The Best Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole is made completely from scratch in this easy one pan recipe that’s sure to please the whole family!
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. In addition, this recipe is made in just ONE pan.
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.
Rice Options:
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.
Is Best Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole really made in only one pan?
This recipe is made directly in a 9×13 baking dish. There’s no need to dirty any bowls or pots or pans. Simply stir everything together directly in the 9×13 pan, add in your chicken, season, and bake. It’s that simple!
Chicken Options?
Chicken thighs are used in this recipe because they will stay moist during the long baking process. If you prefer, chicken breasts can be used instead, but you’ll want to check the chicken and rice to see if both are done after baking for 1 hour. The additional 30 minutes of cooking may be unnecessary for chicken breasts. Use thick chicken breasts for best results.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious chicken thigh recipes:
- Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
- Easy Garlic Lime Skillet Chicken
- Mom’s Chicken Cacciatore
- Mexican-Spiced Chicken Thighs
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, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Tastes amazing but far too much liquid for sure only needs about 4 cups and half a cup of heavy cream
It tasted pretty good. Nice and moist. I was surprised at the liquidity of the recipe though of course much of it did get absorbed. I think it’s a little too rich for me. Thank you for the recipe though. I DID really like the Honey Dijon Chicken.
I made this with a half recipe and 2 chicken breasts. I also added some celery salt to the mixture and topped with white cheddar with about 15 minutes left to cook. Turned out great. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
We loved this! thanks.
Soooo good. My husband loved it. I made with boneless skinless breasts as I’m not a fan of dark meat. LOVED this old classic without using canned soups!!!! Will be a regular at our house!
This was not very good. There was WAY too much liquid. I thought so when I was making it as I am a seasoned cook, but I generally like to follow a recipe closely when making it for the first time. The rice was a complete mush. And just putting seasoning on top of the chicken made the rice bland. I love chicken rice casseroles but won’t make this one again. If you make decrease the liquid by two cups.
This was delicious and so easy!
I see in the comments below that some people have decided to add in canned soup to the recipe, but one thing I really appreciated about this recipe is that it didn’t have any canned items, allowing you to make it with just whole ingredients instead of processed foods. Trying to stay away from canned and packaged foods, so having something made with whole ingredients and getting a result like you would with canned soups and things like onion soup mix was very valuable to me. thank you so much for putting this together; I really appreciate this recipe.
Excellent. Wonderful directions too.
Delicious!! This will be a regular at my house!