Dinner doesn’t get easier than this: chicken, rice, and vegetables all cooked together in a single pan. This one-pan oven chicken with rice and vegetables is a true weeknight hero — the rice soaks up the savory tomato-adzhika marinade while the drumsticks roast golden on top. If you love easy chicken dinners, you’ll also enjoy our One-Bag Roast Chicken with Turmeric Rice and Creamy Rice Skillet Chicken Zucchini.
Ingredients
Main dish:
- 700–800 g (about 4) chicken drumsticks
- 60 g (3–4 tbsp) tomato paste
- 1 tbsp adzhika
- 4–5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 400 g (about 2 cups) rice
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- Salt, to taste
For steaming and baking:
- 700 ml (3 cups) boiling water
- Aluminum foil
Instructions
- Rinse the drumsticks and pat dry with paper towels. Rub them with a mixture of tomato paste, adzhika, half the oil, and salt.
- Cut the vegetables into small pieces. Rinse the rice and soak it in cold water for 1 hour.
- Heat the remaining oil in a deep ovenproof pan. Sauté the carrot, onion, and bell pepper for 4–5 minutes. Add the rice and stir for 3 minutes over medium heat. Pour in the boiling water, add the turmeric and parsley, and stir.
- Lay the drumsticks on top of the rice. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 40 minutes. Remove the foil, switch to grill mode (or high heat), and brown for another 15 minutes.
Tips
- Soaking the rice for a full hour helps it cook evenly and stay fluffy rather than gummy.
- Seal the foil tightly around the pan — the trapped steam does the cooking, so any gap leaves the rice dry.
- The USDA recommends cooking chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), so an instant-read thermometer guarantees perfectly done drumsticks.
Nutrition: per 100 g: 101.7 kcal, protein 6.6 g, fat 3.3 g, carbs 10.9 g.