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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, and you can have a delicious one pan meal on the table in less than an hour.
We are all about the one pan, sheet pan, and one pot meals around here, like One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice and Cheesy Chicken Taco One Pot Pasta. Anything that gives me less time in the kitchen and more time hanging out with my family is a win in my book. This Chicken and Rice Bake has all of my favorite flavor combinations and is one of my favorite dinner casseroles. The fact that it’s all baked together in one dish earns it tons of bonus points!
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.
Table of Contents
Chicken and Rice Bake Ingredients
This recipe has only 3 main ingredients. The rest are seasonings.
- Chicken – I used approximately 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast. If they are particularly thick pieces, you may need to pound them down a bit. Thighs are trickier but can be used; see the tips section below.
- Seasoning – paprika, salt and pepper. I prefer to keep the seasoning simple, but you can add things like dried thyme, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Rice – Select a long grain white rice, jasmine, or basmati.
- Mushroom – You will need one can of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
- Water – This is combined with the soup and creates steam to cook the rice.
- Seasoning – Same as for the chicken. I used paprika, salt, and pepper
- Garnish – Fresh minced parsley
Recipe Overview
- Preheat your oven. Always the first step unless you’re marinating. This brings the oven up to the right temperature so the food starts cooking immediately instead of slowing. Also prep a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray – don’t skip this step or you’ll be spending your evening cleaning it!
- Combine ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry white rice (long grain or Jasmine are the best options) with cream of mushroom soup, water, paprika, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture into the prepared casserole dish. If you’re averse to the mushroom soup you could sub chicken. You could even mix this up in the casserole dish if you wanted to keep it truly one pan with no extra dishes.
- Add the chicken breast. Anytime you’re cooking whole chicken breasts, you want them to be evenly thick. This requires a little bit of light pounding with a meat mallet or even the bottom of a skillet. I don’t recommend tenders or even cutlets, as they can be too thin and overcook before the rice is done. Season the chicken on both sides with paprika, salt and pepper, then nestle them into the rice mixture.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil. Do not skip this step! The chicken will cook either way, but the rice needs steam to cook. Having the foil cover allows steam to build up so the rice will cook nice and fluffy, and keep the chicken tender and juicy. Resist the urge to check until the time is up so you don’t inadvertently release the steam.
- Rest. Uncover and let the pan sit out so the rice can rest. Sprinkling with some fresh minced parsley for color if totally optional, but very pretty.
FAQs
No, the rice cooks in the pan with the raw chicken. This is why it’s very important to cover the pan with foil as it bakes.
As long as you heat the chicken to a safe temperature (it should be 165 degrees), it’s totally fine to cook them together.
You can prep this recipe in advance by preparing and covering with foil, then refrigerating for up to 24 hours. Keep covered, and when you’re ready, bake as directed. This would also be great for dropping off at a friend’s house with baking instructions so the work is done for them!
You may need to add about 10 minutes of cooking time to account for the chill from the fridge. However, I recommend just letting it sit out on the counter while the oven preheats.
Serving Suggestions
You guys, this Chicken and Rice Casserole is my new favorite go-to meal! It’s super simple and so warm and comforting. You can even add veggies for a truly one pan meal, like broccoli or sliced mushrooms.
Pair it with a side of Garlic Green Beans or a fresh Garden Salad. Throw in some crispy Garlic Bread to stretch this budget-friendly casserole even further.
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store leftover casserole in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Freezing: You can freeze the completely cooked casserole, tightly wrapped in foil, for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and bake, covered, at 350℉ until warmed through. While this is an option, I don’t really recommend it because there is a higher chance of the chicken and rice overcooking.
- Make sure you cover the chicken with foil. My cousin made this dish but didn’t have foil and then was frustrated that the recipe didn’t work. Covering the pan with foil is a necessary step to promote steaming the rice – if you don’t have any foil, try our Skillet Chicken and Rice Casserole instead.
- Go easy with the salt. If you are sensitive to salt, you might want to leave it out of the soup mixture. We have tried it both with and without the salt and felt it was needed, however individuals can always add to their own plates.
- If you prefer boneless chicken thighs, they work beautifully. Prepare them just as you would the breasts, but pounding will not be needed. Bone-in will work, but remove the skin and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Try to choose pieces that are similar in size.
- For a drier rice (less creamy), decrease water to 1 cup.
- For a truly one pan meal, add 1-2 cups of frozen veggies to the rice mixture.
More Casseroles to Love
- 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 approximate, 3-4 breasts
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Rice
- 10 ounces 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 degrees 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.
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 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.