A simple, well-balanced meal prep consisting of baked chicken thighs, vegetables, and rice. Perfect for lunch or dinner.
Chicken thighs are one of my favorite cuts of meat to meal prep with. They’re juicy, so they don’t dry out easy when reheating, and they’re naturally packed with flavor. They are also more budget-friendly than chicken breast.
This recipe is for a classic baked chicken thigh served will vegetables and rice for a well-balanced meal. You can easily swap out the sides for things that are more suited to your tastes and macros, if desired.
I saved the best part of this meal prep for last – it comes together in less than 30 minutes with minimal prep!
Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs – I like to use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs because they have the best flavor and are the juiciest.
- Oil – A little bit of oil helps the skin crisp and brown. You can use any oil you’d like. I prefer olive oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil.
- Seasoning – Any seasoning you like can be used. I opted for Lawry’s, but sometimes I use cajun seasoning or lemon pepper to “spice” things up.
- Rice – Adding brown or white rice makes this a complete and balanced meal. If you’re macros require less carbs, you can substitute with cauliflower rice.
- Vegetables – To keep this recipe quick and easy, I use frozen vegetables. You can simply place them in your meal prep containers while they’re still frozen!
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Tips
- Add a small portion of a healthy sauce to pour on your chicken when serving. We love this ranch and this Chile lime sauce.
- Need more calories and carbs? Add a serving of mashed potatoes.
- Need more protein? Double the amount of chicken or add a side of cheese or Greek yogurt.
How To Store
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
How To Reheat
Microwave
Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes, stir rice and vegetables, then cook another 1-2 minutes until desired heat is reached.
Oven
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Reheat for 8 minutes, then remove and stir vegetables and rice. Put back in the oven and cook another 8 minutes until desired heat is reached.
More Chicken Meal Prep Recipes
- Teriyaki Chicken Meal Prep
- Buffalo Chicken Meal Prep
- Chicken & Veggie Pasta Meal Prep
- Freezer Cajun Chicken Dinner
Chicken Thigh Meal Prep
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Lunch/Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Chicken
4 Chicken Thighs
1/2 Tablespoon Seasoning Salt (I use Lawry’s), or other seasoning mix
Rice
1 Cup Brown Rice
1 Cup Water
Veggies
8 oz Frozen Vegetables
Instructions
Chicken
Preheat oven to 425F.
Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Skin side up, drizzle with oil, then sprinkle the seasoning on.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until chicken is at least 165F at the thickest part (I use an inexpensive digital thermometer to check.) Move ahead to making the rice while the chicken cooks.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. While it is cooling, prepare 4 meal prep containers.
Once cool, add one chicken thigh to each of the meal prep containers.
Rice
Add rice and water to an Instant Pot. Place lid on and turn vent to “sealing”. Cook for 15 minutes on high pressure.
Quick release the pressure, remove lid, and use a fork to fluff the rice.
Allow to cool completely, then divide the rice between the four meal prep containers.
Veggies
Open your bag of frozen veggies and divide approximately 8 oz between your 4 meal prep containers.
Seal the meal prep containers with their lids, then store in the refrigerator up to 4 days.