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 made this with Carolin Gold rice. I halved the recipe, cooked it in a 9×9 pan with four chicken thighs. Yes..you need a lot of chicken broth. Don’t skimp. This was delicious and the rice was heaven.
I saw your post yesterday, & made this recipe last night. It was delicious! So much flavor & the rice was unbelievably creamy. The chicken was so tender. My husband said he could eat it every night of the week. Thanks for your recipe!
This is amazing! I didn’t have thighs so I used breasts and it was absolutely delicious. My first note in my new cookbook was my family’s 5 stars for this one!
This recipe was a good replacement for a similar recipe I’ve been making for years, using two cans of cream of mushroom soup. This “from scratch” method was denser and lacked the creamy gravy of the soup-based version, but it really tasted good and was probably healthier. However, the chicken thighs came out very dry and stringy. Browning thighs on the stovetop and then baking for 90 minutes total was way too long. I wonder if the rice would cook completely if I shortened the bake time.
Delicious. My boys had seconds. Did use 6 boneless, skinless thighs. Probably could have put two more in the dish. Only used 4 cups of broth as per previuos reviews and stirred the rice when I took the foil off at 1 hour to make sure the unabsorbed liquid was evenly distributed through the rice. Only reason for 4 stars is that I thought the rice was mushy.
I left a review at 60 minutes into the bake time, concerned that it wouldn’t work out. It was soooo soupy. But, after 90 minutes, it really was perfect. I’m amazed. I can’t find that review now to update it, so I’m just leaving a new one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My only qualm was that my 9×13 Pyrex glass baking pan is too shallow, so it bubbled over in my oven. I had to use a tray under it. Next time I will use my deep dish 9×13 pan.
I followed the recipe exactly as written in the cookbook. I used long grain white basmati for the rice. After adding in all the liquids, it was to the brim of my 9×13 glass pan. I had the thought to put a tray under it, but didn’t. Five minutes in, it had bubbled over to the bottom of my oven. Oye. So I took it out, cleaned up my oven, put it on a tray, and resumed baking it. After 90 minutes it was still soooo soupy. Now it’s on the last 30 minutes, and I’m skeptical that these ratios will work out. I’ll update my review once it’s done. But needless to say, I’ve already written a note in my new cookbook—use deep dish 9×13!
100% satisfied are the results!
Using my oven style air fryer, I had to cut the recipe in half to fit the space.
Air fryer was set on BAKE, 350°, no fan. The dish was a 2.5 quart Corningware with foil cover. Foil was removed after an hour, and the chicken and rice were both done. I cooked five more minutes to brown the top a bit. 100% awesome!
This is so TASTY!
This was probably the fourth “one pan” chicken and rice casserole that I have tried that was actually successful and delicious. The others took forever to bake or the rice was really mushy but THIS ONE IS A KEEPER. As per her video, I used jasmine rice and only used four cups of broth and the results were great. Like others said, there is a lot of rice in this dish but my family loves rice so not a big deal for us. I used six thighs and added a little garlic and herb seasoning I found at a local market because I ran out of garlic powder.
Does anyone know if boneless chicken breast works with this recipe?
Yes! I use them all the time 🙂
Does anyone ever add frozen peas and carrots to this recipe?