This Roasted Garlic Chicken Recipe with Brown Basmati Rice is a super hearty, healthy and delicious meal. It includes about 1/2 cup of whole garlic cloves that have been slow roasted to perfection.
Clearly I’m having a bit of a “thing” with roasted garlic.
I can’t help it. I always roast a bunch of garlic at once to have on hand to cook with for a couple of weeks (and to spread on bread)! In this roasted garlic chicken recipe, the garlic transforms the chicken and rice into a delicious comfort food! I’m telling you, every bite will melt in your mouth.
Roasted Garlic Chicken Recipe
I find it a bit cumbersome to eat chicken with the bones still in. And since I try to be health conscious, I generally don’t eat chicken skin. However, I almost always cook chicken on-the-bone, with the skin on! Preparing it this way produces the best, most succulent chicken ever!
I use the skin as a holding place for the roasted garlic and herbs — it keeps it all of those amazing flavors in place as they marinate and baste the chicken while it cooks.
Then, I will usually remove the skin and pull the meat off the bones to serve. This is not the first roasted garlic chicken recipe I’ve made, but this is my favorite!
If you’re looking for a word to describe this recipe, please use “succulent.” It truly describes every bite!
While I love how the chicken becomes completely saturated with the wonderful garlic flavor — inside and out — I think my favorite part of this dish are those candy-like, roasted garlic cloves that I quickly pan fry. They go on top, inviting you to dig in. And so do those crispy bits of rice that stick to the sides of the pan! Yum!
I highly recommend having roasted garlic on hand at all times!
Enjoy every last bite of this comforting Roasted Garlic Chicken recipe!
This rice dish is a super hearty, healthy and delicious meal. It includes about 1/2 cup of whole garlic cloves that have been slow roasted to perfection.
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice
- 1/2 cup roasted garlic (click here for How to Roast Garlic)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 (approximately 4-pound) whole chicken, cut up, bone-in, skin on
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme washed and dried
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
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Pour the chicken stock into a medium-sized sauce pot, season it with salt and bring it to a boil. Add the rice, cover and cook for about 15 minutes. It won't be quite done, and some of the stock will not have been absorbed -- it will finish cooking later in the oven.
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While the rice is cooking, use a fork to combine 1/4 cup of the roasted garlic with the olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Loosen the skin of each piece of chicken and evenly distribute the garlic mixture beneath it. Then, season all of the chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside.
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After the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, pour it, along with the stock into a 12-inch round baking dish (or a 9x13x2-inch rectangular dish), and let it cool to room temperature. Then, place the chicken pieces directly on top of this. Add sprigs of thyme all over the dish — in the chicken skin, in the rice, and on top. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, cover with foil, and bake in the preheated oven just until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Remove the foil cover after the first 30 minutes of the cooking time — this way it will nicely brown during the last 15 minutes. The rice and chicken should be done at the same time — if the rice needs a bit more time, remove the chicken, re-cover the rice, and cook until it’s done. Season the rice generously with salt and pepper.
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While the chicken is in the oven, add the remaining roasted garlic to a small sauté pan with a bit of olive oil, over medium-high heat. Sauté to brown the garlic, about 1 minute. (If possible, use a head of roasted garlic that’s still intact and remove the individual cloves with a paring knife to keep them whole.)
Preparing it this way produces the best, most succulent chicken ever
I think I put garlic cloves in any dish I roast, because my family eats them like snacks:) And, yes, chicken is much more flavorful roasted with skin and bones (I used to be a breast girl, but have been converted:)
This meal looks divine, a perfect mid-week dinner!
This looks like one amazing dish! Saving for later!
Thanks so much, Jacque! Enjoy!
Those roasted garlic heads look fantastic and along with brown basmati rice and a touch of lemon sounds just delicious!
Thanks, Ginny. Yes, I always love a touch of lemon. 🙂
This is one of my children’s favourite meals.
The youngest likes the breast meat and the eldest has the thigh/drumstick.
Just a great recipe!
Oh I love that! My kids eat that way too. Together they could clean a plate. 😉 Thanks and enjoy!
I love the flavour of roasted garlic. It brings out a lovely sweetness and milder garlic flavour that’s just so delicious. Overall, this chicken and rice dish looks amazing and succulent! 🙂
Thanks so much, Marie. I hope you give it a go! 🙂
What a delicious recipe! I simply cannot wait to try it! Very interesting combination of ingredients. I am saving this recipe for later.
Thanks, Veena. Hope you try it and love it!