Roasted Chicken with Creamy Cheddar Rice
Back when Mike and I were dating and in the “get to know each other” stage, he asked me who I was more like, my mom or my dad. I answered that I was more like my dad with such certainty that Mike was surprised and asked why I thought that. Immediately and without thinking I replied: “We both have a fear of uncooked chicken.” While that is certainly true, Mike found it extremely funny and we joke about it to this day. I try to remind him of the humor in the situation when I realize yet again that I’ve overcooked our dinner in the quest to avoid salmonella.
I mention that incident only because one of the things that set this meal apart was that I did not overcook the chicken. There are plenty of other positives about this meal – I will be making the creamy cheddar rice again and again, but the juicy and flavorful chicken was definitely the star of the show. This was a fairly simple meal with minimal clean-up as well. Mike requested that we make this part of our weekly menu, which I’m pretty sure means he liked it. 🙂
Roasted Chicken with Creamy Cheddar Rice
Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown basmati rice
- 3 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 4 medium boneless skinless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- steamed fresh broccoli
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375. Place uncooked rice in an 8 inch square pan and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, warm 2 tsps of oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the water and salt to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the rice in the pan and cover tightly with foil. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. (Make sure to use a baking sheet with sides to catch the juices!) Place the chicken thighs on the baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- When the rice has baked for 45 minutes, place the chicken on the upper rack of the oven. Continue baking 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Leave the chicken in the oven, remove the rice, and stir in the cheddar and sour cream. Recover loosely with foil and return to the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes longer, or until the chicken is lightly browned and cooked through. Stir the steamed broccoli into the rice, or serve alongside.
from Cabot Cheese
Welcome! I'm Megan and it's my hope that here you'll find food that has been made with love and recipes that are shared with joy. Thanks for stopping by! 
I too have a fear of uncooked chicken and I usually always overcook it. Do you have any tips for not overcooking chicken?
Unfortunately I haven’t figured that out yet. I just try to cook it until it’s not pink inside. Generally I’m convinced it’s still pink even when it’s probably not. My best bet is to call Mike over to come look at it. That’s when our chicken turns out the best. 🙂 Sorry I’m not more help!
This looks like a great dinner. I made a cheddar rice years ago that was really good. I am not sure what happened to the recipe or why I stopped making it. i will have to give this a try!
This looks like a great weekday meal! I’ve never had cheddar rice before, but I can only imagine that it is wonderful! And the chicken looks juicy and delicious! 🙂
So funny! I am terribly afraid of under-cooked chicken too. This looks SO delicious, my husband would love it. I like that you used brown rice.
This looks positively delicious! And I’m all for simple and delicious! We love chicken, broccoli and brown rice for dinner so for us, this would be perfect. I love how moist it looks and the broccoli doesn’t look overlooked, which I sometimes do.
you’ve totally sold me at creamy cheddar rice!
I use a meat thermometer to check my chicken. I just hate touching raw meat in general. It’s gross. So tasty when cooked though! Trying this this week! You think greek yogurt would work in replacement for sour cream? Sour cream makes me gag a little.
Sarah
Yes, I think Greek yogurt would work instead of sour cream. I haven’t tried it though, so I can’t be sure. If you try it, let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Do you think I could make this with boneless chicken instead of chicken thighs? I don’t like bone on chicken. If so, how long should I let the boneless chicken cook for? At least 30 minutes-45 minutes?
Yes, definitely. You may have to play around with the cooking times a little to get everything to be done at the same time though. I hope you like it 🙂