Easy Tropical Chicken and Rice Bake

An all-in-one chicken bake with tropical and bright flavors, yet the comfort of a baked dinner meal. 

How to Make Easy Tropical Chicken and Rice Bake

Most classic chicken and rice recipes start off by cooking the rice on the stove and then finishing in the oven.  In an effort to simplify dinner, this recipe just calls for everything to be put into the pan all at once.  This makes for a super flavorful baked rice because it soaks up the sweetness of the pineapple juice while is is baking.  Plus it is one less dish you have to wash!  We love this Easy Tropical Chicken and Rice Bake because it has the comfort of a baked chicken and rice dish, with the fresh flavors of bell pepper, pineapple and green onion.

What is a Casserole?

Casserole is basically a less appealing word for a ‘bake’.  It is technically a large dish cooked in the oven and served straight from the pan.  But a casserole should be every mom’s dream recipe!  It feeds a lot of little mouths, it typically has veggies in it, and it is just one pan to worry about.  There are a lot of versions of chicken and rice casserole, but we think our fresher version of chicken and rice is one of the best.   A lot of people think of a casserole with cream soup, mushy veggies, and kind of bland looking.  This Easy Tropical Chicken and Rice Bake has fresh red bell pepper, green onion, sweet and juicy pineapple, chicken, rice and savory bacon.  There is definitely nothing bland about it!

Can you Bake Rice in the Oven?

Yes!  If I were going to make just rice by itself, I think there are probably easier methods (rice cooker or Instant Pot).  But for chicken and rice, the oven is a great method of cooking!  Rice is something that you usually don’t get a second chance at if you mess it up the first time.  A lot of time, cooking rice on the stove can produce different results, and baking rice in the oven resolves most of the problems!  The great thing about baking rice, is that you can add flavor while it bakes and it makes the rice really delicious.

Turkey Bacon Vs. Pork Bacon

The most common question asked about this: Is turkey bacon or pork bacon better for you?  The short answer is that pork bacon has about 25 calories, .5 grams of fat and 30 mg of sodium more per serving than turkey bacon.  However, turkey bacon has less than half the protein of pork bacon.   Turkey bacon is made from ground up turkey and that is flavored to taste like bacon.  Ground up dark meat is layered with ground up light meat.  Because  there are different types of meat involved, it allows the processors to add in as little or as much fat as they like.  In pork bacon, the amount of fat is dictated by how fat the pig belly was.

Easy One-Pan Dinner Recipes

If you like super quick and easy dinner ideas that involve just one pan, we have some great recipes for you:

Easy Weeknight Veggie Gnocchi 

Sheet Pan Chicken with Spring Veggies

All-In-One InstantPot Chicken and Brown Rice

One Pot Tuscan Ziti Recipe

One Pot Mexican Quinoa

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3.2 from 55 votes

Easy Tropical Chicken and Rice Bake

An all-in-one chicken bake with tropical and bright flavors, yet the comfort of a baked dinner meal. 

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 9

Calories: 289kcal

Ingredients

• 2 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, gluten free
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth, low-sodium
• 1 1/2 cup Brown rice, Instant
• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium bell pepper, red
• 15 ounce pineapple tidbits
• 1 pound chicken breast
• 4 slice turkey bacon
• 1 stalk green onion

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Mince garlic and add to a mixing bowl with brown sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth and rice.
• Dice onion and bell peppers; add to the mixing bowl. Drain the pineapple, reserving juice. Measure out 1 cup of juice, and add to the bowl along with the pineapple.
• Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces and add to mixing bowl. Stir to combine; pour into prepared baking dish.
• Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook bacon as directed on package and crumble. Slice green onion.
• After baking for 20 minutes, remove foil; stir, sprinkle with cooked bacon and sliced green onions.  Bake an additional 15-20 minutes. Rice should be tender and the chicken cooked through.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 546mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g

Keyword : Easy Tropical Chicken and Rice Bake

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