Chicken Rice Casserole makes for a crowd-pleasing dinner that comes together in under 5 minutes of prep time.
Made with only 4 ingredients, this dish has juicy chicken breasts and tender rice in a deliciously creamy sauce. This is a casserole that meal packs a lot of flavor in a filling one dish dinner and a meal that everyone will love!
Enjoy!
There is nothing like Chicken Rice Casserole for dinner. This dish is deliciously easy, creamy and totally satisfying and you’ll never believe it needs just 4 ingredients!
This is a special dish because the recipe comes from my BFF, Penny and she’s been making this for years. It’s her go-to, must have, favorite easy weeknight meal that I just had to try.
I have to admit, when I first made it I knew it would be tasty but… I had NO idea what I was in for and it’d definitely become a regular in our rotation!
This easy dish comes together in under 5 minutes, it’s one of the quickest dinner preps on my whole site (along with One Pot Pizza Tortellini Bake).
This dish is belly warming and comforting while being simple and easy to make, it’s like serving a nice warm hug from your Mom!
The chicken comes out incredibly tender and juicy, the rice is perfectly cooked in a rich and creamy sauce and the whole thing is loaded with flavor!
This easy Chicken Rice Casserole takes about an hour to bake (depending on your oven, you may need a few extra minutes but for me it’s about an hour), but that is one of the things that make it kind of the perfect dish.
We’ve made this just as written over and over but I’ve also added a little bit of onion to the bottom of the pan or a couple of handfuls of fresh mushrooms.
With very little minimal prep time, you can slide this casserole into the oven and relax, or maybe help with homework without feeling the usual dinner time rush!
5 minutes of work, and then perhaps a glass of wine or read your book for an hour? I feel like that’s a good idea for ALL weeknights!
I use homemade onion soup mix in this recipe, but you can use the kind in the envelope if you haven’t had a chance to mix up a batch yet. The flavor will be amazing either way!
My friend Penny also said she sometimes replaces the onion soup mix with a packet of gravy mix depending on what she has on hand!
If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, this makes for a delicious lunch the following day.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup long grain white rice uncooked
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ounce dry onion soup mix 1 packet or use homemade
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 can
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish or glass baking pan with cooking spray (the rice doesn't cook well in a metal pan). Add chicken breasts and season with salt & pepper.
- Pour uncooked rice over chicken. Sprinkle with onion soup mix.
- Combine mushrooms soup and 1 ½ cups of water. Pour over chicken.
- Cover and bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Main Course
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It was fast, as described, but not a big hit in our household. I would suggesting mixing the onion soup mix into the cream of mushroom/water mix so you don’t get bites of rice with a blast of mix. Did enjoy the ease and simplicity of the recipe though.
I love this recipe and have made it several times. However, I feel like there’s never enough rice. Do you think that I could double the rice if I also double the water and cream of mushroom soup?
Hi Jessica, I have not tried doubling this recipe but I imagine it would work. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
This recipe was so quick and easy, and my kids just gobbled it up! yum! another fantastically easy recipe by Spend with Pennies!
The cook on the rice is definitely uneven, but overall this was good. Easy, stick to your ribs dinner.
i followed all the instructions, used boneless chicken thighs. My rice was still a bit crunchy! i was disappointed! next time i will use more water than prescribed!
Can I use brown rice and how much longer will it take?
I would not recommend making this recipe with brown rice. If you do use brown rice, I would suggest precooking it partially or completely.
2 questions: all I have is brown rice. I know brown rice cooks a little different than white. How would I adjust the recipe to compensate for that ingredient change?
Last question: can I replace water with chicken broth?
I would not recommend making this recipe with brown rice. If you do use brown rice, I would suggest precooking it partially or completely. And yes you can replace with chicken broth.
Enjoy Patricia!
Love the easy recipe. Thanks. It was amazing
At 57, this brings back a lot of childhood memories. Awesome comfort food
Can I add a frozen bag of veggies to it ? Like peas or something like that ?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Sean, but it should work just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
can i use minute rice? its all i got.
Hi Amanda, other readers have made it with minute rice and seem to have good results. I have not tried it with minute rice though and I worry that the rice will become overcooked and mushy before the chicken finishes cooking. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
The recipe is delicious but cooking this at 325 will take hours. The first time I made it, it took almost 2 hours to finish and the rice still wasn’t fully cooked. The second time I made it, I put the temp up to 400 and it was done in 1 hour. Definitely adjust your temperature.
Used white rice in a glass pan with chicken thighs. Added 6 oz of baby Bella’s , cream of celery , cream of mushroom and water mixed . Layed out mushrooms, chicken , rice, soup mixture and sprinkled onion soup mix over the top on 335 for 75 min. fantastic! Like a hug from grandma or a cheater chicken mushroom risotto.
No metal pans
No brown rice
No instant rice
Know the water content of veggies you’re using and should be no problem. No mushy rice here . Electric oven in standard 13×9 pan
The flavor of the finished dish is good but the assembly and cooking instructions need a serious overhaul. The liquid doesn’t reach the rice on top of the chicken sufficiently to cook the rice. I wil probably make this dish again but will mix the rice with the liquids before adding it around the chicken.
Yep. I parboil rice half way or use instant and less water. Then mix everything but chicken dumplings in pan. Nestle bone in chicken in the rice, pat of butter and salt n pepper on each chicken piece. Cover tightly with foil n cook at 350°F for 45 min, remove cover and cook 15-30 more minutes til chicken is 160°
I make this accept I use 2 cans of cream soup. 1 mushroom and 1 celery… No water… I fill a soup can with milk…
Mix soups, milk and rice,top with large chicken breasts ( I use 2 that are about 11/2 pounds for both), sprinkle with onion soup mix and cover very tightly with foil…325 for 2 hours
Can you freeze this recipe?
V Ford, I haven’t tried it but I do think this would freeze perfectly once cooked.
This recipe is simple and awesome for meal prep and I make it often. Started treating the onion soup mix like a rub, coating the chicken first and letting it sit in the fridge in for 2 hours minimum before adding the rest and baking.
Tastes absolutely amazing
can I use 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs? I know 4 chicken breast are much larger.
I haven’t tried it but chicken thighs have worked well for other readers with no changes. Let us know how it goes!