high protein curry chicken and rice (dump & bake!)
This curry chicken and rice is the easiest weeknight dinner you'll make all month! Dump everything in one dish, bake it covered, stir in coconut milk, and you're done. This is not your average chicken and rice, it's packed with flavor and zing from red curry paste but with extra protein and fiber from edamame. No stovetop work, no sautéing, just pure dump-and-bake magic!
Servings: 6
Calories: 367kcal
Ingredients
Main Dish:
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup jasmine rice uncooked
- 1.5 cups chicken bone broth or chicken broth
- 4 tablespoon red curry paste
- 3 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter creamy or chunky
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 10 oz package frozen edamame, shelled
To Finish:
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- Juice from 1 lime
- ¼ c Fresh cilantro chopped
- Optional: extra lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F.In a 9x13 baking dish (or braiser/shallow Dutch oven), combine the 1 cup jasmine rice, 1.5 cups chicken bone broth, 4 tablespoon red curry paste, 3 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 2 cloves garlic, and 1 10 oz package frozen edamame, shelled. Stir everything together until the curry paste and peanut butter are fully mixed in and the rice is evenly coated.Nestle the 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs on top of the rice mixture in a single layer. Don't stir them in—just lay them on top.
- Cover the dish tightly with a lid or heavy-duty foil. Make sure the seal is tight so steam doesn't escape.Bake covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes (start checking the rice at 1 hour).
- Remove from the oven and check the rice. It should be tender. If it's still a bit hard, re-cover and bake for another 5-10 minutes. There will likely still be liquid in the dish—this is normal.
- Once the rice is tender, uncover the dish and bake for another 5-10 minutes to cook off excess liquid and thicken everything up. The time will vary depending on your pan—wider, shallower pans will take less time; deeper pans will take longer.
- Remove from the oven. Use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, or just chop it up. Stir in the ½ cup full-fat coconut milk until everything is creamy and combined.
- Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a handful of chopped cilantro. Serve with extra lime wedges on the side!
Video
Notes
Top tip! Don't skip the coconut milk at the end—it makes the whole dish creamy and balances the heat from the curry paste.
Rice type matters: Use jasmine or short/medium-grain white rice. Do NOT use basmati, brown rice, or instant rice—they have different cooking times and won't work.
No edamame? Use frozen peas (lower protein) or skip and add an extra ½ lb chicken.
Substitutions:
Chicken broth works instead of bone broth
Almond butter or cashew butter instead of peanut butter
Fresh basil instead of cilantro if you're not a cilantro fan
Storage:
Fridge: up to 5 days in an airtight container
Freezer: up to 3 months
Reheat: microwave with a splash of broth, or stovetop with a lid (always serve with fresh lime juice and cilantro!)
Make ahead: Assemble everything except coconut milk/lime/cilantro up to 24 hours ahead. Refrigerate covered, then bake (add 5 min to baking time).
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cup | Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 11g | Sodium: 983mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g