This Greek chicken rice bake brings chicken breast, rice, vegetables, kalamata olives and Greek seasoning together in one baking dish. I tested this dump and bake meal with meal prep in mind, swapping my usual jasmine rice for basmati after finding the grains held their shape better when reheated.
When I'm meal prepping a few meals at once, I like to have one on the stove, one in the slow cooker and one in the oven. It spreads things out so I'm not running around like a headless chook trying to balance 40 pots and pans.
The problem? My oven-based recipes were lacking a little. I tend to prefer cooking on the stovetop, where I can keep the rice or pasta separate and have more control over the texture.
For this bake, I started with the flavours in my greek chicken rice bowl. That recipe keeps the components separate and adds fresh vegetables for variety, but I wanted those lemony, herby flavours in something I could assemble and leave to cook.
My first attempt used jasmine rice, which is usually my rice of choice. It tasted good, but the rice became a little mushy after storing and reheating. Basmati held together better on the next attempt and gave me more of that separation between the grains.
TL:DR
- Servings: 4 (easily scalable but may require longer cooking)
- Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes (individual serves), 60 minutes (large casserole)
- Meal prep: Chicken provides protein, rice provides carbs, and capsicum and zucchini bring the vegetables; basmati held its shape better in my reheating tests.
- Fridge storage: Up to 3 days (best texture within 2 days).
- Freezer storage: Up to 3 months (note texture differences)
- Reheating: Microwave with a splash of water, stirring partway through, or reheat covered in the oven until steaming hot throughout.
- Customise: Swap similar vegetables, leave out the olives or finish with feta, parsley and tzatziki.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Dump and bake. Like my chicken fajitas, this tray bake goes straight into the oven without cooking anything on the stovetop first.
Seasoning you can adjust. Making the herb mix yourself lets you control the salt alongside your stock, olives and feta.
Tested for reheating. This dish has been specifically designed for meal prepping (or leftovers). I compared jasmine and basmati rice after storage, and basmati gave me the more separate grains I wanted.
Ingredients
Basmati rice. I usually leave rice choice up to you, but jasmine became a little mushy when I reheated this bake, while white basmati gave me the separation between grains I was after.
Chicken breast. This is the cut I used for the recipe; cut it into evenly sized pieces so smaller bits don't dry out while larger ones finish cooking.
Kalamata olives. These are my preference for their salty flavour, but use another pitted olive or leave them out if they're not your vibe.
Lemon juice and zest. The juice adds acidity while the zest gives lemon flavour without extra liquid; grate only the yellow skin to avoid the bitter white pith.
Greek seasoning. I use oregano, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper, or you can choose a store-bought blend with herbs and spices prominent in the ingredients and check for added salt and fillers such as starch.
Chicken stock. I use homemade chicken stock to control the sodium, or choose a store-bought stock you enjoy the taste of because that flavour carries through the rice.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Substitutions and Variations
Other veg. Chopped onion, extra capsicum or button mushrooms can replace some of the vegetables in the bake; keep the overall amount similar rather than piling more into the dish. Add cucumber, salad leaves and fresh herbs after cooking or reheating, and stir baby spinach through the hot cooked rice to wilt (or add in last 15 min of cooking)
Chicken thighs. Boneless, skinless thighs are an option if you prefer dark meat. They do tend to remain more tender when reheating, although because the chicken breast is kept moist through the mixture, they also remain tender.
Olives. Swap Kalamata for another pitted variety or leave them out. For households split on olives, add them to individual portions after cooking.
Extra heat. Add chilli flakes to your portion when serving so the whole dish stays mild for anyone who prefers it that way.
How to make Greek chicken rice bake
Step 1. dice the chicken into evenly sized chunks and toss it with the oregano, paprika, garlic, onion, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Let sit while you prepare the vegetables.
Step 2. Add uncooked basmati rice, lemon juice and zest and the chicken to a baking dish. Pour over the chicken stock. Gently move the ingredients around so the rice forms an even layer and every grain is submerged
Step 3. Spread the chopped capsicum, tomatoes, zucchini and drained olives over the top.
Step 4. Cover the dish tightly with aluminium foil, sealing around the edges to trap the steam that cooks the rice. Bake for approximately 60 minutes.
Note - you can also divide these up into individual containers. I found the cooking time was less at approximately 45 minutes.
Step 5: check the rice in the middle of the dish. the rice should be cooked through without a hard or chalky centre. Then, check several of the largest chicken pieces with a food thermometer; the chicken should reach 75°C/165°F
Note: If the rice is cooked but there is pooled liquid, bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes (only if you're wanting it immediately, this will continue absorbing during storage), checking before the full time is up. If the rice is still hard, keep it covered and continue cooking; if it also looks dry, add a small splash of hot stock before resealing.
Step 6. Once cooked, let the bake stand for about 5 minutes, then gently loosen the rice and distribute the chicken and vegetables. Finish dinner portions with feta, or portion the bake promptly for cooling and storage.
Lauren's Top Tips
Keep the rice under the stock. Exposed grains can stay hard even when the rice underneath is cooked.
Seal the foil properly. A loose cover lets steam escape and changes how the rice cooks.
Recommended Equipment
I used quite a large roasting dish approx. 40 x 27cm (15.5inch x 10.5inch) which is what the cooking time is based off. If you have a smaller roasting dish, the mixture will be deeper which may take longer to bake.
Meal Prepping Greek chicken rice bake
This Greek chicken rice bake is a high-protein chicken meal prep option with 43g of protein. Everything cooks in the same dish, and the basmati gave me a better reheated texture than jasmine during testing.
It also fits the way I like to cook several meals at once. Get this into the oven, set a timer, then make your favourite stove top or slow cooker recipe for some extra variety throughout your week. The bake needs very little attention during that covered cooking time, which gives you space to get another part of the week sorted
Storing
Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours of cooking. Keep them below 5°C and eat within 3 days. You'll notice a slight decline in texture after day 2 so eating them sooner than later is recommended.
Bulk meal prepping
I made about 15 serves across two large casserole dishes, and they took longer than the 60 minutes used for the four-serving batch. That's worth planning for if you're filling the oven: multiplying the ingredients doesn't mean the cooking time stays the same.
Keep the food at a similar depth to the original batch and leave space around the dishes for heat to circulate. Check each dish separately, including the rice in the centre. For that bigger batch, I also added fresh tomatoes and onions after baking because I was a little short on other veg.
Reheating
For one chilled serving, add approximately a tablespoon of water or stock, cover loosely with a microwave-safe lid and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir, then continue in 30-60-second bursts until steaming hot throughout; allow roughly 3-5 minutes in total, depending on your microwave and portion size.
For several chilled portions, spread them in an oven-safe dish, add a small splash of water and cover. Reheat at 180°C/350°F, checking after 20 minutes and continuing until the centre is steaming hot; a deeper dish will take longer. These are starting estimates rather than tested reheating times for this recipe.
Lauren's Meal Prep Tip
When reheating, Loosen the rice gently when stirring rather than mashing it into the container. Once it's hot, add some homemade tzatziki, feta or parsley for extra freshness and texture.
Freezing
Freeze cooked portions in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours of defrosting, following the same reheating method as a chilled portion. Keep the feta, herbs and tzatziki out of the freezer portions and add them when serving.
My gym mates froze their portions and told me they were still great, which was useful feedback because I wasn't convinced the rice would hold up. That feedback supports freezing the cooked bake, but I haven't established how its texture changes over a full three months. Expect the vegetables to soften after thawing, and try freezing one portion first if you're as particular about meal prep texture as I am.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Rice needs enough liquid, trapped steam and time to soften. Check that the foil is sealed, the grains are submerged and the dish isn't deeper or more crowded than the one recommended.
If there is still liquid, cover the dish again and continue baking in 5-10-minute intervals. If the rice is hard and the dish is dry, add a small splash of hot stock before covering.
Pooled liquid and mushy rice are different problems. If the grains are cooked but sitting in liquid, a short uncovered bake helps reduce the excess; if the grains have already broken down, more baking won't restore their shape.
For the next batch, measure the stock, use the specified rice and keep vegetable quantities consistent. Extra vegetables can also change how much moisture ends up in the dish.
Check the rice as well as the chicken before deciding the whole dish needs more time. If the chicken has reached 75°C/167°F but the rice still needs cooking, lift the chicken out with clean utensils, cover it briefly and return it once the rice is ready.
Other chicken breast recipes you'll like
Or, you can have a browse through my chicken breast meal preps for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Greek Chicken Rice Bake
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Equipment
- Large casserole dish, 40 x 27cm (15.5inch x 10.5inch)
Ingredients
- 1 cups basmati rice, see note 1
- 2 cups chicken stock, homemade recommended or see note 2
- 1 capsicum
- 1 zucchini
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, optional
- Lemon, juice and zest
- ½ cup feta
Chicken and seasoning (or 1 ½ tablespoon storebought)
- 600 g (1 ⅓ lb) chicken breast
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules/powder
- 1 teaspoon onion granules/powder
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Preparing
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Dice the 600 g (1 ⅓ lb) chicken breast into evenly sized chunks. Toss with storebought Greek seasoning or a mixture of: 2 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic granules/powder, 1 tsp onion granules/powder, ½ tsp dried parsley, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper.
- Chop the 1 capsicum, 1 zucchini, and drain the ½ cup pitted kalamata olives.
- Add the 1 cups basmati rice (uncooked), Lemon (juice and zest) and seasoned chicken to a baking dish. Pour over the 2 cups chicken stock and gently distribute the ingredients so the rice forms an even layer with every grain submerged.
- Spread the vegetables and olives over the top. Cover tightly with aluminium foil, sealing the edges to trap steam.
Cooking
- Bake for approximately 60 minutes. If using individual oven-safe containers, cover each separately and start checking at approximately 45 minutes.
- Carefully remove the foil and check the rice in the centre; it should be tender without a hard or chalky centre. Check several of the largest chicken pieces with a food thermometer; they should reach 75°C/167°F.Note - If the rice is cooked but liquid is pooling, bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes if serving immediately. For meal prep, a little remaining moisture is fine, as the cooked rice continues absorbing it during storage.Note - If the rice is still hard, cover and continue baking, checking every 5-10 minutes. If it also looks dry, add a small splash of hot stock before resealing.
- Rest for approximately 5 minutes, then gently loosen the rice and distribute the chicken and vegetables. Finish with ½ cup feta if serving immediately.
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