This classic chicken and rice casserole recipe is a one pan meal that’s full of tender chicken and creamy rice, all baked together to golden brown perfection. A classic dinner that the whole family will enjoy.
Casseroles always hit the spot, my family enjoys chicken enchilada casserole, beef noodle casserole and this creamy chicken and rice dish.
This chicken and rice casserole is actually a family recipe that comes from my mother-in-law. It was my husband’s favorite dish growing up, and his mom always made it for company. It’s pretty old school with the canned soups, but sometimes you just need a little classic comfort food, and this casserole definitely fits the bill. How can you go wrong with tender chicken and ultra creamy rice?
How do you make chicken and rice casserole?
The other thing I love about this dish is that it can be made in one pan. The rice and soup mixture gets stirred together in the pan, then the chicken goes on top and gets drizzled with butter and seasonings. You may be wondering why this dish includes butter since it also has creamy soup. The butter helps the chicken brown during the last part of the baking process, and it adds such great flavor to the rice! I season my chicken with salt, pepper and a little smoked paprika. If you have a favorite seasoning blend that would also be great on the chicken.
This chicken and rice casserole works best with bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces. If you use something like boneless skinless chicken breasts, they’ll dry out during the long bake time. I prefer to use dark meat chicken, like chicken thighs, drumsticks or legs. Here I’ve used a combination of thighs and drumsticks so that there’s something for everyone!
Chicken and rice casserole variations
You can add other flavors into this dish to make it your own, I often add other ingredients that I have on hand to spice things up a bit.
- Vegetables: Add 1 cup of vegetables such as sliced mushrooms, carrots or broccoli to the dish before it goes into the oven.
- Cheese: Sprinkle 3/4 cup of shredded cheese over the top during the last 10 minutes of the baking time.
My husband is thrilled that our kids love this casserole as much as he does. Add a green veggie on the side and you’ve got an easy dinner for those times when nothing will do except comfort food!
Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!
More great chicken recipes
- Garlic & Herb Roasted Chicken
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Chicken Santa Fe
Chicken and rice casserole video
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken pieces such as legs, thighs or drumsticks
- 2 cups white rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can cream of celery soup
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika regular or smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray.
- Add the rice, water, and 3 cans of soup to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Place the chicken pieces on top of the rice mixture. Drizzle the butter over the chicken and rice.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Uncover and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed and chicken is browned. If you like extra crispy chicken skin, broil the casserole for 3-5 minutes after it's done baking.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Pamela A Johnson says
Made this week with boneless chicken thighs. Turned out great.
Bridget says
Can minute rice be used in this recipe?
Sara says
No, it would be mushy at the end of the cook time!
Kislings says
I liked it alot my husband and father in law enjoyed it. We were thinking maybe making it boneless chicken.
Loraine oneill says
Have you got to use the celery soup or is there an alternative
Sara says
You can use any flavor of cream soup!
autum says
can you use jasime rice?
Sara says
Yes that works!
Emma says
I am trying this today.the dish looks good
Cherie says
Can I freeze it uncooked or should I cook and then freeze?
Sara says
I would freeze it after it’s been cooked.
Carolyn says
If you add broccoli when would you add it and would it be raw or cooked?
Sara says
I’d stir in steamed broccoli during the last 10 minutes of the cooking time!
Kendra says
5 minutes rice works great as well. It’s the only rice I use now. It gets ready faster.
Mary says
Can you use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of the bone in chicken?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Diane says
Could this be done in the crock pot with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Sara says
I haven’t tried it before, I’d be concerned that the rice would get mushy!
Renae says
Did you use quick rice or long gran rice?
Sara says
Uncooked long grain rice!
Karen says
I’ve cooked it 1 1/2 hours. The rice is not done, will it finish cooking the last 20-30 minutes? I used uncooked long grain rice.
Sara says
It should cook through completely by the end!
Jane Seidel says
Is there a reason you have to use bone in, skin on thighs, legs or drumsticks? Never use any chicken other than skinless breasts. What changes would I need to make?
Sara says
Boneless skinless chicken breasts are much more likely to dry out in this dish, but you can try it if you want!
Sharon Burgos says
The skin and bones actually add a lot of flavor to the dish. And longer cook time gives the rice the time it needs to cook thoroughly. You can always remove the skin and bones and shred or chop the chicken after it’s cooked, then mix back into the rice. I brown the chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet before I put them in the rice, just 2 minutes or so on each side.