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.
This was lovely, but next time I might half the recipe, can it be frozen?
It taste really nice, I sautéed the onion, butter and garlic first.
I used beast chicken though and it was extremely dry. Any tips on time I need to cook so its no so dry and overcooked? Thank you in advance
I have made this a couple of times. I add more vegitables to the recipe. I also use skinless chicken and works just fine
We love it
I wonder if you could follow the same steps but use risotto instead of rice?
Maybe throw in some Parmesan?
I already had a chicken and rice recipe but decided to give this one a try. Absolutely yummy.
This recipe was DELICOUS! And so incredibly easy, it will be added to our family’s weekly dinner schedule. That says a lot because my husband hates casseroles but said this was amazing! I did substitute whole milk for the heavy cream, only because I didn’t have heavy cream on hand, but I could only imagine the flavor would be even better with the cream! Seriously, thank you so much for the super simple and delicious recipe!
I hate to say this but I was quite disappointed and I followed the recipe. The rice was mushy and the filling started to dribble out when I added the chicken. I used 4 thighs and 3 legs. The overall taste was bland. I even added a little thyme over the rice. It smelled too oniony also. I would reduce the broth and add maybe Lipton Onion Soup instead of the onions. I used plenty of salt and pepper and we still needed more at the table. Sorry but I might stick to the 2 cans of cream of chicken recipes.
This was absolutely delicious and the prep was so quick and easy! I added diced carrots and celery along with the onion to make it a complete Neal with extra vegetables in it. I would definitely make this again!
I made it for lunch today. I used 900 grams of chicken though, which means eight pieces of chicken instead of the five you see in the photo because I wanted to balance the rice-chicken ratio. I had people over and they loved it, and so did I. Super practical and yummy.
We loved this at work, i made as a chicken dish for the daycare kids. Instead of chicken thighs i used chopped chicken on the top. The staff loved it too and asked for the recipe. This is going into our work place reciep index and will become a regular item on our menu!
Thank you for that wonderful recipe.