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!
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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
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.
Diane says
My mother, and I, have always made this with 1 cup of rice, the same 3 soups, and no water. Fabulous!
Lauren Palmer says
This recipe is so good I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and added, mushrooms,onion,and broccoli to it. It’s sooooo good even my picky toddler eats it.
Sara says
Sounds amazing, so glad you enjoyed it!
Laura says
Hi there. Assuming that regular rice means long grain? Sounds delicious and plan to make this evening.
Sara says
Yes long grain rice!
Suzan says
Hi there. I just came across you while searching for an answer. I am on a low carb food plan. I want to try substituting brown rice for white. In all my hours of searching I have only found one answer. I would like to get your opinion. It was suggested to parboil the brown rice for 9 minutes, strain, and continue with the recipe. What are your thoughts on this? I may try this with 1/2 cup of brown rice first to see how well it does. I don’t want to ruin the cassarole. Food prices are high enough. Thank you in advance.
Xoxo
Suzan
Sara says
I think that sounds totally fine to parboil the rice first, you could parboil for 10 minutes and that should work!
Robin says
Love this recipe! It’s one of my husband’s faves too:) I would really like to make in a Dutch oven because once all ingredients are combined in my largest Pyrex casserole dish it’s extremely full. If it’s not too much trouble can you advise on temperature and timing for a Dutch oven. It is a staple for our fam but does get a little old cleaning the overflow off the oven floor. Thanks for the help!
Sara says
If you’re baking it, you can bake it the same way as you would in a casserole dish!
Amanda says
Can you freeze? If so do you cook all the way through or cut off any steps?
Sara says
You can freeze it, just be aware the rice will be softer upon thawing and reheating!
Elesha says
Kudos for such a great chicken and rice recipe! I added poultry seasoning and a little thyme. Instead of water , I used chicken broth and 1/2 cup more liquid than what’s called for. Wonderful! Thanks!
Sara says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Pilar Williams says
Can you use Boneless chicken for this?
Sara says
Yes but you’ll need to reduce the cooking time accordingly!
Tom Young says
We watch our Sodium intake because of history of heart issues. This is very high and assume it’s all the canned soups. Any suggestions for lowering the sodium level?
Sara says
They do make low sodium versions of the canned soup, I’d recommend trying it that way!
Frank says
I live in Colorado and it turns out very tasty but the texture was gluey. Served it up to raves but had to cover it in gravy. The baking pan is full when you bake so adding extra fluid is out. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll make it again but does anyone have a solution? Less rice?
Sara says
The rice is on the softer side due to the long baking time. You’d have to use smaller chicken pieces and reduce the baking time if you’re looking for firmer rice!
KENDRA says
Try minute rice, another half a can or whole can of soup and more water. I also use aluminum pans large enough for a turkey.
Paul says
So I am guessing that I should not cook the minute rice prior to mixing it with the soups?
Sara says
The rice goes in uncooked!
Rachel says
Absolutely delicious!! I’m a new mom, my husband and I both work, and I believe in eating a home cooked meal at least most nights of the week… This recipe is so simple, doesn’t take much effort to throw it together, and tastes awesome! It’s become one of my go-to dinners when I want a good dinner but don’t have much time. You can easily stir in some brocolli or other veggies for a complete, wholesome meal.
Sara says
So glad you enjoy this one, thanks for reporting back!
Deb says
My family loves this recipe!
Cheryl says
This looks so good but I’m allergic to mushrooms. Can I use 2 cans of cream of chicken soup or use cream of asparagus or cream of broccoli in place of the cream of mushroom soup?
Sara says
Yes, any cream soup will work!
Jeff Kneser says
I make this similarly but use a mix of wild rice, brown, and jasmine. The rice and chicken are both cooked ahead of time in the chicken broth. I then add the soup, broccoli florets, and cover it all with grated cheese. Bake for about an hour. Tastes great.
Sara says
Sounds great I’ll have to try it your way next time!