Oven Baked Chicken with Rice Pilaf (Cranberry, Walnut and Apple)

Oven Baked Chicken with Rice Pilaf (Cranberry, Walnut and Apple)

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 5 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
The RICE PILAF in this recipe is sensational. Tastes savoury but with a touch of apple sweetness, herby fragrance, combined with plump cranberries, warm crunch of walnuts, and with fresh apple providing a fabulous finishing touch. The chicken is sticky from the jam (great shortcut trick) and savoury from the seasoning spices. The key step that makes a real difference is “oven sautéing” onion and garlic first. Festive inspired midweek meal to have all year round! Recipe VIDEO below.
Course: Main
Servings: 5
Calories: 718 kcal
Author: Nagi
Ingredients

• 5 chicken thigh fillets , bone in (about 220g / 7oz each) (Note 1)

Rice:

• 1 small onion , finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 50 g / 3.5 tbsp unsalted butter (or sub with oil of choice)
• 1 1/2 cups / 270g long grain rice (Note 2)
• 1 1/4 cups / 315 ml apple juice
• 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml chicken broth
• 1 cup / 120g dried cranberries (or other dried fruit of choice)
• 1 cup / 125g walnuts , roughly chopped (or other nuts of choice)
• 1 red apple , cut into small dice

Rice Herbs:

• 3/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Sticky Chicken Glaze:

• 1/3 cup / 100g apricot jam (or other jam – Note 3)
• 2 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp All Spice
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Garnish (optional):

• Oil spray
• Fresh parsley , finely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan/convection).
2. Use a baking dish about 22 x 33cm / 9 x 13″.
3. Scatter onion and garlic in baking dish, dollop butter over. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove.

Chicken:

1. If your chicken has skin on it, remove it (just pull it off). Otherwise, the rice will be too greasy.
2. Whisk together Sticky Chicken Glaze. Add chicken, turn to coat.

Rice:

1. Add rice, apple juice, chicken broth and Rice Herbs into the pan with the onion. Stir.
2. Add cranberries and walnuts. Stir.
3. Top with chicken – it will be partly submerged. Save glaze in bowl.
4. Cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil – don’t worry if there’s still liquid (Note 4).
5. Spoon all remaining Glaze onto chicken. Optional: spray with oil (gives chicken a slightly nicer finish). Bake for another 30 – 35 minutes until chicken is browned.
6. Remove pan from oven. Rest 5 minutes. Remove chicken, add apple, then use fork to fluff rice.
7. Serve chicken with rice pilaf, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.

Recipe Notes
1. Drumsticks will also work great with this, no need to remove the skin and no change to cook time or temp.
I make this with skinless bone-in thigh fillets because they bake in the same time as the rice. In Australia, they are sold with the skin already off at butchers and at Woolworths (in the pre packaged section). The skin must be removed otherwise the rice will be a greasy mess.
If you make this with boneless skinless thigh fillets or breast, add them into the pot 25 minutes into the bake time (so they are in the oven for 25 minutes). Only thing to ensure is that the surface of the dish is not entirely covered with chicken – you need some space for the liquid to evaporate during the uncovered baking time.
2. RICE: This recipe is best made with long grain rice because it’s less sticky than short and medium grain. Basmati and jasmine will also work – around the same cook time. For brown rice, leave it covered for 45 minutes then bake uncovered 15 – 20 minutes until rice is tender (chicken will be more tender too, other option is to add chicken 15 minutes into the bake time at the beginning but I personal would not bother).
3. JAM: You can’t really taste the jam flavour that much so it will be fine to sub with another flavour of choice. Marmalade would be especially great, I think.
4. LIQUID in rice: I find that the speed at which the liquid is initially absorbed into the pan can vary, but the end result always ends up the same. The thin enamel pan in the photos and video probably heats up faster so the liquid absorbs faster. I have more liquid at the point where I remove the foil when I make this in my glass pan. But the end result is always the same so don’t worry!