicious!
Thanks Millie, and your Sunshine Soup is beautiful!!
Thanks, appreciate you saying that….I just never really know!!