Easy One Pot Baked Chicken and Rice Dish Recipe, Stuffing Inspired, Gluten Free and Allergy Friendly

Ever have a time where you have to feed your family, want it to be a nice well rounded meal with protein, carbs, and veggies, but you simply don't have time to be making many different things at once? That's when one pot meals come into play, but the best type of one pot meal is the kind that you throw together in minutes, and then toss into the oven, only to forget about it until its cooked.

I have made chicken and rice baked together in the oven, but the recipes I made had soup mix in it, something I'd prefer to avoid, and they also didn't have any vegetables in them, so they weren't completely a one pot full meal. This version, inspired by the flavors of stuffing, or traditional Southern dressing, was one I recently made. I placed the vegetables in sections, so that way my picky kids wouldn't complain. One section for the carrots, one for the zucchini, and one for the celery. But feel free to mix them all together if you aren't dealing with picky kids like I am.
Unlike other times I've made such a dish, because of the vegetables the chicken wasn't buried in the rice, so it stayed on top and was crispy, and it was the best version of this type of dish I ever had.

That said, my kids weren't huge fans of the sage, and I tried to do a short cut and skip peeling the carrots for this recipe, so that added a bit of bitterness that otherwise would have not been there.
Next time, because of my kids preferences, I plan on playing around with the spices and veggies- I'm thinking green beans, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. But this version is definitely great.

Easy One Pot Baked Chicken and Rice Dish Recipe, Stuffing Inspired, Gluten Free and Allergy Friendly

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup raw rice (use white or whole for this)
2 medium zucchini
4 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 cloves garlic
1 pack, approximately 1 kilogram or 2 pounds chicken wings
1 onion
1 tablespoon fresh sage, or less if using dry
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups water

Instructions:
1. Place your raw rice in a 9x13 baking pan.

2. Using a mandolin or a knife, thinly slice your zucchini and carrots. Chop your celery.

3. Place your veggies over your rice, so that it is fully covered.

4. Place your wings on top of that, spreading them out so they have more surface area.

5. Slice your onions and place on top of the chicken. Mince your garlic and do the same.

6. Spread your spices evenly over the chicken.

7. Top with your water.

8. Bake covered an hour and fifteen minutes at 350, then uncover and bake another 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

What is your favorite "throw it all in a pot and have a meal waiting" meal? Does this look like something you'd try?