Chicken and Rice Casserole – Beautifully seared, spice-infused chicken baked on a bed of fantabulous rice is an immaculate meal for the entire family. You’ll love spooning the rice’s warm creamy goodness and perfectly browned chicken onto your plate. So delicious and yet so effortless and elegant.
I’ve been planning on reducing carbs to prepare for the holidays. (That way, I can indulge in all those insanely delicious Christmas and New Year’s goodies.) Yet my body’s persistence in craving comfort food cravings won’t stop. But, hey, who says it’s the carbs that’s the problem?
So I happily gave in to the call of this mouthwatering chicken and rice casserole. Ooh! And the heart-warming satisfaction of biting into tender, juicy chicken and creamy, savory rice was so worth it. Besides, dieting is terribly overrated. Ha! 🤣
Why You’ll Love Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Chicken and rice alone is already a fantastic combo, with the rice soaking up all the chicken goodness and creating a soul-comforting casserole. It’s also a convenient, amazing one-dish meal that only needs only a few staple ingredients and minimal prep. Then relax and wait for the oven to finish the job.
Recipe Ingredients
- Seasonings – If you want to go for a Cajun flavor, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder work great. But you can use your favorite spice blend if you’d like to change up the flavor.
- Chicken – I prefer the thigh part because it is meaty and moist. However, the breast part is better if you want less grease in your casserole.
- Aromatics – Let the savory flavors bloom by sauteing onion, garlic, celery, and thyme. And you bet this dish is going to hit the spot!
- White Rice – Long-grain rice like basmati is your best bet for this dish, so the casserole won’t end up too mushy. Any rice will work, though the consistency might change depending on the amount of the liquid.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup and Chicken Broth – The mushroom soup and chicken broth will bring the perfect base flavor to our casserole. You can also replace the mushroom soup with cream of chicken.
- Dairy – Butter, cream, and cheese are mouthwateringly delicious and ramp up any casserole, creating a decadent, creamy, cheesy texture. Mozzarella and Gouda cheese are also great additions.
How to Make Chicken and Rice Casserole
Prep the Chicken
- Seasonings – Mix paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper thoroughly in a small bowl. Mix ingredients to fully combine.
- Prep Chicken – Sprinkle paprika seasoning mixture over chicken thighs, ensuring it covers all sides of the chicken.
- Sear – Place chicken in the heated skillet skin side down and sear for 3-4 minutes or forms a golden brown crust. Flip the chicken and continue searing for an additional 3 minutes. Then take the chicken out of the skillet, place it on a plate, and set it aside. You’ll finish cooking the chicken in the oven.
Assemble the Casserole
- Saute the Aromatics – Add onion, celery, minced garlic, and thyme with medium-high heat. Cook, frequently stirring, for 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Turn off the heat and set the onion-celery mixture aside.
- Prep Baking Dish – Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray.
- Assemble – Add rice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, melted butter, broth, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, onion-celery mixture, and salt and pepper to the baking dish and mix to combine thoroughly.
- Top with Chicken – Next, place chicken thighs skin side up on the rice mixture.
- Bake – Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.
- Broil – Once the rice is cooked, remove the aluminum foil, switch the oven to broil, and broil the casserole for about 2-3 minutes to get the chicken skin golden and crispy.
- Serve – Take chicken and rice casserole out of the oven, garnish with fresh parsley, serve and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Tomato – Add pleasant acidity and nutrition to this chicken casserole by replacing some of the broth with tomato sauce, and enjoy the sassy tang.
- Spicy – Craving spicy? Level up this creamy casserole with hot peppers, like serrano, Scotch bonnet, or cayenne. Pepper flakes also spice up this dish.
- Meat Swap – You can repurpose leftover roasted chicken and smoked turkey to top this casserole. Just bake the rice and add the already cooked meat to the top before broiling. You can also use pork, ham, or seafood. Yum!
- Veggie – Make it healthier with veggie additions such as broccoli, carrots, corn, and bell peppers.
Tips and Tricks
- You can use other chicken cuts, but the baking time may vary depending on its size. The larger chicken breast will take a little longer, and the wings will take less time.
- If you want to add vegetables, frozen are best because they have less moisture than fresh, so you don’t have to adjust the amount of liquid.
- Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165℉/74℃.
Make-Ahead Instructions
We all want a good, fresh-from-the-oven casserole, so I suggest skipping the baking part when making it ahead. Cook the chicken and assemble the casserole as instructed. Then cover the dish tightly with a cling wrap or foil, store it in the fridge for up to two days or three months in the freezer, and bake as instructed when ready to serve.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Meanwhile, you can keep the leftovers in an airtight container or freezer-safe resealable bag. And they will last in the refrigerator for up to four days or two months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Cover the casserole with foil and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 350°F/177℃ to reheat. If reheating a small portion, it’s best to use a microwave because it’s faster.
Tip: Consume reheated leftover casserole immediately and discard any remnants as it’s already prone to bacterial growth.
FAQs
Absolutely! It will save you time turning the casserole into one pot meal for an easier clean-up. However, browning the chicken first yields more exquisite flavors to the casserole and a nice golden color.
You don’t need to cook the rice beforehand. The added liquids and the long baking time are enough to cook the rice. Cover the dish with foil while baking to ensure even rice cooking. However, if you want to shorten the baking time, you can cook the rice and chicken separately, assemble the casserole, and bake it to heat it through and melt the cheese.
That depends on the size of your baking dish and how much you want to make. Note that uncooked rice doubles when cooked. My recipe calls for 2 cups of uncooked rice, which is enough for a 9×13-inch baking dish.
What to Serve with Your Chicken and Rice Casserole
This cheesy chicken casserole is already a meal on its own. But serving it with veggie side dishes is always welcome, giving you a healthy balanced meal.
More Tempting Cheesy Casserole Recipes to Try
- Cabbage Roll Casserole
- Sausage Casserole
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- Ground Beef Casserole
- Fiesta Chicken Casserole
Conclusion
Have you created this drool-worthy chicken and rice casserole for your family? Did you customize it with delicious add-ins? Please let me know in the comments! 😘
Watch How to Make It
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Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
The Chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds chicken thighs (with bone in and skin on)
The Casserole
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 cups white rice, rinsed and drained
- 1 10½-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven skillet over medium-high.
- Mix paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper thoroughly in a small mixing bowl.
- Sprinkle paprika seasoning mixture over chicken thighs, ensuring the seasonings cover all sides.
- Place chicken in the heated skillet skin side down and sear for 3-4 minutes or until a golden brown crust forms. Flip the chicken and continue searing for an additional 3 minutes. Remove chicken from the skillet, place on a plate, and set aside. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.
- With the heat still at medium-high, add onion, celery, minced garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Turn off the heat and set the onion-celery mixture aside.
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray.
- Add rice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, melted butter, broth, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, onion-celery mixture, salt, and pepper to the baking dish and mix thoroughly.
- Next, place chicken thighs skin side up on top of the rice mixture.
- Add rice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, melted butter, broth, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, onion-celery mixture, salt, and pepper to the baking dish and mix thoroughly.
- Next, place chicken thighs skin side up on top of the rice mixture.
- Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken cooked.
- Once the rice is done, take off the aluminum foil, turn the oven to broil, and broil the casserole for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the chicken top to a golden brown.
- Take the chicken and rice casserole out of the oven, garnish with fresh parsley, serve, and enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- You can use other chicken cuts, but the baking time may vary depending on its size. The larger chicken breast will take a little longer, and the wings will take less time.
- If you want to add vegetables, frozen are best because they have less moisture than fresh, so you don’t have to adjust the amount of liquid.
- Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165℉/74℃.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Al says
I used instant rice and upped the amount to 3 cups, and reduced garlic to 2 cloves. Everything else I followed precisely. Turned out delicious! Next time I’ll cut down or eliminate butter. I found rice to be a little heavy. But taste was amazing, just the right amount of seasoning. Thank you for the recipe!
Imma says
Wonderful! Thank you so much for the feedback AI:)!