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.
I cannot say that this is the “best” but it is very good! And, folks need to remember this rice to liquid ratio is only an “estimate” because you have NO idea what type of rice was used or I missed it! Anyway, I used a long-grain rice which has a ratio of 1c to 4c liquid … but modified considering the ingredients so used 1-1/2c rice & 4c chicken broth & 1c half&half and things turned our very well. The rice “firmed” up after the dish rested for about 5-8 minutes and we were very happy. I always “brown” my rice in a little olive oil before cooking to bring out additional flavors and with this added mushrooms; onion & fresh spinach then pretty much followed the directions. Enjoy!
This is so good!!!!! I messed up a bit because I added some (3 cups) chopped fresh mushrooms to my rice mixture. As a result the pan could not fit the chicken thighs, so I had to cook them in a tray below the rice mixture until the rice plumped up enough to support them-lol! It was worth the extra step because it tasted awesome. I followed all other instructions to the letter. Heavy cream makes this dish to die for!!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe
I lost my chicken and rice recipe, looked up your recipe. This is the recipe I lost. It is the best and easiest recipe to use. I love it and my children cook this for there families.
I also like to add broccoli florets to mine also the fried onions
Loved this recipe. The rice was so flavorful and the chicken so moist.
Thank you Rachel!
I made this today – my rice came out very mushy; like mashed potato consistency. Not sure if there was something I did wrong or it’s just way too much liquid. Usually when you cook rice it’s 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. This recipe is basically calling for a 3 to 1 ratio. Not to mention that makes a LOT of rice! It was fairly tasty and very easy to make.
My mom made it last week and she only used 4 cups of broth and she left out the heavy cream. She said her rice was a little mushy but it was very tasty. That being said, I always use more seasoning than she does. Everyone has their own preferences with seasoning.
So next time, I’ll use a smaller pan, less rice, a lot less liquid, and double up on the seasonings. I’m going to freeze some and see how that turns out. May be hard to decide with the rice so mushy to start with.
Great recipe! Can I use brown rice? What would I change in the recipe?
I came here looking for a great baked chicken and rice recipe and this one looks so good. However, after reading all the comments, I’m perplexed about the fact that roughly half of the comments say there’s too much liquid, and the rest were completely satisfied with the recipe as is. Very hesitant to make this unless I can figure out what’s up with that. Any ideas?
Okay, I just watched the video of this and the matter is cleared up. The recipe specifies 5 cups broth to 2 cups of regular white rice. However, if you use jasmine rice, use only 4 cups broth since jasmine doesn’t absorb as much liquid as regular rice does. I’m now ready to go for it. I’m so hungry for this dish!
My mom always added a juice glass of sherry or cooking sherry when making chicken cacciatore, so I added it to this dish. It adds a great rustic flavor!
Perfectly simple and tasty. I use Zatarin’s parboiled rice for perfect rice every time.