Fall Chicken & Rice Bake

Fall chicken and rice bake is made with chicken, U.S.-grown long-grain brown rice, butternut squash, apples and mushrooms and makes for a delicious and simple cozy and nutritious meal that’s perfect for the season. 

Sweater weather is upon us and it’s time to start making cozy, fall-inspired meals for the season! Enter this fall chicken and rice bake that requires only one dish to make and combines the flavor of chicken, rice, butternut squash, mushrooms, apples and warm spices.  

U.S.-grown long-grain brown rice soaks up the delicious flavor of everything baking together to make a meal you’ll want to make again and again this fall and winter. The colors of the ingredients color your plate with the colors of fall and rice serves as the delicious backdrop for it all. 

One of the easiest ways to add more nutrition to our diets on a daily, weekly and monthly basis is to draw inspiration from the season to literally color our palettes with more nutrition. Fall is definitely my favorite time to do so and I love finding different ways to incorporate pumpkins, squashes, and apples into my meals and snacks in different ways.

September is National Rice Month, so grab a bag of U.S.-grown rice and get cooking to add more nutrition and flavor to your diet. 

Rice Nutrition 

When it comes to nutrition, rice is small but mighty! It’s packed with energy, complex carbs, protein, fiber, antioxidants and more than 15 vitamins and minerals. I always have different varieties of U.S.-grown rice in my pantry to use as a base in meals like this and more. 

Brown, wild, black, red and purple rice are 100% whole grain varieties. Research shows that eating whole grains can help reduce heart disease, may reduce the risk of certain cancers and may aid in weight maintenance.

Rice is a nutrient-dense, complex carbohydrate that the body slowly digests to help you stay energized throughout the day. Plus, research shows that eating rice increases levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin, which helps boost mood and keeps appetite in check.

I’ll definitely take that mood boost as we head into the colder months with less sunshine!

Is All Rice Gluten Free?

Yes, rice is naturally gluten-free, highly digestible and the least allergenic of all grains. It’s a great option for people with Celiac disease or who choose to follow a gluten free diet.

Ingredients for Fall Chicken & Rice bake:

• U.S.- grown long-grain brown rice
• Butternut squash
• Apples
• Shiitake mushrooms 
• Chicken broth
• Hot water  
• Bone in or boneless chicken thighs 
• Fresh parsley 
• Garlic 
• Shallot 
• Butter
• Olive oil
• Paprika
• Dried oregano
• Dried thyme 
• Salt and pepper

Equipment / utensils: 

• 10” baking dish 
• small/medium mixing bowl 
• Small saucepan 
• Sautee pan 

Fall Chicken & Rice Bake

Maggie Michalczyk, RDN

Fall chicken and rice bake is made with chicken, U.S.-grown long-grain brown rice, butternut squash, apples and mushrooms and makes for a delicious and simple cozy and nutritious meal that’s perfect for the season. 

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Servings 4 -5 servings

Ingredients

  

For the chicken:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 6 skinless boneless chicken thighs
• ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped

For the rice:

• 2 shallots minced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups hot chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups hot water
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 1/2 cups U.S.-grown long-grain brown rice

For the apple, butternut squash and mushrooms:

• 1 cup butternut squash cubed
• 1 cup apple peeled and cubed (about 2 small to medium apples)
• 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms optional
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley chopped
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• salt & pepper

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl combine the seasonings for the chicken. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and let marinade in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the meal. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make the rice. In a small saucepan, heat the chicken broth and water for about 2-3 minutes. Lightly grease the baking dish and add the butter, olive oil, salt and pepper and shallot and garlic. Pour the hot water and broth over top and stir in the rice. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
• While the rice is baking, cube your butternut squash and apple.
• After 30 minutes remove the rice from the oven, uncover, stir and and place the chicken, apples, and butternut squash on top of the rice and place back in the oven for an additional 25 minutes.
• While the chicken and rice is baking saute the mushrooms with the butter, salt and pepper and fresh parsley. Set aside.
• Remove the chicken and rice from the oven. Gently stir together around the chicken and stir in the mushrooms until everything is well combined. Sprinkle extra fresh parsley on top and enjoy!

Keyword chicken rice bake

This blog post is in partnership with the US Rice Federation. All opinions are my own and I’m proud to partner with brands and organizations that share my mission of making healthy food more accessible to everyone.

More recipes using rice you’re sure to love:

• Turmeric coconut basmati rice bowl
• Chicken lemon rice soup with butternut squash and kale
• Fall wild rice pilaf 

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