Chicken and Rice Bake Recipe

Chicken and Rice Bake is made in a single pan. This easy dinner is packed with delicious flavor and it is the perfect dinner to make any night of the week.

Original post: November 2016 | Updated: October 2019

Every time I pull this Chicken and Rice Bake out of the oven, a feeling of complete comfort gushes through my bones. It looks amazing, smells incredible and everything gets cooked to absolute perfection.

This dish originates from my mom’s recipe vault, as most of the really good ones do. I took her original recipe and transformed it into the easiest, most savory-delicious chicken and rice dinner you or I will ever make.

This entire meal is made in a single pan, which is one of its main selling points. No pre-cooking is required and the prep is minimal. Throw in uncooked rice and chicken and it all cooks together perfectly, every single dang time.

This is one of my favorite meals EVER. Like, ever ever. I absolutely adore this meal! It is in my Top 5 Favorite Dinner category, which is saying a lot because I have a LOT of dinners that I love. I love this recipe. I promise you will, too.

WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE

Creating a meal that I can put in the oven that has both our main dish, side dish and vegetables combined is a win! Full of flavor because they are baking together, you’ll find these ingredients are also affordable and often most of these ingredients you have on hand.

VIDEO TUTORIAL: CHICKEN AND RICE BAKE

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AND RICE BAKE

STEP 1

Combine 2 cups chicken broth broth and 1 can of cream of chicken soup in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until smooth.

STEP 2

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and layer as follows: 1 cup uncooked long grain and wild rice, 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms and 1 cup sliced celery.

Top with the chicken pieces. For best results, use 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. Pour the broth-soup mixture over the top and season the chicken by sprinkling a packet of dry onion soup mix over the top.

STEP 3

Cover the pan with foil and bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven.

Uncover and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through and rice is tender.

RECIPE NOTES: CHICKEN AND RICE BAKE

• One of my favorite things about this dish is its saltiness. I love a good salty chicken and rice meal. If you wish to remove some salt from the dish, use low-sodium chicken broth or even replace it with an equal amount of water.
• A can of cream of mushroom soup will easily and deliciously replace the cream of chicken soup.
• Replace the mushrooms and celery with fresh green beans and sliced carrots for a different flavor!
• The chicken thighs can be replaced with boneless chicken breasts.
• Because of the high salt content in this recipe, I don’t include salt and pepper. If you want to add them, wait until the dish is cooked and add as needed.

WHY DOES IT TAKE THIS CASSEROLE SO LONG TO BAKE?

If there is a down side to this recipe, it would be the length of time it has to hang out in the oven. A longer baking time is required because all of the ingredients being added are uncooked (making it easy peasy!). Cooking both uncooked rice and chicken in an oven takes time!

The long cook time ensures that everything cooks thoroughly and it also results in very juicy, tender chicken and perfectly cooked rice. Covering the dish with foil for the first hour of baking traps in the heat/steam, cooking everything more quickly. Once the foil is removed, the contents of the dish finish cooking and also get a nice crispy finish.

CAN I REPLACE LONG GRAIN AND WILD RICE WITH WHITE OR BROWN RICE?

Here are a few guidelines for substituting other types of rice with a long grain and wild rice mixture. If you can find wild rice, I recommend using it. It adds a delicious flavor and texture to this dish that is hard to beat:

• If you use 1 cup of brown rice instead (regular long grain, NOT pre-cooked), add 1/2 cup water to the broth-soup mixture.
• I do not recommend using white rice for this recipe since cooking times vary so much. You’ll either end up with mushy rice or under-cooked chicken.
• Stay away from using any type of minute or instant rice for this recipe.

OTHER DELICIOUS USES FOR RICE

Rice is so versatile, making it one of the things I love most about it. It tastes great with so many different foods and prepared in a number of ways. Here are a few of my other favorite ways to enjoy rice!

• Sprinkle in some chopped fresh cilantro and mix with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and juice from 1 lime. No need for Chipotle!
• Serve underneath a heaping scoop of Hoisin Chicken Rice Bowls, Orange Chicken or Mongolian Beef. DELISH!
• Serve alongside Instant Pot Chicken for the perfect complete meal.
• Mix together with salsa, black beans, lime juice and chopped avocado. Add shredded chicken for a meaty dish!

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO FREEZE CASSEROLES

If you want to freeze a casserole for later use, you have a couple options:

Freeze unbaked – Assemble the layers as directed in an aluminum baking pan and wrap tightly in foil. Place into resealable freezer bags and freeze for 3-4 months.

When you are ready to enjoy the casserole, let it thaw completely (preferably in the fridge overnight) and bake as directed on the recipe.

Freeze baked – Assemble the layers and bake as directed in an aluminum baking pan. Let the casserole cool completely and wrap tightly in foil. Place into resealable freezer bags and freeze for 3-4 months.

When you are ready to enjoy the casserole, let it thaw completely (preferably in the fridge overnight). Reheat in a 250 degree F oven uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

DO I NEED TO COVER A CASSEROLE IN THE OVEN?

There is no hard and fast rule for whether or not a casserole should be covered with foil during baking. All recipes differ, but here are some things to consider when deciding whether or not to cover your baking dish.

Covering a dish during the baking process traps in moisture and keeps ingredients from getting crispy or burnt. If the dish contains exposed noodles or bread or something that may burn or dry out easily, then it should be covered for a majority of the cook time. Also, if the recipe contains uncooked rice, pasta or grains, it is important to cover the pan in order to trap steam inside which help it to cook more quickly and evenly.

Leaving a dish uncovered during baking will ensure that the top layer gets browned and it also aids in reducing liquids inside the dish. If all of the ingredients in the dish are pre-cooked, baking uncovered is recommended.

OTHER EASY CHICKEN DINNER IDEAS

If you love this Chicken and Rice Bake, then you are probably a fan of EASY and DELICIOUS which is why we’re friends! This entire website is based on the concept of easy and delicious, so please browse through my main dish category for other great ideas that will please the tummies you’re about to feed.

Here are a few other favorite delicious dinners that are sure to be your favorites, too!

• One-Pan Roasted Chicken and Veggies
• Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie
• Chicken Parmesan
• Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole