Baked Oven Rice with Thyme and Caramelized Onion

Name: Baked Oven Rice with Thyme and Caramelized Onion
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 48 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 1 medium (about 6 oz) (170 g) yellow onion, peeled and finely diced (¼-inch pieces); 2 cloves (8 g) garlic cloves, minced; 1½ cups (285 g) long-grain white rice, not rinsed; 2¾ cups (650 ml) low-sodium chicken broth, heated until steaming and just simmering; 1 tablespoon (3 g) fresh thyme leaves, stripped from the stems (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme); ½ teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste after baking; ¼ teaspoon (½ g) black pepper, freshly ground; 2 tablespoons (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Fluffy, separate-grain long-grain rice baked in chicken broth with buttery sautéed onion and fresh thyme. Once it's in the oven, it needs no stirring or watching.

Prep: 12 min
Cook: 48 min
Wait: 10 min
Total: 1 hr 10 min
Makes: About 4½ cups cooked rice (6 side servings)

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Ingredients

6 servings

3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 medium (about 6 oz) (170 g) yellow onion, peeled and finely diced (¼-inch pieces)
2 cloves (8 g) garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups (285 g) long-grain white rice, not rinsed
2¾ cups (650 ml) low-sodium chicken broth, heated until steaming and just simmering
1 tablespoon (3 g) fresh thyme leaves, stripped from the stems (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
½ teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste after baking
¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) black pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)

Equipment (6)

8×8-inch (20×20 cm) or 2-quart (2 L) baking dish, at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Medium saucepan or kettle for heating the broth
Large skillet (10-inch/25 cm) with a lid or a medium saucepan
Wooden spoon
Fork for fluffing

Steps

Before you start

Use plain long-grain white rice (not parboiled, instant, or brown); the liquid amount is set for regular long-grain white rice.
Do not rinse the rice. The surface starch helps it brown lightly in the butter, and the liquid ratio assumes unrinsed rice.
The broth must be steaming hot when it goes into the dish. Cold broth lengthens the bake time and can leave the rice uneven.
Have heavy-duty aluminum foil ready. A tight seal is essential, because escaping steam leaves the rice crunchy.

1
Prep the aromatics
- Dice the onion into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces, mince the garlic, and strip the thyme leaves from the stems.
- Measure the rice, but do not rinse it.
- Cut the butter into a few pieces.
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Ready when: Onion pieces are roughly uniform so they soften at the same rate.
Tip: Fine dice lets the onion melt into the rice instead of leaving large chunks.
2
Preheat and heat brothOven 375°F / 190°C
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375°F (190°C).
- Pour the chicken broth into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high until steaming with small bubbles at the edges, about 5 minutes.
- Keep it hot over low heat while you cook the onion.
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Ready when: Broth is steaming and just starting to simmer at the edges.
Tip: Hot broth is the key to even cooking. Cold broth can leave the rice uneven.
3
Soften the onion
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onion and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- Cook, stirring often, for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds more.
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Ready when: Onion is soft and translucent with no browning, and the garlic smells fragrant.
Tip: Lower the heat if the butter browns or the garlic starts to darken. Burnt garlic turns bitter.
4
Toast the rice
- Add the rice to the skillet.
- Stir constantly for 2 minutes so every grain is coated in butter.
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Ready when: Grains look slightly more opaque at the edges and smell lightly nutty.
Tip: Do not let the rice brown deeply, or it will absorb liquid unevenly.
5
Combine in the dish
- Scrape the rice mixture into the 8×8-inch baking dish and spread it level.
- Carefully pour in the hot broth, then stir in the pepper.
- Give it one gentle stir to distribute the rice evenly, then shake the dish level.
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Ready when: Rice is submerged in an even layer of liquid.
Tip: Do not stir again after this point, or the rice may turn gummy.
6
Cover tightly and bakeOven 375°F / 190°C
- Cover the dish with a double layer of heavy-duty foil, crimping it tightly around all edges so no steam escapes.
- Slide it onto the center rack of the 375°F (190°C) oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- Do not open the foil during baking.
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Ready when: After 40 minutes, no liquid should be visible at the edges when you peek under one corner of the foil, and the rice should look dry with small steam holes.
Tip: If a little liquid remains, re-cover and bake 5 minutes more.
7
Rest covered
- Remove the dish from the oven and keep it covered with the foil.
- Let it stand on a heatproof surface for 10 minutes.
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Ready when: The rice is no longer wet on top and the grains are plump.
Tip: Open the foil away from your face. The escaping steam is very hot.
8
Fluff and season
- Remove the foil and fluff the rice with a fork, lifting from the bottom to the top.
- Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed.
- Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve hot.
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Ready when: Grains are tender, separate, and fluffy, not sticky or crunchy in the center.
Tip: Use a fork, not a spoon. A spoon crushes the grains.

Good to know

Tips

Use a tight foil seal. If your dish has a snug lid, use it over a foil layer for extra security.
Measure the rice and broth precisely. The 1 cup rice to about 1¾ cups broth ratio is tuned for baking in a covered dish.
For more flavor, add 1 bay leaf to the broth while it heats and remove it before serving, or stir in ¼ cup grated Parmesan after fluffing.
Resist peeking early. Opening the foil releases steam and can leave the top layer of grains hard.

Make ahead

"Sauté the onion, garlic, and thyme up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat the mixture in the skillet before toasting the rice. Bake the rice fully up to 2 days ahead, cool quickly, and refrigerate (see storage for reheating)."

Storage & reheating

"Cool leftover rice within 1 hour. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days; do not leave at room temperature for more than 1 hour. Freeze for up to 2 months in flat zip-top bags. Reheat with 1 tablespoon of water per cup of rice, covered, in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or in a covered skillet over low heat for 5 minutes, until steaming hot throughout (165°F/74°C)."

Substitutions

low-sodium chicken broth → Vegetable broth. Makes the dish vegetarian with a slightly sweeter flavor. Use the same amount.
long-grain white rice → Basmati or jasmine rice. Use the same amount. Rinse basmati briefly, then drain well. The grains stay fluffy, though the flavor is more aromatic.
fresh thyme leaves → Dried thyme. Use 1 teaspoon dried thyme in place of 1 tablespoon fresh. Add it with the garlic.
unsalted butter → Olive oil. Use 3 tablespoons (45 ml). The flavor is a little less rich but still delicious.