This one-bag roast chicken with turmeric rice is the ultimate low-effort dinner. A whole chicken rubbed with paprika, garlic, and chili roasts on top of fragrant turmeric rice — everything cooks together in a single oven bag, and the rice soaks up all those delicious juices. If you love hands-off chicken dinners like our honey-garlic glazed chicken breasts, this one-bag wonder will earn a permanent spot in your rotation.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 1.5 kg / 3.3 lb)
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp dried garlic
- 0.5 tsp chili powder
- Vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200 g) parboiled rice, rinsed
- 2 cups (480 ml) water
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 onion
- 1.5 tsp turmeric
- Salt to taste
- 1 oven roasting bag
Instructions
1. Wash and pat the chicken dry. Rub it all over with dried garlic, paprika, chili, salt, and a little vegetable oil, working the spices in well.
2. Place the rinsed rice, turmeric, whole onion, sliced carrot, salt, and water into the roasting bag and stir to combine.
3. Lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture, seal the bag with the clip, and transfer it to a baking sheet.
4. Roast at 180°C (350°F) for 1.5 hours, until the chicken is golden and the rice has absorbed the liquid. For more chicken-and-rice dinners, try our creamy rice skillet with chicken and zucchini or chicken fried rice with egg; Serious Eats has great roasting guides too.
Tips
- Pat the chicken very dry before rubbing in the spices — dry skin crisps up much better in the bag.
- Don’t skip rinsing the rice; it removes excess starch and keeps the grains fluffy instead of gummy.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes after roasting so the juices redistribute before carving.
Nutrition (per 100 g): 158.5 kcal, protein 16 g, fat 6.5 g, carbs 8.7 g. The USDA offers helpful food-safety guidance for roasting poultry.