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With just 10 minutes of prep and a few simple ingredients, this Chicken and Rice Bake is practically hands-off. All you need is rice, cream of mushroom soup, chicken breasts, and seasoning for a delicious one-pan meal that’s ready in about an hour.
If you love easy dinners with minimal cleanup, you’ll want to check out our One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice and Cheesy Chicken Taco One Pot Pasta. Find more family favorites in our One Pot Meals hub.
3 Tips That Make or Break This Recipe
A few quick tips to make sure your chicken and rice bake turns out perfectly:
- Cover the pan tightly with foil. This is the most important step! The rice needs steam to cook, so skipping the foil means crunchy, undercooked rice. If you don’t have foil, try our Skillet Chicken and Rice Casserole instead.
- Pound thick chicken breasts so they’re even. Uneven pieces mean some parts overcook while others stay underdone. A few taps with a meat mallet or the bottom of a skillet does the trick.
- Use long-grain white rice, jasmine, or basmati. These varieties work best for this recipe. Avoid instant rice (it will get mushy) and brown rice, as it takes longer to cook.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
How To Make Chicken and Rice Bake
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Because there are only 3 main ingredients in this Chicken and Rice Bake, this recipe couldn’t be easier. Just dump, stir, and bake. The rice cooks by the steam from in the mushroom soup/water mixture and absorbs all of that flavor while the chicken bakes. The rice is super creamy, almost like a risotto while the chicken stays incredibly tender and juicy.
Step 1: Preheat and Prep the Pan
Preheat your oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Don’t skip the spray, or you’ll spend your evening scrubbing the pan.
Step 2: Mix the Rice Base
In a mixing bowl, combine the uncooked rice with cream of mushroom soup, water, paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour this mixture into the prepared dish and spread it evenly.
- Note: If you’re not a fan of mushroom soup, cream of chicken works great as a substitute.
- Tip: For a drier, less creamy rice, reduce the water to 1 cup. The standard recipe gives you a risotto-like texture that’s rich and comforting.
Step 3: Prepare and Add the Chicken
Lightly pound any thick chicken breasts so they cook evenly. I don’t recommend using tenders or thin cutlets here because they can overcook before the rice is done.
Season the chicken on both sides with paprika, salt, and pepper, then nestle the pieces into the rice mixture.
- Using Chicken Thighs? Boneless thighs work beautifully and don’t need pounding. For bone-in thighs, remove the skin and add about 10 extra minutes of cook time. Make sure they reach 165°F internally.
Step 4: Cover and Bake
Cover the dish tightly with foil. This traps steam so the rice cooks properly and the chicken stays juicy. Resist the urge to peek until the timer goes off, or you’ll release the steam.
Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165°F and the rice is tender.
Step 5: Rest Before Serving
Remove the foil and let the pan rest for 5-10 minutes. This gives the rice time to absorb any remaining liquid and makes serving easier. Sprinkle with fresh minced parsley for a pop of color if you’d like.
Serving Suggestions
This Chicken and Rice Bake is already a complete meal, but you can round it out with a simple side. Pair it with Garlic Green Beans or a fresh Garden Salad. Add some crispy Garlic Bread to stretch this budget-friendly dinner even further.
Quick Tip: For a truly one-pan meal, stir 1-2 cups of frozen vegetables (like broccoli, peas, or a mixed blend) into the rice mixture before baking.
Storage Tips
Storage, Freezing, Make Ahead
- Storage: Keep leftover casserole in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
- Freezing: You can freeze the fully cooked casserole, wrapped tightly in foil, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake covered at 350°F until heated through. While freezing works, the texture is best when fresh since both the chicken and rice can dry out slightly when reheated from frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should the rice be cooked before baking?
No, the rice cooks right in the pan with the chicken. That’s why it’s so important to cover the dish tightly with foil. The steam from the soup and water cooks the rice while everything bakes together.
Can you cook raw chicken with rice?
Absolutely. As long as the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F, it’s perfectly fine to cook them together in the same dish.
Can I use brown rice instead of white?
Brown rice needs more liquid and a longer cook time which can dry out chicken breasts. If you want to try it, use chicken thighs, increase the water to about 2 cups, and extend the bake time by 15-20 minutes. Check the rice for tenderness before serving, and make sure the chicken reaches 165°F.
Can I make this casserole ahead of time?
You can prep this recipe up to 24 hours in advance. Assemble everything in the baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, let it sit on the counter while the oven preheats, then bake as directed. You may need to add about 10 extra minutes to account for the chill.
More Casserole Recipes
- Chicken Broccoli Casserole
- French Onion Beef Casserole
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
- Cheesy Ham Casserole
Chicken and Rice Bake
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts approximately 3-4 breasts
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Rice
- 10 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 3/4 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika plus more for sprinkling
- 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more for sprinkling
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus more for sprinkling
- Garnish: Fresh minced parsley optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9”x13” (2 quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Lightly pound especially thick chicken breasts so they are all even in thickness.
- In a medium size bowl, combine soup, water, rice, paprika and black pepper. Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
- Nestle the chicken into the rice mixture. Sprinkle with additional salt, paprika and black pepper to taste.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked to 165°F internal temperature and rice is tender.
- Remove from the oven and let sit, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with fresh minced parsley.
Notes
- Don’t skip the foil! Covering the pan tightly is essential for trapping steam so the rice cooks properly.
- Pound thick chicken breasts so they cook evenly. Thin cutlets or tenders may overcook before the rice is done.
- Best rice options: Long-grain white, jasmine, or basmati. Avoid instant rice.
- For drier rice: Reduce water to 1 cup for a less creamy texture.
- Using chicken thighs: Boneless thighs work great with no changes. For bone-in, remove the skin and add 10 minutes to cook time.
- Add vegetables: If desired, stir 1-2 cups of veggies into the rice mixture before baking.
- Make ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours in advance, refrigerate covered, and bake as directed (may need 10 extra minutes).
- Go easy on the salt if you’re sodium-sensitive. The soup adds saltiness, so taste before adding more.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers, tightly covered, for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezing: Wrap cooked casserole tightly in foil and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake at 350°F until warmed through.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
The sauce was not absorbed as much as I like, so it was more like gravy with rice in the gravy.
This recipe is garbage. I cooked it at 375 for over an hour, and the rice wasn’t cooked, and the chicken was overcooked. Waste of time and ingredients.
I’m guessing you didn’t add the foil to help the rice cook properly. I make this recipe all the time and never have a problem.
This is now one of my go-to recipes 🙂 My kids actually eat it! I did change a few things: I use a combo of boneless chicken thighs and tenderloins, cream of chicken instead of mushroom, and chicken broth instead of water. Thank you for this yummy easy meal to throw together. Just be sure to wrap the foil on tightly 😉
You are so welcome SueBee! Thanks for the awesome feedback.
I’m not sure when I actually downloaded this recipe, but I do know that I’ve made it at least 4 times since I did. It’s turned out perfectly everytime and the grandss (except for Ms Fussy!) loved it as did the grownups!
I did make some minor changes to the recipe as follows:
(1) I doubled the cecipe to make 8 servings. Trivial change.
(2) I “chunk up” some carrots to add to the sauce/rice mix I’ve used crinkle cut carrots as well as coarsely chopped baby carrots. This addition adds the veggie, so a side veggie isn’t really necessary.
Great recipe, Thanks Kristin!
Fantastic feedback Susan! Thank you so much for stopping by to share.
Absolute trash. Looking at the recipe, I knew it would be lacking flavor, but I added extra seasonings and extra water and it was still dry and bland, and yet the rice still wasn’t cooked! I’ll never make this recipe again. Fail!!
Did you make sure to cover it with foil? Because that could make leave the rice uncooked. Otherwise changing the recipe from what it actually tells you to do can casue it to fail. Giving one star to a recipe you changed isn’t really fair now is it? I just made it 2 weeks ago and it came out perfect, so I’m feeling like the “fail” is probably on your end.
Yeah you can’t give a 1 star when you changed the recipe. Take it down Kam
Geez, Kam! Do you speak so harshly to all fellow human beings or just the ones who freely share their recipes with you online? Try a little kindness!
Anyhoo, I made this recipe and it came out pretty much as I expected: a good old-fashioned Americana casserole. Nothing fancy, just a simple and satisfying comfort-food. Thank you for sharing your recipe, Kristin! My family enjoyed it.
Can you replace the rice with Penne or Shell pasta?
No that would not work. Pasta doesn’t cook the same as rice.
Can I use boneless chicken thighs instead of breast?
Yes you can. However thighs take at least 10 extra minutes to bake.
I used basmati rice because it’s what we had! I also added some frozen spinach for veggie content, but ended up having to cook it for an extra half hour for the rice to really be done…at 45 minutes it was still cruchy. I’ll definitely have to play around with what I can and can’t add (or how to adjust the time properly!) That said, the extra time didn’t hurt the chicken and for the most part, the family liked it! (My teenager only likes about half of what I make so I don’t use her as a true example ^.^)
Ha! I totally get the teenager thing! Glad to hear you liked the recipe, and that you tried it with your own touches. You might need to add a little more liquid since you’re adding to the rice. I haven’t tried adding spinach though, so I can’t say for sure. Good luck!
I’d like to add fresh sliced button mushrooms…do I need to saute first? Adding fresh broccoli…steam and add after cooking or can uncooked fresh broccoli be added at beginning and baked with everything else?
Saute and add the fresh mushrooms and bake them with the chicken and rice. The broccoli though, I’d personaly just steam and swerve with the meal as there no way to ensure that it cooks properly without cooking it separately.
I have a question about your chicken and rice bake. Can I use Minute Rice instead of the long grain rice? I only have Minute Rice and can’t get to the store today. Thanks.
Hi Heidi, Unfortunately Minute Rice won’t work with this recipe.
Want to make this recipe and I am wondering if I can use brown rice in place of white rice.
Brown rice cookes at a different rate so I wouldn’t advise it. I’d worry that it would overcook the chicken.
Will the recipe still be good if I make it smaller and cut the inbred in half?
Hi Vicki, I’d love to help you with your question, however I think there’s a typo and I’m not sure what you meant to say. Feel free to reply here or email me directly. Thanks!
Cooked as is, rice didn’t cook evenly but it had a nice taste. Less rice next time maybe.
Wondering if I could cube the (uncooked) chicken cutlets and mix in with the rice mixture for a more even cook rate?
The recipe works really well as it is so my recommendation is to follow the instructions. The rice needs all of that time to cook with the foil on and steaming.
my guess what went horribly wrong was pounding the chicken to make it even in thickness because 45 mins at 375 degree oven killed it. dry dry dry. did not matter that it was covered with foil baked in all that liquid… also, for sure no rice substitutions. if you do, the liquid will not absorb properly.
Good
Do you think you could add some frozen broccoli?
I would steam it and add it after everything is cooked. I would worry that it would overcook and be mushy.
This was easy and so delicious.
Thank you Donna!
I only have Minute rice. Will that work?
No, Minute rice is not recommended for this recipe. It will become mushy since it is already par-cooked.
Can you use different condensed soup other than mushroom? Don’t like the mushroom
Sure, you can use cream of chicken or cream of celery.
If I have thinly sliced chicken breasts, should I change anything? I don’t want to end up with overcooked chicken or undercooked rice.
Thickness is definitely a factor. But also is the rice having enough time to cook. I’m not sure though if you are referring to cooked chicken that’s sliced, or thin cutlets.
Really enjoyed! Followed instructions exact by pre heating and a good tight seal foil cover. I did use cream of chicken rather than mushroom. Rice was creamy and delish! think my 20 year old oven might be a little off so my chicken though good might have been just a touch dry. Just a heads up if you find you have to watch your oven temp like me. I might check it 5 minutes early next time. Thanks a bunch for this one, simple and delicious.
Fantastic feedback C Sue! Thanks for stopping by to share.
Just a question can you use stock instead of cream of mushroom because i don’t like mushroom?
Stock would be much too thin. I don’t like mushrooms either but I love this dish. However, you could use a different canned cream soup, like Cream of Chicken or Cream of Celery.
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I followed the recipe as written and used Basmati rice, and made sure the foil tightly covered the dish. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the rice reminded me a bit of risotto-creamy and comforting!
Love the feedback Stacey! Thanks for stopping by.
Awesome!! I used 1cup water 1/2 milk. Was perfect!!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Cindy.
I hate to be that person who changes the recipe, but I did it with boneless skinless thighs. They have a higher fat content, but otherwise cook the same as breasts and are harder to cook to the point of dryness. Maybe try with those next time. They are much more forgiving for long cook times.
I have left it in the oven for over an hour and it was doubled the chicken or the rice isnt cooked at all really.
Did you cover the pan with foil? That’s really the only reason it wouldn’t cook in the amount of time.
Rice wasn’t cooked at all following this recipe
Did you cover it with foil? I’ve people forget or think they just didn’t need it. That’s usually the culprit when the rice isn’t fully cooked.
the foil is definatley the answer to being cooked. i forgot the first time…. i also have added a package of dry onion soup mix for flavor enhancement . This is a recipe to play with. If someone says the rice didn’t cook, they may have added too much liquid or didn’t cook long enough. I havent had any problems. A weekly go to :)-
Thanks for your input Nancy!
I doubled the recipe and after 1 hr in the oven the rice is still very undercooked. I used Vigo yellow rice. Is there a way to salvage this?
Hi Daniel, I’ve never tried this with yellow rice, so I don’t know if that’s the issue. Doubling the recipe in the same size pan could also be troublesome. If you want to double the ingredients you also need to double the size of the vessel. My first question would be did you cover the dish tightly with foil? Because that’s been known to cause some issues.
I love this recipe ! Followed the recipe all the way and omg it was really delicious. Thanks so much ! I will be following for more.
You are so welcome Krystal! Fantastic, love that your following along for more.
K.
Made this tonight EXACTLY as written (yes I used foil and tightly wrapped it around the edges) and it was perfect!! I used smoked paprika to give the chicken a little extra flavor. Definitely saving this for those busy nights…thank you Kristin!
The chicken breasts were way over done. But the rice was great.
That’s too bad, mine always come out so juicy.
OH MY BUG! This was awesome! I used chicken legs (with skin on) because I didn’t have chicken breast. It was so good! It’ll make you wanna lay on the floor and hug yourself! (in a southern accent) LOL I did brown the legs before baking the dish. Other than the chicken parts…. I didn’t change anything. YUM! You’ve made me a star in my own kitchen. WHOA GIRL! It was amazing!
Fantastic comment Katiana! Thank you so much for stopping by.
What do you mean you browned the legs first?
I made this fabulous recipe today. So I used par broiled rice and added fresh celery onion and sweet pepper rings I cut myself. I added 1 can cream of chicken soup with a bit more water than called for about another cup or so and my family went crazy over it. I love it so easy ?
Awesome feedback Anna! Thanks for stopping by.
This looks delicious! Will I need to make any alterations in cooking time if I use brown long grain rice?
I haven’t used brown rice so I can’t say how long it would take. However, brown rice does take longer to cook so you might need to add time, which I’d be worried would overcook the chicken.