Chicken & Spinach Rice Bake

Name: Chicken & Spinach Rice Bake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Yield: 6-8
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

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roubashahin.com.au

Mains

One dish, minimal fuss — marinated chicken chops baked right on top of spinach rice.

PREP TIME

20 minutes (plus marinating — at least 30 minutes)

COOK TIME

60 minutes

SERVES

6-8

About this recipe

This chicken and spinach rice bake came about after a friend told me how she makes her rice in the oven, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it until I tried my own version. It’s the kind of recipe that looks after itself — everything goes into one dish, and the oven does the rest while you get on with your day.

I’ve marinated the chicken chops in olive oil, garlic and a warm mix of spices, then set them on a wire rack right over the rice so all those juices drip down as it bakes. What’s more, the rice underneath cooks with onion, seasoning, bay leaves and frozen spinach, so by the time it comes out you’ve got a complete, fragrant meal in one pan. As a result, this is one of those chicken and spinach rice bakes I genuinely reach for when I’m hosting — it’s fuss-free, and you can marinate the chicken the day before to make things even easier on yourself.

I love using chicken chops for this — thigh fillets with the skin on and bone in. They’re such an underrated cut, and honestly you can’t go wrong with them; they stay juicy even if you leave them in a touch longer. That said, any cut of chicken will work here if that’s what you have on hand. For the table, I always make Nana’s yoghurt tahini salad alongside this one — the tang cuts through the richness beautifully. And if you love the idea of chicken baked over rice, my other chicken chops rice bake takes the same concept in a slightly different direction, so it’s worth trying both.

Ingredients

For the chicken

12 chicken chops
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon chicken stock powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice

For the rice

3 cups basmati rice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chicken stock powder
1 teaspoon bharat spice
2 bay leaves
1 onion, diced
250 grams frozen spinach, chopped and scattered
5 cups water

To garnish

Spring onion, chopped
Parsley, chopped
Pomegranate if available

Notes from Rouba

Marinate the chicken the day before if you can — it only gets better with time.
Don’t skip the wire rack — it’s what lets the chicken juices baste the rice as it bakes.
Keep an eye on it once the foil comes off, ovens brown at different speeds.
Any cut of chicken works here, though I always come back to bone-in, skin-on thigh chops.

Method

Step 1. Marinate the Chicken

Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan-forced) (200°C conventional) (350°F).

Crush the garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle, then add the paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, chicken stock powder, coriander powder and dried oregano and pound together. Stir through the olive oil and lemon juice to form a marinade. Rub the marinade over the chicken chops, making sure every piece is well coated, then set aside while you prepare the rice, or cover and refrigerate overnight for even better flavour.

Step 2. Prepare the Rice

In a large oven dish, add the basmati rice, salt, bharat, bay leaves, chicken stock, diced onion and frozen spinach, then pour in the water. Give everything a gentle stir so it's evenly spread across the dish.

Step 3. Assemble and Bake

Place a wire rack over the rice dish, then arrange the marinated chicken chops on top of the rack. Cover the dish with baking paper, then wrap with foil. Bake for 50 minutes.

Step 4. Uncover and Brown

Remove the foil and baking paper and return the dish to the oven, uncovered for 10 minutes, letting the chicken brown until golden. Scatter with chopped spring onion and parsley

A FEW THINGS YOU'LL WANT TO KNOW

Can I marinate the chicken the day before?
Yes, and I'd actually recommend it. Marinating overnight lets the pomegranate molasses and spices really soak into the meat, and it means less to do on the day.

What if I don't have a wire rack that fits my oven dish?
Any oven-safe rack that sits above the rice will do the job — the key is keeping the chicken elevated so the juices drip down as it cooks rather than the chicken sitting directly in the liquid.

Can I use a different cut of chicken?
Absolutely. I love bone-in, skin-on thigh chops because they're forgiving and stay juicy, but this works with drumsticks, thighs or even breast if that's what you prefer.

Is this a good recipe for entertaining?
It's one of my go-tos. It's a complete meal in one dish, most of the work happens before your guests arrive, and it comes to the table looking beautiful straight out of the oven.

Do I have to use a mortar and pestle for the marinade?
Not at all. I like using one because it really works the garlic and spices together, but you can just as easily crush the garlic and mix everything together in a bowl with a spoon or a hand mixer. Whichever way you go, just make sure it's well combined before it goes on the chicken.