Chicken and Rice Casserole is a classic family favorite here in the United States. It is total comfort food. In this recipe, we’ve stuck with a completely “from scratch” concept made from real ingredients. In addition, this recipe is made in just ONE pan, making clean-up a breeze for those busy weeknights!
Why Our Recipe
- Made completely from scratch, so you’re not using any canned/boxed ingredients.
- Made directly in the baking dish, so you don’t even have to get a single bowl or pan dirty.
- Prep time is only 10 minutes. The oven takes care of the rest!
A lot of times nowadays, chicken and rice casserole comes from a box or is made from a bunch of canned ingredients. Not here! We are bringing you completely from scratch deliciousness for your family to enjoy. You still get to dump everything in a pan, but this time it’s all whole, real ingredients. There is ABSOLUTELY NO cream of chicken in this dish.
Ingredient Notes
- Long Grain White Rice: we recommend using only regular white rice in this recipe. Instant rice is not a good option and will overcook in this casserole. Brown rice requires a much longer cooking time than white rice and is also not recommended for this recipe.
- White Onion: you can also use a yellow onion interchangeably.
- Salted Butter: unsalted butter can also be used, but you’ll want to add a little more salt to the recipe.
- Flour: flour is necessary for thickening up the sauce used in the casserole.
- Chicken Broth: vegetable broth can also be used.
- Heavy Cream: whole milk can also be used, but the casserole won’t be as creamy.
- Seasonings: salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and paprika add great flavor to this recipe.
- Chicken Thighs: Thighs are used because they are much more forgiving when it comes to drying out and with a long cooking time, that’s what we need. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you’d like. Chicken breasts will end up dry.
The Best Rice to Use
This recipe calls for long-grain white rice. We recommend using jasmine or basmati rice in this recipe for best results. Both are types of long grain white rice, but they tend to be a little more consistent in quality than something generically labeled as long grain rice.
Lower-cost or store-brand rice often has more broken grains and excess rice flour, which can cause uneven cooking and leave extra liquid in your casserole. Jasmine and basmati rice absorb liquid more predictably and bake up light and fluffy.
Keeping the Chicken on Top of the Rice
To ensure the chicken stays on top of the rice and doesn’t sink into the liquid, placement is key. After pouring the broth and cream mixture over the rice, gently smooth the rice into an even layer with the back of a spoon. Then, carefully place the chicken thighs skin-side up directly on top.
It’s important not to press the chicken down into the liquid—just let it rest on the surface. The chicken will naturally nestle into the rice as it cooks, but starting it above the liquid will help the skin stay exposed for optimal crisping. The combination of thickened rice from the flour and careful placement keeps the chicken nicely on top throughout baking.
Adding a Veggie
Casseroles are pretty convenient as well as forgiving. If you want to add some veggies into this mix, frozen peas and carrots are going to be a great option. Add up to 2 cups and stir them in with the rice before baking. No need to thaw beforehand, but do reduce the amount of broth by about 1/4 cup to compensate for the added liquid.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat portions in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.
More delicious chicken thigh recipes
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Made this recipe during the week with debone no skin chicken breasts. I used just regular white long grain rice. It was soooo yummy. The rice was excellent and fluffy.
My husband loved it! I added some artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes.
Next time I’m going to try adding fresh mushrooms and roasted red peppers.
Such an easy dinner to throw together in one pan and so very satisfying 🥰
I followed your recipe exactly, yes with the good rice and heavy cream, and after two hours it is still a soupy mess and the rice isn’t cooked. This was a waste of chicken and ingredients.
I’m so sorry you had a bad experience. While most people love this recipe, we do have a steady stream of people who it doesn’t work out for. We can’t replicate it in our test kitchen other than using a generic long grain white rice that is low quality. If you could let us know the exact rice you used, it would be super helpful for us to continue to troubleshoot.
What I want to know is can you make this and put it in the freezer? And before or after baking?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing before or after baking. There is too much liquid to freeze before baking. Recipes with cream in them are prone to separating once thawed, and this would be difficult to reheat after freezing without drying out the chicken. Instead, I’d shred the chicken and freeze it with the rice in portions. That will reheat much more nicely.
I also had a rough time with the soupy-ness of this recipe. I will admit that I did have to substitute whole milk for heavy cream (and I know that someone is going to say “That’s why it was so soupy!” but it shouldn’t have been THAT liquidy…) I’ll probably try it again with cream this time but not thrilled this time around 😕
You are correct that whole milk and heavy cream have very different consistencies. When you try it again with the correct ingredient, also be sure to use a quality long-grain white like jasmine or basmati rice. Both are types of long grain white rice, but they are more consistent in quality than generic long grain rice. Lower-cost or store-brand rice often has more broken grains and excess rice flour, which can cause uneven cooking and leave extra liquid in your casserole. Jasmine and basmati rice absorb liquid more predictably and bake up light and fluffy.
Nope !! I’m convinced the 4 star reviews are AI. I should have know the amount of liquid called in this recipe was way off. I want me time, chicken and dignity back. This was a mess
Sorry you had a bad experience! As noted, the type of rice you use determines how the recipe turns out. Using AI to fabricate reviews is illegal and we take accusations of fraud very seriously. While you may have had a bad experience, every review on our website is written by real people and we do not manipulate them in any way. I hope you can regain your dignity, but ours holds firm.
Came out perfectly using basmati, it’s a much more sturdy rice, takes longer to cook so it’s perfect for this recipe.
This reminds me of a dish my parents used to make, very old school, so easy, one dish!
Great as always!
*If people had trouble, I also think some people don’t use an oven thermometer to know exactly the temperature of their oven.
Cooked at 350F for an hour, then added cheese topping and broiled at 500F for an additional 10 mins. Then, turned off oven and left in for an additional ten minutes.
Love a casserole for whole chicken breast! Meat is tender and flavourful. I added mesquite seasonings to both the rice and the chicken for a different take. I also substituted some broth for poutryy soup mix. And a touch of cayenne. Butter is clutch for this recipe.
Tried this tonight and it was amazing my family loved it and I will be making it again the only thing I would do different is a little less stock as it was a little soupy but oh so good