Baked Chicken and Rice
Baked chicken and rice have been a staple in our house for years. It was shared with me by a mommy group friend, and I love how easy it is to make—no standing over a hot stove for this recipe.
It is one of those all-time favorite comfort foods. It’s a must in your meal rotation. Plus, it’s a budget-friendly dish. Win, win!
What You’ll Need
The ingredient list is fairly basic, nothing out of the ordinary. That’s what makes this recipe such a breeze to make. And it’s so good!
- Cream of chicken soup
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Cream of celery soup
- Water – You will need one soup can of water. You can also use chicken stock or chicken broth.
- Rice – Use long-grain white rice, jasmine, or basmati.
- Celery – Diced small.
- Chicken – Chicken tenders, chicken breasts, or boneless skinless chicken thighs
How to Make Creamy Chicken and Rice Bake
This is one of those ‘dump and go’ types of casseroles. Three cans of soup, one can of water, rice, and chicken. It’s an extra creamy, almost risotto-type texture.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Mix the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, and water, then mix in the uncooked rice and celery. You can do the mixing in a bowl, or like me, just do it in the 9×13 baking dish.
Place the chicken on top of the rice mixture, and season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place the butter on top of the chicken and bake for 2 hours or until the rice is tender. If you choose to cover with foil, remove it 30 minutes before the baking time is done.
You can use any boneless, skinless chicken pieces you like. Also, you can use more or less. It depends on how many you feed and how much chicken you need.
This feeds 3 of us with leftovers for lunch the next day. The butter adds flavor but also helps the chicken to brown a little.
I take the chicken out and shred or chop it up. It’s your preference.
This dish can easily be doubled for a crowd too.
Mix in the chicken or just serve alongside. Enjoy this easy dinner with a side salad, and call it done!
Variations
- Try adding in some chopped broccoli, peas, carrots, or mushrooms.
- Stir in some shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese.
FAQ
No, the rice cooks in the moisture of the cream soups and water.
Yes, be sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat slowly in the microwave.
You can freeze the baked casserole tightly covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the oven or the microwave. You may want to add a little extra water when reheating.
Baked Chicken and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1 can Cream of Celery Soup
- 1 can Water soup can
- 1 cup Rice
- 2 stalks Celery diced
- 2 – 4 Boneless Chicken Breast or Tenders
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Mix all three soups with one soup can of water in a 9×13 pan.
- Add the rice and mix well.
- Place chicken on top of rice mixture.
- Place 1 – 2 pats of butter on each piece of chicken.
- Bake for 2 hours, uncovered.
Is this cooked rice or uncooked rice ?
Hi Mike! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have corrected the recipe, it’s uncooked rice. 🙂
can i use chicken thighs ?
I don’t see why not! 🙂
Can i use chicken thighs
I would think thighs would work great with the long cooking time on this recipe. Enjoy!
Is this a possible slow cooked meal
Sorry, I have never tried it in the slow cooker.
Are you using instant rice or regular rice?
Ellen, I use regular rice. Thank you so much for coming by! 🙂
Can you use brown rice or does it have to be white rice?
Linda, I have never tried brown rice with this recipe. Sorry.
I did it with brown rice…cooking time is longer by 20 minutes in my oven.
can i do this in a crock pot and how long will it take
I have never made this recipe in the slow cooker, so I’m not sure how long it would cook. Sorry!
The recipe calls for 2 celery stalks, but it is no where listed in the directions.
Hi Tiffany, thank you for letting me know. I have corrected the recipe. 🙂
Where is it added?
Where is WHAT added, Sarah?
2 hours seems like a really long time to cook. I wonder if you upped the temperature it would be able to cook in less time and still work out? Like 375 for an hour?
You could give it a try! Let me know how it turns out. I’m not sure the rice would cook properly.
Has anyone tried this without rice? I realized I was out of rice after I mixed the soups together:/
No, Niecy. How did it turn out?
Hi, I’m in the uk and can’t find any tins of celery soup. What could I use instead. Thanks
Hi Beth, you can use 2 cans of cream of chicken or 1 each of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom. Thanks for visiting!
Looks great. And just 330cals? Wow
Thanks, Jessica! I’m not sure about the calorie count. I’m looking into adding that to the recipes soon.
Can I make this a day ahead of time and refrigerate? I need a response before Wednesday 10/5!
Leslie, I have never tried making this a day ahead. I’m not sure how the rice would turn out after soaking in the soup and water for so long.
Anyone know what size cans are required here? I’m assuming the 10oz cans.
Marie, you are correct. Use the standard size 10.75oz cans. 🙂
I think u could use orzo instead of rice and u would still get a great result
Great tip, Sherifa! Thanks. 🙂
How long would I could get if I doubled the recipe and can I use chicken thighs and how would I take the meat off of the thighs and put it in the rice
Doris, I have never needed to double the recipe so I’m not comfortable giving you an exact cooking time. You could debone the thighs before you bake with the rice. Thank you for coming by!
This recipe sounds yummy. BUT, using three cans of soup makes it pretty unhealthy! Each can has over 400mg of sodium…way to much to be considered a possibility in my house.
So sorry Sandy! Maybe you could try your hand at making the cream soups yourself. Please let me know if you do and how it turns out. 🙂
You could also look for low sodium soup
Can this be portioned and frozen ?
I’ve never needed to freeze this dish. But you could certainly give it a try.
I am thinking of making this using boneless pork chops instead.
Does the chicken get dried out from baking it that long? I thought about putting the rice in for an hour or so before I added chicken. Think that would work? And have you tried adding cheese or veggies?
Bury the chicken in the middle of the rice, it helps keep it moist. Or you can certainly add the chicken in later. I haven’t added any vegetables or cheese to this dish, we love it the way it is. If you try it let us know how you like. Thanks so much for coming by!
You have two stalks of celery diced in your ingredients list but you don’t mention them in your. Directions to cook. Do you add them in with the soup water and rice?
Oh sorry. I read thru your longer instructions and I see where you add the celery! This sounds good! I’m going to try it!
I made the dish I added the diced celery with the soups was that correct
Yes. We hope you liked it.
Can this be done with Instapot?
Sorry, I’ve never cooked this in an Instapot.
Do I need to prepare pan with oil/butter before putting mixture in?
No, I have never had a problem with it sticking.