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Home » Quick & Easy Dinners » Chicken and Rice Casserole

Published: May 8, 2017 Last Modified: May 17, 2019 By Sara 265 Comments

Chicken and Rice Casserole

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Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe | Chicken and Rice Bake | Cream of Mushroom Chicken Casserole | Chicken Casserole Recipe

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.

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe | Chicken and Rice Bake | Cream of Mushroom Chicken Casserole | Chicken Casserole Recipe #chicken #casserole #rice #dinner #onepot #dinneratthezoo

Chicken and rice casserole with baked chicken pieces and creamy rice in a serving with with a serving spoon.

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?

Chicken and rice casserole in a white baking dish, topped with chopped parsley.

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.

A spoon serving up a portion of chicken and rice casserole.

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!

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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


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!
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4.79 from 51 votes

Chicken and Rice Casserole

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!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 665kcal
Author Sara Welch

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 665kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 1145mg | Potassium: 478mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 695IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2.6mg
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Filed Under: One Pot Meals, Quick & Easy Dinners

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    Comments

    1. Mac says

      April 19, 2022 at 12:32 pm

      What size cans of soup?.If anyone likes the flavor of curry I sprinkle a little on top before cooking.

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 19, 2022 at 12:40 pm

        10.5 ounce cans!

        Reply
    2. Rod says

      February 24, 2022 at 8:38 am

      can I use instant rice or should it be regular rice?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        February 24, 2022 at 8:46 am

        It should be regular rice!

        Reply
    3. Laurel says

      January 17, 2022 at 8:55 pm

      5 stars
      Loved the way the chicken came out in this recipe! Tender and flavorful

      Reply
    4. Debi Cleveland says

      November 22, 2021 at 6:11 pm

      I’ve already made this once & it was a big hit, delicious! If I prepare this ahead of time, how many days can I refrigerate this before cooking? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Sara says

        November 23, 2021 at 8:28 am

        I’d cook it within 6-8 hours because the rice will absorb the liquid as it sits in the fridge.

        Reply
    5. Brooke says

      November 12, 2021 at 8:37 am

      Can I speed up the cooking time at all by starting it at 375°F instead of 350? (Please say yes…)

      Reply
      • Sara says

        November 12, 2021 at 9:20 am

        Yes that’s fine!

        Reply
    6. K. Walker says

      October 1, 2021 at 8:59 pm

      5 stars
      I made this tonight and it was amazingly delicious! The chicken was so tender and fell apart with one stab of a fork! I will be adding this on to our family dinner rotations !

      Reply
    7. Cathie says

      September 16, 2021 at 5:36 pm

      I’m trying this with boneless breast and hope it stays moist. I did divide it between 2 baking dishes. Can I freeze an uncooked one for later?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        September 17, 2021 at 9:27 am

        Yes that’s fine!

        Reply
    8. diane olson says

      May 27, 2021 at 1:02 pm

      love this recipie going to make for dinner tonight

      Reply
      • Paula shannon says

        September 13, 2021 at 11:42 am

        5 stars
        Easy to make. I make it the night before and pop it in the fridge. I cook it the next day. My husband love this dish on a cold winter night.

        Reply
    9. Julie Mark says

      May 15, 2021 at 10:03 am

      I grew up on a similar recipe, only we add a couple of stalks of celery (sliced on an angle abt .5 inch thick) & 1/2 packet of Lipton dried onion soup mix which adds great texture and flavor to the creamy rice. We also just throw whatever chicken pieces with the skin on top after mixing the soups, water, rice and celery. In my opinion, you don’t need any of the ingredients after the salt & pepper on your list. If you make it with the onion soup, be careful not to add much salt. The soups all have plenty of salt!

      Reply
      • Kristen says

        June 15, 2021 at 6:57 pm

        Can you use boneless thighs?

        Reply
      • Amanda says

        June 26, 2021 at 9:48 pm

        My grandma made this, my mom, and I my kids who are grown love it! I recommend using Lipton onion soup mix Everytime. Thanks for posting. I’m make this tomorrow now 🙂

        Reply
    10. Laurie Malphrus says

      May 1, 2021 at 3:45 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is fantastic!I use cream of chicken,cream of onions and cream of celery and everyone in my family loves it!It really is simple and delicious….

      Reply
    11. Kim says

      April 27, 2021 at 10:38 am

      Can you use yellow saffron rice in this recipe?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 27, 2021 at 9:26 pm

        I think it could work I just haven’t tried it myself! I’d make sure there’s not any added salt in the rice.

        Reply
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