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This One Pot Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe is a simple go-to chicken dinner that’s full of flavor and only uses one pan. My family loves the flavor and I love that it only takes 45 minutes to prepare!

If you’re hungry for chicken, try some of our other favorite chicken and rice casseroles for dinner, like Easy Chicken and Rice Bake and Arroz con Pollo.

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Skillet Chicken and Rice Casserole

Chicken and Rice Casserole is just one of those easy, comforting meals that I love to make all year long. It has a great combination of flavors with lots of garlic infused.

This meal is simple with very little prep time. It’s not super complicated and uses basic ingredients that you can find just about anywhere.

If you like saving time in the kitchen (and who doesn’t?), this One Pot Chicken and Rice Casserole is going to quickly become a favorite. Be sure to try our other One Pot Meals, like my One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice recipe, Easy One Pot Ham Fried Rice and One Pot Chicken Alfredo.

Ingredients Needed for Chicken and Rice Casserole

  • Chicken breast – I use tenderloins or thin cutlets. You can also use larger pieces and just cut them up. Chicken thighs are an option, but you’ll need a longer cooking time so it’s possible that you could overcook the rice. I’d recommend cutting thighs into smaller, more bite-sized pieces.
  • Rice – You need long grain white rice, or Jasmine rice. I have not tested this with brown rice, but if you want to use it, the time will need to be increased and could end up drying out the chicken.
  • Chicken broth – for cooking the rice and adding flavor.
  • Onion – diced finely.
  • Garlic – I used 4 minced cloves and also added garlic powder.
  • Seasonings – Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and red pepper flakes. These can easily be adjusted based on your tastes or what you have on hand.

How to Make One Pot Chicken and Rice

  • Heat a large skillet and cook the onion until translucent, then add and cook the garlic. I use olive oil, but you could use butter instead, or a little of both.
  • Add the uncooked rice to the skillet and toast it for a couple of minutes. Season the chicken and then nestle it into the rice. Pour some chicken broth all around (but not over) the chicken.
  • Bring the broth to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat for about 20 minutes. Don’t touch it! The rice needs steam to cook so leave that lid on.
  • Remove the lid and stir the rice mixture. Pour in the rest of the chicken broth, and sprinkle on some more seasonings. Replace the lid and cook for another 15 minutes or until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is nice and tender.
  • Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh minced parsley if desired.
one pot chicken and rice casserole collage
wooden spoon, chicken breast, rice in a skillet

FAQs

Do you have to cook the rice first?

No. The rice is added to the pan or pot uncooked (raw) and will cook in the steam from the chicken broth. This is why it’s so important to resist opening the lid to peek – you don’t want to risk the steam escaping.

How do you add flavor to a chicken casserole?

To get good flavor from anything you’re cooking, proper seasoning is so important. I added 4 cloves of garlic to this skillet meal to make it taste amazing. I also added paprika, onion powder, and red pepper flakes.

Can you cook raw chicken with rice?

As long as you heat the chicken to a safe temperature (it should be 165 degrees), it’s totally fine to cook them together. In this chicken and rice recipe, we’re bringing everything to a boil, which will kill any potentially harmful bacteria.

Serving Suggestions

Because this dish can be a little bland in the color department, I recommend serving with a green vegetable of some sort.

Serve with some fresh Roasted Broccolini, Garlic Green Beans or Easy Oven Roasted Asparagus, or a crisp Caesar Salad.

chicken and rice casserole in white bowls, skillet with rice and a wooden spoon

Variations

You can also throw in a big cupful of parmesan cheese right at the end of cooking, and it adds such a nice salty, nutty bite. Even a little cheddar cheese would be delicious.

If you want to add some veggies, broccoli or mushrooms are great options for cooking in the pan with the chicken and rice. Or, throw in some cooked peas and carrots (frozen and heated) at the end.

For freshness, add some herbs like parsley or thyme.

What to Do With Leftovers

Keep leftover chicken and rice in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last 3-4 days if properly stored. Freezing is not particularly recommended, but it can be done. You can reheat in the microwave; just add a little water to help rehydrate the rice.

Expert Tips

  • I use thin-cut chicken breasts in this recipe or you could use chicken tenderloins. I prefer not to use large chicken breasts because I worry that they will not cook through. If that is all you have in the freezer, just cut them into 2-3 strips or you could cut them in half to make them thinner.
  • While I love cooking with all types of rice, I really only recommend long grain white rice for this recipe. Any substitutions will affect cook time and you may end up with dry chicken or mushy rice, so stick to long grain for this recipe.
  • My best tip for cooking flavorful rice is to lightly toast the rice before adding any liquid for another layer of flavor.
white bowl with rice and chicken

More One Pot Meals

Recipe

Skillet Garlic Chicken and Rice Casserole

4.83 from 76 votes
One Pot Chicken and Rice Casserole is a simple go-to chicken dinner that's full of flavor, uses only one pan and takes 45 minutes to make!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound chicken tenderloins or thin chicken breasts
  • 1 ½ cups long grain white rice
  • 4 cups chicken broth or stock divided
  • 1 medium onion diced fine, about 1 cup
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder divided
  • 2 teaspoons salt divided
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet (one with a lid) over medium heat. Add onion to the pan and season with ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, about 5-6 minutes or until translucent.
  • Add the minced garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the rice and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until lightly browned and toasted.
  • Meanwhile, combine 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, paprika, onion powder, and pepper. Season chicken on both sides, and set aside.
  • Nestle the chicken into the rice and add 3 cups of the chicken broth, careful not to pour over the chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook undisturbed for 20 minutes. Resist the temptation to lift the lid as it will release steam which is necessary for cooking the rice.
  • Remove lid and give it a good stir. Pour in the remaining cup of chicken broth, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and red pepper flakes if using. Cover and cook another 10-15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. If rice is not done, continue to add small amounts of chicken broth until tender.
  • Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh minced parsley if desired.

Notes

Keep leftover chicken and rice in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last 3-4 days if properly stored.
Freezing is not particularly recommended, but it can be done.
You can reheat in the microwave; just add a little water to help rehydrate the rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 523kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 36gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 1648mgPotassium: 821mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 231IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 2mg
Keyword chicken and rice casserole

Amanda

Amanda blogs at Old House to New Home where she shares easy ways to eat, create, and decorate, all while raising two young girls! Amanda is a Spanish teacher, wife to a great husband, and mommy to the two most beautiful little girls! Amanda loves food, traveling, and transforming their 115 year old house into their home.

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Comments

  1. Hi! It’s so delicious! But how do I get my rice to stop coming out mushy? Everytime I make it the rice is sticky and mushy. (Doesn’t stop me from eating it but my boyfriend is a little picky when it comes to things like that. ?)

    1. This can be caused by the starchy rice, so rinsing it first might help. Use a fine mesh sieve and give the rice a quick rinse under cold water. Let it drain as much as possible before adding it to the pan. I haven’t tried this because I haven’t had that issue, so keep that in mind.

  2. This soooo easy and it came out GREAT!!!! My kids loved it and they can be picky. They said they would eat it again!!! I added some fresh broccoli and some frozen peas, and season the chicken with Morton seasoned salt.

  3. Can this recipe be doubled? I can never cook rice correctly so if it can how much rice and broth would I use? Thanks

    1. You can try doubling the recipe, you would just double the amount of broth and rice. It may take longer to cook, which could potentially overcook the chicken. Just watch it closely.

  4. In the ingredients list you list chicken stock but in the instructions you say broth. Which should I be using, stock or broth?

    One other question, should I be cutting the chicken before I add it to the rice? I don’t see any mention of cutting the chicken but in the pictures it appears that it should be.

    Thanks!

    1. Chicken stock and broth are so similar that I sometimes will use them interchangeably. I apologize for the confusion and plan to clarify in the post. I used chicken tenders so that’s why they look like smaller pieces.

  5. I made this last night for dinner and I thought the chicken came out great, so tender and flavorful. My rice, however, came out a bit mushy. I will have to work on my technique. I will definitely try again. Someone in comments mentioned adding lemon juice. I had served this alongside mixed frozen vegetables (broccoli cauliflower, carrots), steamed then sauteed with honey, lemon juice and crushed red chili pepper; it seemed to compliment the chicken dish very well. A nice contrast.

  6. delish – my teen ask that it make its way into the week night rotation! Iast five minutes of cooking I tossed in two handfuls of broccoli . thanks !

  7. Is it okay to use smoked paprika or does this call for regular sweet paprika? I have both

  8. I found it a little bland, but added about a tablespoon of lemon juice at the very end and it added a nice punch. I didn’t have any parmesan, or that would have made the dish. Great jumping-off point and will definitely make again

  9. Turned out great! A few changes I made… I did 2.5 cups of broth and 1/2 cup of half & half to the rice (to give it more of a creamy texture.) I also stirred in some freshly grated parmesan cheese after the rice was done cooking. Also added a little basil and rosemary along with the other spices. Delicious!

      1. I love this recipe! I have made it about 5 times since discovering it. It is so simple, but gives great flavor in return. I always follow the recipe and have yet to experience any issues. Whole family enjoys it. This has become one of our go to meals.

  10. So easy and delicious! We love chicken and rice, but it can sometimes be bland. This is a new staple in our house.

  11. I was skeptical that this would have enough flavor honestly… but it was amazing! Thanks so much for sharing will definitely make again!

  12. In step 1 it states “while rice cooks” did you mean while onion cooks? Because I thought you add the uncooked rice in step 2 to toast it.

  13. I tried this chicken and rice recipe and was blown away because it tasted amazing on my first try. Its very full of flavor. This is a keeper. Thank you for sharing! I am making this again tonight.

  14. I made this for dinner just now…it is very tasty! I did add some peas and carrots! I will definitely make this again!! Thanks for the recipe!!

  15. Made this last night. We liked it but its a little plain so definitely add the Parmesan cheese and if you like red pepper flakes. I was actually looking for something not too spicy for a change. It actually reminded us of risotto which I make often. I will make again.Thanks!