There's no prep work necessary for this Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake! Just dump the raw ingredients into a dish and pop it in the oven for an easy dinner recipe that the whole family will love!
That's right, my friends...the best chicken and rice recipe doesn't even require cooking the rice or baking the chicken before it goes in the oven! Just a few simple ingredients cook together to yield creamy, cheesy rice and moist, juicy chicken breast with only 5 minutes of work!
How to Make Baked Chicken and Rice:
This healthy chicken and rice casserole takes advantage of a handful of pantry staples. First, you'll need chicken broth, uncooked long grain white rice, condensed cream of chicken soup, and onion powder.
Whisk these ingredients together in a 2-quart baking dish until smooth.
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and then place the raw chicken breasts in the dish with the rice and sauce. I know that it looks like a lot of liquid, but the rice will thicken the sauce and absorb most of the liquid as it bakes!
Cover the dish tightly with foil so that none of the liquid or steam can escape.
How long to bake Chicken and Rice Casserole?
Bake the casserole, covered, at 375 degrees F for 1 hour. I recommend using very thick chicken breast for this recipe, because the thick chicken will have a longer cooking time and will therefore be done at the same time as the rice. Thin pieces of chicken will cook through in about 30-40 minutes, and will therefore be dried out by the time the rice is done at the 1-hour mark. I used 3 chicken breasts that totaled about 2.8 lbs.
After 1 hour, remove the dish from the oven, uncover, and give the rice a stir. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, and the rice should be tender.
At this point, it's time to add the cheese! I like to use a block of cheddar cheese that I grate myself, because I find that this cheese melts much better than the bags of pre-shredded cheeses.
Sprinkle the cheese over top, and return to the oven (uncovered), just until the cheese melts (about 3-5 minutes).
The end result is a delicious cheesy chicken and rice bake that you can garnish with fresh herbs, top with crumbled bacon, serve with diced avocado, or just dig in and enjoy!
Can you freeze Chicken and Rice Bake?
Yes, you can freeze this casserole after baking. Allow the casserole to cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, place the casserole (covered) in a 350 degree F oven until warmed through. The reheated rice may be slightly mushy (compared to the original version), but it will still taste good!
What to serve with Chicken and Rice Bake:
Here are a few sides that go well with a chicken and rice casserole:
- Steamed broccoli tossed with butter and salt;
- A simple green salad tossed with Italian Balsamic Vinaigrette;
- Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion;
- Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans;
- 10-Minute Creamy Cucumber Salad
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- I often top the baked, cheesy chicken with cooked, crumbled bacon and diced avocado. It's like a California Chicken casserole and it has so much flavor!
- I do not recommend substituting instant rice or brown rice for the long grain white rice, because the instant rice and the brown rice require different cooking times and different liquid ratios.
- If you don't have any chicken broth on hand, you can substitute with water instead.
- Instead of the cream of chicken soup, you can make a chicken and rice bake with cream of mushroom soup or with cream of celery soup!
- Make a chicken and rice bake with vegetables! Stir some frozen peas or some thawed frozen mixed vegetables into the rice at the same time that you add the grated cheese on top. The frozen peas will heat through in the oven in just minutes (no thawing necessary), offering an easy green addition to the casserole!
- I recommend using very thick chicken breast for this recipe, because the thick chicken will have a longer cooking time and will therefore be done at the same time as the rice. Thin pieces of chicken will cook through in about 30-40 minutes, and will therefore be dried out by the time the rice is done at the 1-hour mark. I used 3 chicken breasts that totaled about 2.8 lbs.
Other chicken and rice recipes that you might enjoy:
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Rice Casserole (with brown rice and green beans)
- Dump-and-Bake Italian Chicken and Rice (this is a chicken and rice bake with tomato sauce)
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
- Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- One Pot Farmer's Market Chicken and Rice
Dump-and-Bake Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake
Ingredients
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, NOT diluted (I used Campbell’s Healthy Request)
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2.5 - 3 lbs. total)
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- In prepared dish, whisk together condensed soup, uncooked rice, broth, and onion powder. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken breasts on top of rice mixture in the dish.
- Cover tightly with foil. Bake (covered) for 1 hour, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the rice is tender. Stir rice, sprinkle cheese on top, and return dish to the oven (uncovered), just until cheese melts (about 3-5 more minutes).
- Garnish with fresh parsley just before serving, if desired.
Notes
- I often top the baked, cheesy chicken with cooked, crumbled bacon and diced avocado. It's like a California Chicken casserole and it has so much flavor!
- I do not recommend substituting instant rice or brown rice for the long grain white rice, because the instant rice and the brown rice require different cooking times and different liquid ratios.
- If you don't have any chicken broth on hand, you can substitute with water instead.
- Instead of the cream of chicken soup, you can make a chicken and rice bake with cream of mushroom soup or with cream of celery soup!
- Make a chicken and rice bake with vegetables! Stir some frozen peas or some thawed frozen mixed vegetables into the rice at the same time that you add the grated cheese on top. The frozen peas will heat through in the oven in just minutes (no thawing necessary), offering an easy green addition to the casserole!
- I recommend using very thick chicken breast for this recipe, because the thick chicken will have a longer cooking time and will therefore be done at the same time as the rice. Thin pieces of chicken will cook through in about 30-40 minutes, and will therefore be dried out by the time the rice is done at the 1-hour mark. I used 3 chicken breasts that totaled about 2.8 lbs.
Pat
Thank you, Blair, for this lovely recipe! I really enjoyed it! It's quick, nothing complex on the ingredient list, and it performs exactly as you have said it would!
This was dinner yesterday. I made it (mostly) according to recipe, the only major substitution being 1 can (13.5oz) full fat coconut milk for the undiluted soup, and adding in some sauteed mushrooms and onions which I did on the stovetop while the casserole baked. The cheese got to be Romano, rather than cheddar... oh, and in stirring the rice at the end, I stirred in a handful of frozen French-cut green beans for color. YUMMMMMM!
Again, Thank You very much for helping me learn the making of this tasty dish!
Blair
Your version sounds delicious, Pat! Thanks for sharing those ideas!
Christina
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m a very sick momma today of 4 kids and had good intentions with my chicken breast I had thawing. Well I just couldn’t bring myself to slave away over the stove in between trips to the bathroom. I typed in chicken and rice recipe and this popped up. I was so very happy to read through your recipe and realize my 5 year old could do most of the work (he added some garlic, onion, and italian seasoning I believe).As it baked the smell reminded me of a childhood dish my mom made with broccoli and I was instantly feeling a bit better. Thank you so much for this simple nostalgic recipe that allowed this momma to still have a hot dinner on the table. All I did was place dish in and out of oven as my son was able to do the rest which was a lifesaver. He added some frozen peas with the cheese and it turned out very nicely. We did use a very large 18” cast iron frying pan as I didn’t have a 2 qt baking dish and it turned out perfectly.
Blair
That's wonderful, Christina! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note, even when you're not feeling well. I couldn't agree more -- nostalgic recipes are always the best! Hope you're on the mend! 🙂
Judy
Hi, Can I cut the big chicken breasts in half for cooking? Thanks
Blair
Absolutely! 🙂
Michelle E
My daughter .add this for her HS foods class tonight. She made as written but did add a little extra broth so it wouldn't be "dry." It turned out great. She added cheese and mixed it up and cooked another 5 minutes. She's bound to get a good score for this meal ana as an added bonus I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Blair
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know, Michelle! 🙂
Judy
Sorry, I also have long grain minute rice is that ok to use?
Blair
Hi, Judy! The long grain minute rice is not an equal substitute for the regular long grain white rice because the minute version has been parboiled (to make it cook faster), which means that it will not absorb nearly as much liquid in the dish as the regular rice. It will also have a shorter cooking time, which means that the rice will probably be done well before the chicken is cooked through. Hope that helps to clarify. 🙂
Carry
Very tasty and easy on a busy day. The biggest problem was my cats really liked the smell and were loudly demanding chicken while it was cooking! They are spoiled so they got a taste.
Blair
Hah! Glad that your cats approved, Carry! 🙂
Poppy
I really want to make this for dinner tonight but the store only had chicken tenderloins. Can I add the chicken in later after the rice has had a chance to cook some? The store didn't have chicken, cheese, or condensed cream of chicken soup a few days ago. I was lucky to find everything, except chicken breasts, in the store today.
Blair
Hi, Poppy! The grocery stores are so bare these days, so I agree -- you're lucky that you found most of the ingredients today! 🙂 The chicken tenders will work fine. I would just add them during the final 25 minutes or so. Enjoy!
Poppy
Great! Thank you for getting back to me so fast!
Poppy
My girls love cheese. They fell in love with this dish. I'm more of a tomato based person but this was so good. It's going to become one of my comfort food dishes.
Blair
Yay! I'm so happy to hear that, Poppy. Thanks for coming back to let me know how it worked. Take care!
Karen
I have made this a bunch of times. It is so easy and all five children live it. Today there was lots of liquid in it. The rice didn't soak it up as usual. Any suggestions on how to fix this or what I did wrong. Thank you
Blair
Hi, Karen! I'm glad that you've enjoyed the recipe! I honestly have no idea why this one time it would have more liquid. Sounds like one of two things happened: either the measurements were off by accident (i.e., you added too little rice or too much liquid) OR the rice didn't fully cook through and therefore didn't absorb as much liquid? Sorry I can't know for sure from a distance. Take care! 🙂
Angela L Geiss
I followed the recipe , mostly. I used cream of mushroom soup ,added peas and garlic to the mixture and seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. The rice wasn't quite done after an hour, so left it in another 30 minutes, plus the 5 extra for cheese. It was delicious! Loved coming across this basic quick recipe!!
Blair
Thanks, Angela! Your changes sound great!
Amellia
Made this tonight for the two of us and let’s just say there will not be much leftover!! Absolutely delicious!! Simple but amazing!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Blair
Yay! That's the sign of a good dinner -- no leftovers! 🙂 So glad that you enjoyed it, Amelia. Thanks for taking the time to come back here and let me know!
Donald
Followed recipe to the letter, rice was under cooked and hard. Would recommend whole can of broth not just 1 1/2 cup.
Blair
Hi, Donald! I'm sorry it didn't work to your liking. It sounds like the rice just wasn't cooked through and the dish needed a bit longer in the oven. The total baking time can vary depending on the type of dish you use, your oven, the temperature of the ingredients when they go into the oven, etc. If the rice isn't done, just bake a bit longer. 🙂
Heidi
Hi Blair, I plan to try this recipe tomorrow. I have a question. Do you think it would be any flavor advantage to adding sour cream to the recipe. I was thinking of spreading or marinating the chicken in some sour cream for additional flavor. Or perhaps just adding the sour cream to the soup mixture. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Blair
Hi, Heidi! Yes, if you like the tangy flavor that sour cream would add to the dish, I think it would be perfect. You could marinate the chicken in sour cream before adding it to the dish (that would make the chicken really tender and flavorful), or you can whisk the sour cream into the soup so that it's in the sauce -- or both! Enjoy!
Cindy West
I'd like to make this today but only have minute rice. If I use chicken tenders or chop up my chicken, could I reduce the cooking time to accommodate using minute rice? If so, about how long would the cooking times be?
Blair
Hi, Cindy! You can probably modify this recipe to use the Minute Rice, but I can't offer a specific cooking time since I haven't tested it myself. The Minute Rice is par-boiled, so it will not absorb nearly as much liquid as the regular long grain rice does. You'll definitely want to reduce the amount of chicken broth (maybe cut it in half?) and then cook until the rice is tender. I would start with 30 minutes in a covered dish, check it, and then return it to the oven if necessary. If you dice the chicken into small pieces, the meat should cook through in the shorter amount of time. Hope that helps!
Alexis
Could I use frozen chicken ?
Blair
Hi, Alexis! I would thaw the chicken first, otherwise it will impact the baking time and the rice/chicken might not be done at the same time. 🙂