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Dinner doesn't get easier or more delicious than this cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole, made in just one pan, with a few simple ingredients.
Here's what a nerd I am when it comes to cooking: for my 14th birthday a friend gave me a cookbook, and it was one of my favorite gifts! It was a compilation of favorite recipes from close friends, and one of the recipes was this cheesy chicken and rice casserole.
What I love about Chicken and Rice Casserole:
- One pan: throw everything together in a casserole dish and bake. This makes for low prep and easy clean-up! I love recipes where the oven does all of the work. Check out my other one-pan recipes!
- Kid friendly: The end result is another kid-friendly recipe that's delicious and flavorful. The perfect comfort food for a fast weeknight meal or Sunday dinner that requires hardly any prep.
- Adaptable: Like most casserole dishes, there are plenty of variations you can make to this recipe. See more ideas below in the post.
How to Make Chicken and Rice Casserole:
1. Prep rice mixture: Add rice, cream of soups, milk, water and onion soup seasoning to a bowl and stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheddar cheese.
2. Add chicken: nestle chicken breasts into the rice mixture.
3. Bake: Cover the dish with aluminum foil (the pan will be very full!) and bake for 1 hour 30 min to 2 hours , or until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through. (Mine usually bakes in 1.5 hours, but time may vary depending on oven, altitude and other variables).
4. Top with cheese and serve. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh roasted veggies or a green salad.
Recipe Variations:
Cheese: leave it out, or substitute Colby jack, mozzarella or Swiss.
Rice: Minute rice will not work with this recipe. Brown rice would require additional liquid (at least ½ cup) and longer cooking time, so if using brown rice, I suggest using chicken thighs, instead of breasts, so the chicken doesn't overcook/dry out.
Herbs: if you'd like to add additional flavor, consider adding fresh thyme, parsley, freshly minced garlic or garnish with fresh basil.
Broccoli Chicken and Rice: add 2 cups chopped broccoli florets to the casserole before baking.
Veggies: Feel free to add chopped mushrooms, onions, green peppers, green beans, broccoli, etc.
Cream of soup: My homemade version is so easy and delicious but you can use any type of cream of soup for this recipes including chicken, mushroom, or celery.
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice: Reduce water to ½ cup and milk to 1 cup. Only use 1 can of cream of soup. Cook on high pressure/manual setting for 8-10 minutes (depending on thickness of the chicken breasts). Allow to naturally release for 10 minutes.
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To make ahead: This is a great make-ahead recipe. Prepare the dish but do not bake. Cover it well and store in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before baking.
To freeze: Prepare the dish but do not bake. Cover it well with plastic wrap and tinfoil and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking, uncovered.
Consider trying these popular one-pan meals:
- One pan baked salmon and vegetables
- One pan creamy lemon chicken tortellini
- One pan chicken fajita pasta
- One pan skillet lasagna
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup, (or homemade)
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups milk
- 1 batch homemade onion soup mix, , or one envelope Lipton onion soup mix
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, , divided
- 3 thick boneless skinless chicken breasts, , or thighs
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13'' pan (or similar size casserole dish) with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Add rice, cream of soups, milk, water and onion soup seasoning to a bowl and stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Nestle chicken breasts into the rice mixture. Cover the dish with aluminum foil (the pan will be very full!) and bake for 1 hour 30 min to 2 hours , or until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through. (Mine usually bakes in 1.5 hours, but time may vary depending on oven, altitude and other variables).
- Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
- Serve with fresh steamed veggies or a green salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe March 2017. Updated September 2020.
My family loves this recipe! I cook the rice first in chicken broth and cut the chicken up then mix everything with cheese on top It’s perfection
I cut up the chicken as well but I feel like when I cooked this it was so bland and I had to cook it for over 2 hrs but that’s probably because my oven isn’t very good.
What rice ? The article said don’t use Instant white rice . I may have said their name wrong .
In this recipe, it calls for long-grain white rice.
I use shredded chicken! I have found it is much more flavorful when I have shredded chicken, rather than chicken breasts or big chunks of chicken.
This was a wonderful recipe for a Chicken and Rice casserole. No, it was a fantastic recipe!
2 hours in and it is so saturated with milk that hasn’t been absorbed at all. Maybe just 1 cup next time.
It’s been over 1 1/2 hours rice still not done but my chicken is so I recovered my dish and put back in the oven for more time hope it’s good
Not quite “from scratch” huh?
Had high hopes for this recipe has it had such great ratings. I checked on it at 1 hour and it was already cooked – chicken was dry by the time I let it cool for 20 minutes. Flavour was extremely bl
After 1.5 hours, my chicken breast was registering at 165/170 but when I cut into it it was dry and chewy. How do you keep your chicken breast moist while still making sure it reaches a safe internal temp?
170°F is overcooked, that’s why it was dry! Pull the chicken at 160°F and let it rest; it’ll reach 165°F while resting. For this recipe’s long bake time (1.5-2 hours), start checking temp at 1 hour. Better yet: use chicken thighs instead of breasts—they stay moist during long cooking times and are more forgiving. The recipe even suggests this for brown rice!
Delicious! The onion soup mix puts it over the top. I used the instant pot method, but found I needed to add 1.5 cups of water, rather than the 0.5 cups listed, to avoid the dreaded ‘burn’ warning for not having enough liquid. It may have just been my particular instant pot, though. Still came out wonderfully, though, and the family loved it!
The most stressful casserole I’ve made because I read the reviews after putting it into the oven. I took the chicken out 60 mins in and kept pulling out the dish to stir it so rice got cooked thoroughly.
Delicious, versatile
Don’t waste your time with this. It taste like straight cream of chicken. Way too much liquid. It was a mushy mess.
Didn’t come out good at all. The chicken was done after an 1 1/2 hours but the rice was still crunchy. Pulled the chicken so it wouldn’t over cook. 2 hrs 15 mins and rice is still crunchy. Turned up to 400 to finish. Wouldn’t recommend. Nice hot new gas stove so that ain’t it.