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    Home » Recipes » Family Dinners » Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice Bake

    Published: Dec 1, 2023 · Modified: May 10, 2024 by Marianne Rogerson · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice Bake

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    This Creamy Chicken and Rice Bake is easy to make and is the perfect comfort food dish for a family meal.

    Creamy Lemon Chicken Bake.

    This is one of my family's favourite chicken dinners. It's really easy to make and results in a rich, creamy dish with succulent chicken and rice that has soaked up all those delicious flavours.

    It's also a very versatile dish - you can switch out the rice for rice-shaped pasta, add in extra vegetables, add in different herbs or spices and even switch the cream for coconut cream.

    Looking for more simple family dinners? These are also on high rotation in my house: Honey Soy Salmon, Creamy Chicken Tomato Pasta, Prawn Aglio Olio and Easy Thai Red Fish Curry.

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How to make Creamy Lemon Chicken Bake
    • Love Chicken? You may also like these recipes:
    • Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice Bake

    Why you'll love this recipe

    • It's family-friendly - my whole family love this recipe.
    • Lemon, cream, parmesan and garlic are such a delicious combination!
    • Once the prep is done, you can just leave it in the oven for 40 minutes.
    • It just needs a simple salad to accompany it.
    • You can easily change it up to suit your palate - add different herbs or spices, such as thyme or paprika, add in vegetables or swap the cream for coconut cream.

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for creamy lemon chicken laid out on table with labels.
    • Rice - I use long-grain rice, but you could also use arborio (risotto) rice or try it with rice-shaped pasta like orzo or risoni.
    • Chicken Thigh Fillets - Thigh fillets work best in this dish. You could substitute for chicken breast but you may find the meat might a bit dry.
    • Butter
    • Olive Oil
    • Garlic
    • Chicken Stock
    • Thickened Cream - thickened cream works best here, not normal pouring cream. You could also try it with coconut cream to change it up.
    • Lemon Juice - try to use freshly squeezed lemon if possible, not from a bottle.
    • Freshly Grated Parmesan - again, freshly grated is best. It has a better flavour and melts into the sauce better.
    • Baby Spinach

    This recipe is very adaptable. You could also add vegetables to the dish before it goes into the oven. Try adding pumpkin, cherry tomatoes, green beans or broccoli.

    How to make Creamy Lemon Chicken Bake

    Start by lining your baking dish with the rice.

    Seasoned chicken thigh fillets on a chopping board.

    Next season the chicken. You can just use salt & pepper for this, or you can add any other seasoning you like. Thyme, oregano and paprika all work well, it just depends on your taste preference.

    Searing chicken thigh fillets in a frying pan.

    Now melt ⅓ of the butter and the olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat and sear the chicken on both sides. You're not looking to cook it through (this will happen later in the oven). You just want to brown the outsides.

    Seared chicken thigh fillets arranged over rice in a baking dish.

    Remove the chicken from the pan and arrange it on top of the rice in your baking dish.

    Now it's time to make the sauce:

    Lower the heat to medium and add in the remaining butter together with the olive oil.

    Cooking garlic in butter in a frying pan.

    Toss in the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until soft.

    Sauce made from lemon, cream, stock and spinach.

    Then add in the chicken stock, lemon juice, cream, parmesan and spinach. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil.

    Sauce made from lemon, cream, stock with wilted spinach.

    Now let it simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened and the spinach has wilted.

    Creamy lemon chicken bake ready for the oven.

    Pour the sauce over the chicken. You can decorate it with a few slices of lemon if you like. Now just put it in the oven for 40 minutes and relax!

    Creamy lemon chicken bake on a table.

    Serve with a simple side salad.

    Love Chicken? You may also like these recipes:

    • Chicken Pumpkin Curry.
      Chicken Pumpkin Curry
    • Chicken Fajita Bowls.
      Chicken Fajita Bowls
    • Easy Chicken Parmigiana.
      Easy Chicken Parmigiana
    • Sticky Sesame Chicken.
      Sticky Sesame Chicken

    Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

    Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @mamalovestocookblog and follow along on Pinterest and Facebook! Enjoy!!! 

    Creamy Lemon Chicken Bake.

    Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice Bake

    This Creamy Chicken and Rice Bake is easy to make and is the perfect comfort food dish for a family meal.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Family Dinners
    Cuisine: International
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 983kcal
    Author: Marianne Rogerson

    Equipment

    • 1 Baking Dish
    • 1 Frying Pan

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup rice
    • 50 g butter
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 750 g chicken thigh fillets
    • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped or crushed
    • 400 ml chicken stock
    • 200 ml thickened cream
    • 1 lemon freshly squeezed juice of
    • 50 g parmesan freshly grated
    • 60 g baby spinach

    Instructions

    • Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 360F
    • Pour out and cover the bottom of your baking dish with the rice.
    • Season the chicken thighs generously with salt & pepper (plus any other herbs or spices you choose).
    • Melt ⅓ of the butter and the olive oil over a high heat in a frying pan or skillet. Sear the chicken on both sides until lightly browned. (You are not cooking the chicken all the way through, it will cook later in the oven).
    • Remove the chicken from the pan and arrange in a single layer over the rice in the baking dish.
    • Lower the heat under the frying pan to medium and add the remaining butter.
    • Add the garlic to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes until soft.
    • Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, parmesan, cream, and spinach. Stir and bring to the boil.
    • Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened and the spinach has melted.
    • Pour the sauce over the chicken in the baking dish. If you like, you can decorate with some lemon slices.
    • Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
    • Serve with a simple side salad.

    Notes

    1. I use long-grain rice for this dish but you can also use arborio (risotto) rice or substitute for a rice-shaped pasta such as orzo or risoni.
    2. In addition to salt & pepper, you can season with any other herb or spice. Thyme and paprika both work well here. 
    3. For a different variation, substitute the thickened cream for coconut cream. 
    4. You can also add other vegetables to the dish along with the chicken. Try pumpkin, cherry tomatoes, green beans or broccoli. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 983kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 71g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 276mg | Sodium: 484mg | Potassium: 719mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2708IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 244mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @mamalovestocookblog or tag #mamalovestocook!
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    Comments

    1. Kelly says

      June 12, 2025 at 6:04 pm

      Is this 983 cal per serve or all up?

      Thank you.
      Kelly

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    Hi I'm Marianne and I'm a Mama who Loves to Cook! Come share in the cooking fun as I search for recipes for easy family dinners, lunch box fillers, baking, cookies, cakes and more..

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