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.
This looks delicious! I stopped using cream of anything soups years ago due to awful indigestion issues, so I’m happy to see this version. My question is, can buttermilk be used in place of heavy cream? If so, at what ratio?
I suppose you could use buttermilk, but it will result in a different flavor since it’s acidic instead of neutral. You’d use it in the same amount.
This looks delicious! I stopped using any cream of anything soups years ago due to awful indigestion issues, so I’m happy to see this version. My question is, can buttermilk be used in place of heavy cream? If so, at what ratio?
We haven’t tested that to know how the flavor profile would turn out. If you do do that, please let us know!
Can you use boneless thighs?
Yes you can.
This was such an amazing dish, we’ve had it twice in four days! The first time we used thighs, the second time we used tomato basil marinated breasts (we baked the breasts an hour as recommended, which was perfect) . We did cut the stock down to 4 cups, because I was concerned about it being soupy and sloshing when I put it in the oven. Overall a great dinner, we’ll definitely make this again.
Came out perfect for me. The Jasmine rice was wonderful and chicken cooked to perfection.
Super disappointed. Too much liquid. Removed half and the chicken stirred it and returned to oven and it’s still not done after 2 hours of cooking.
I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t turn out as expected! If there’s too much liquid, it might be due to differences in rice type—some varieties don’t absorb as much. For best results, make sure to use uncooked long-grain white rice as called for in the recipe.
I have made this several times. I always use Mahatma Jasmine rice, it cooks wonderfully .
I prefer litte or no Italian seasoning, and add more garlic powder and have even added Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Sometimes cook for 10-15 minutes more. I am about to some in the oven now. Starting with frozen chicken. I’ll let you know how that goes! Thanks. Love you ladies take care
i didnt use the chicken broth..Instead i used cream of chicken soup and the heavy cream and everything else it called for..it turned out great and the rice mixture wasnt at all soupy.i used chicken breast instead to
It turned out very delicious and looked just like the picture! Followed the recipe to the T except I used Better Than Boullion instead of chicken broth. My oven is very temperamental and I had to watch the temperature closely but it cooked according to the recipe without any problems. I will put it in my favorites rotation for sure!
Way tooooo much liquid!!! It spilled when trying to put in the oven. Thankfully I noticed it was too full so I put a cookie sheet under to catch everything that is dripping out! It’s a shame. Pics look delicious. If someone makes this lower the liquid amount! It smells good. But I don’t think it will be edible. Unless I want a soupy mush dinner.
Mine turned out perfect! I used long grain white rice and the full 5 cups of broth. Delicious!