With just 5 minutes of prep, this dump-and-bake cheesy chicken and rice casserole with zucchini is an easy dinner that cooks in one dish! There’s no need to pre-cook the rice or the veggies — just stir everything together and pop it in the oven.
Table of Contents
- You Don’t Even Have to Pre-Cook the Rice for this Dump-and-Bake Casserole
- A Few Ingredient Notes Before You Get Started
- How to Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- What to Serve with Chicken Cheese and Rice Casserole
- Preparation and Storage
- Tips for the Best Dump-and-Bake Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
- Dump-and-Bake Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Recipe Variations
This was a winner at our house. Everyone had seconds, and my husband, who is not even a fan of chicken, said I could make this again any time. Thanks for the new favorite!
– Robin
I regularly hear from so many of you who love my dump-and-bake recipes for easy weeknight dinners (favorites include this dump-and-bake meatball casserole and this dump-and-bake chicken alfredo casserole). This particular cheesy chicken and rice casserole happens to be a perfect way to use up those leftovers stashed in your fridge, or a simple option to take advantage of a store-bought rotisserie chicken. It’s quick, kid-friendly comfort food at its best!
You Don’t Even Have to Pre-Cook the Rice for this Dump-and-Bake Casserole
While most casserole recipes call for cooking the rice before mixing it into the dish, this particular recipe is designed specifically for uncooked rice. That means that you do not boil the rice in a saucepan on the stovetop before adding it to the casserole dish. Instead, the rice cooks right in the oven with the rest of the ingredients. This requires extra liquid in the pan (since the rice absorbs a lot of liquid as it cooks), and extra cooking time to make sure that the rice is tender.
A Few Ingredient Notes Before You Get Started
- Condensed cream of mushroom soup creates a creamy sauce that binds the casserole. If you don’t love the flavor of mushroom soup, you can substitute with cream of chicken soup or cream of celery soup.
- I use Lawry’s brand seasoned salt. Feel free to substitute with regular salt if that’s what you have available. You can also add other seasoning, such as garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, celery seed, and the like.
- Do not substitute with brown rice, instant rice, or any other variety of rice, since the amount of liquid and the total cooking time are designed specifically for uncooked long grain white rice.
- Rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut for a quick-prep meal. If you prefer to cook your own chicken at home, boil about 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs until cooked through (about 10-15 minutes). When cool enough to handle, chop or pull the chicken and use in the recipe. You can also use canned chicken or leftovers from another meal!
- Coarsely grated zucchini blends right into the dish. It adds flavor and nutrition, but doesn’t require any sauteing or pre-cooking.
- Sharp cheddar cheese is the perfect companion for chicken and rice! Use any good melting cheese that you like — Colby, Colby-Jack, mozzarella, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack cheese, Gruyere, Gouda, or Swiss cheese.
How to Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
This southern cheesy chicken and rice casserole is the perfect solution when you need an easy meal. I’ve included the detailed cooking instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s the quick version:
- Whisk together the liquid and seasoning in a greased 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
- Stir the rice, chicken, zucchini, and some cheese into the soup mixture.
- Cover and bake until the rice is tender.
- Sprinkle more cheese over top and pop it under the broiler.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or other herbs, if desired, and serve!
What to Serve with Chicken Cheese and Rice Casserole
This is basically an entire meal in one dish, thanks to the meat, rice, and veggies. That said, if you’d like to round out the meal, the simple cheesy chicken and rice casserole goes well with cast iron cornbread, Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient biscuit recipe, cranberry muffins, Southern fried apples, old-fashioned applesauce, brown sugar glazed carrots, a green salad with red wine vinegar salad dressing, or Southern-style green beans.
Preparation and Storage
- Make Ahead: You can assemble the casserole a few hours in advance, or even leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight before baking. The rice will start to soften and absorb some of the liquid as it sits, so you may need to decrease the baking time slightly. You don’t want to overcook the casserole or you’ll end up with gummy, mushy rice.
- Storage: This chicken and rice casserole is best enjoyed immediately from the oven. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The rice will dry out a bit as it sits, so you may need to stir in some additional broth or milk when you reheat the dish.
- I do not recommend freezing these leftovers, as rice tends to get mushy when thawed.
- How to Reheat: Cover and reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also reheat individual portions in a microwave for 1-2 minutes on high power.
Tips for the Best Dump-and-Bake Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
- Make sure to cover your dish tightly with foil so that none of the liquid or steam escapes during cooking. The rice needs to absorb the liquid as it bakes.
- The total cooking time will vary based on a number of factors, including the type of pan that you use and your individual oven. Glass or ceramic baking dishes will take longer than metal pans, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the rice. The rice should be tender and most of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overcook the casserole, or the rice will become mushy and gummy.
- Fluff the rice with a fork — do not stir with a big spoon, which can compact the grains and yield a dense texture.
Great recipe! This one will be put on my arsenal! I love the fact that it uses chicken broth instead of milk. I followed the directions but happened to have some French fried onions in the pantry so I added them on top with the cheese.
– Karlin
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Dump-and-Bake Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, not diluted (or sub with cream of chicken or cream of celery soup)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s brand)
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken
- 1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated (about 1 ½ cups grated)
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, basil, or chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°F). Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add condensed soup, broth, seasoned salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper to the prepared dish. Whisk together until completely combined.
- Stir in the uncooked rice, chicken, zucchini, and 1 cup of the grated cheese.
- Cover tightly and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Use a fork to stir and fluff the rice.
- Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining 1 cup of grated cheese. Place the dish under the broiler for a couple of minutes, just until the cheese melts.
- Garnish with chopped fresh herbs and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Recipe Variations
- Swap out the zucchini for different vegetables. For instance, use summer veggies, frozen peas or corn, frozen mixed vegetables, sauteed sliced mushrooms, frozen (thawed) baby broccoli florets or steamed broccoli are all good options.
- You might enjoy this dump-and-bake chicken broccoli rice casserole, which starts with raw chicken.
- Try seasoning the dish with other herbs and spices that you enjoy. Good options include paprika, thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, chives, and parsley.
- Add buttered Ritz crackers, buttered seasoned bread crumbs, or buttered panko breadcrumbs if you like a crunchy topping.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The cooking instructions remain the same.
- For a similar vegetarian option, try this dump-and-bake mixed vegetable casserole with rice.
More Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipes to Try
Old Fashioned Chicken and Rice Casserole
35 minutes mins
Chicken Broccoli Cheese and Rice Casserole
35 minutes mins
Chicken and Rice Casserole with Mushroom Soup
55 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in January, 2023. It was updated in January, 2025.
This sounds so good but I can‘t have cream of anything soup due to allergies. Can you suggest a substitute?
Hi, Linda! I haven’t tested this recipe with any alternatives, so I can’t vouch for any specific substitutes. That said, I know that many folks prefer to make their own version of condensed soup to use in recipes like this. There are many, many different versions of homemade condensed soup on the internet (just Google search), but here’s an example: https://www.culinaryhill.com/homemade-cream-of-mushroom-soup/
Great recipe! This one will be put on my arsenal! I love the fact that it uses chicken broth instead of milk. I followed the directions but happened to have some French fried onions in the pantry so I added them on top with the cheese.
@e’re so glad you enjoyed it, Karlin. French onions sound like a great addition! We’ll have to test it out.
Can I substitute uncooked penne pasta for the rice? We are moving and I want to use up what is in the pantry.
Hi Zoey! We haven’t tested it but think it would work. You’ll likely just need to adjust the baking time. Or, you could try our dump and bake chicken penne pasta!
This was a very good dish. My husband doesn’t like when I do online recipes, he prefers my recipes but I really wanted to try something new and something I’ve never done before and I came across this on Google search. It doesn’t have a lot of reviews but I still took a chance and this did not disappoint and my husband gave a huge thumbs up which is a very good thing when it comes to food. I will be adding this to my menu. I didn’t have zucchini on hand so I opted for frozen broccoli which turned out so good. I used cream of chicken since that was one of the options on your recipe. I used my left over roast chicken off the bone we had last night and just shredded it up.
Thank you for giving this recipe a chance, Krissy! We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you and you and your husband enjoyed it.
This was a winner at our house. Everyone had seconds, and my husband, who is not even a fan of chicken, said I could make this again any time. Thanks for the new favorite!
Wonderful! I’m so glad that everyone approved. 🙂 Thanks for letting me know, Robin!
Any suggestions if I used diced raw chicken?
Hi, J! You’ll need about 1 lb. of raw, boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Dice the meat into bite-size pieces before stirring it into the dish with the rice and other ingredients. Bake according to the recipe instructions. The chicken should be done and cooked through by the time the rice is tender. Enjoy!
Very easy to put together, am glad you can add the zucchini to it like a hidden vegetable, as I am taking it to a family with young children.
Didn’t have seasoned salt, but added some salt free Farmer’s Sawdust seasoning instead.
We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you, Ann. We hope you enjoy!
This is perfect! Made it a few days ago and the leftovers are even better than first helping. Used brown rice soaked overnight, increased baking time by 25 mins since brown rice takes longer. Used broccoli and mushrooms instead of zucchini.
We’re so happy to hear this and are glad you were able to make it work for you, Molly! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review.