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 added mushrooms in mine is very good, I will make it again 😍
2nd time preparing… easy to follow and DELICIOUS!
Not to change your recipe, but at last minute decision , to make the recipe I found no chicken stock😳 and thought it sounded like a lot of liquid for 9×13. I substituted a can of cream of chicken soup diluted with water to 4cup volume and 3 bouillon cubes along with the rest of ingredients included, all came out D-lish creamy and tender!!!
Did you still add the heavy cream?
I’ve made this several times and it’s a hit. I’ve even substituted a can of cream soup for the cream and it’s been fine. Thanks for making my day easier.
Amazing. Absolutely amazing. What I made though was more or less an adaptation of this recipe due to the fact that every time I’ve made recipes where the rice is cooked with the chicken, it either turns out under cooked or over cooked. Instead I decided to cook the rice before hand, stirring the rice, onion, melted butter and flour in a large pot, then poured in chicken broth, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and brought it to a boil, lowered the heat and simmered for 15-20 minutes, turned off heat, let rest for 10 minutes. I added some mustard powder and Ac’cent which really woke up the rice flavor. Then I poured some broth into the bottom of the casserole dish, spread out some sliced mushrooms, laid the chicken thighs down and baked until they were done, removed them from the pan. Added the rice to the bottom of the pan, mixing and scraping up all the fixings that were at the bottom of the pan, incorporating them into the rice, added the chicken back on top of the rice, and baked for 15 minutes more. I used regular thighs, no skin, no bone-in. There was enough fat in this meal, I didn’t want to add more, between the heavy cream and butter. I also increased the serving size to 8. It was so damn delicious. Thank you both for sharing.!!
I’m loving your recipes (and your beautiful smiles). I’ve been cooking for over 50 years, but I learn something from you girls every time I watch you. Thank you.
Best Chicken an Rice ever
My family & I absolutely love this easy & tasty recipe.
My kids and hubby really liked this! I increased it to 8 servings and that caused trouble with the timing. It took closer to 2 hours and the last 20-25 minutes I had to take the chicken thighs out of the rice mixture and broil them. They were basically poaching and nowhere near done at 90 min of cooking. I will make it again, but be prepared to cook closer to 2-2 1/4 hours. I’m going to try adding some veggies to it too, maybe broccoli?
Too much rice! I used 6 chicken thighs and the amount of rice would be good with at least 4 more. Good flavor but just too much rice.
Excellent recipe. I highly reccomend.