Chicken Rice Casserole Recipe
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Chicken Rice Casserole is a family favorite meal. Made of chicken and rice and cooked in a tender, comforting casserole. A favorite one dish dinner recipe!
Looking for more cozy dinner ideas? I think you’ll love my Chicken Noodle Soup, Pot Roast Recipe, and Easy Lasagna.
Growing up, there were certain dishes that we could depend on having in the way of comfort food: chicken and dumplings when it was cold or rainy, chicken soup when we didn’t feel well, and chicken and rice casserole to carry to friends and neighbors when they needed a meal to celebrate the birth of a child or mourn the loss of a loved one and everything in between, it seems.
It is a comfort food classic in my family and most likely in many others.
There are so many variations of this casserole dish, probably every family has their version, and then changes within the family as well. For my family, this flavorful version always hit the spot!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Cozy, comforting meal. This is a wonderful one dish recipe when you need a cozy, comforting dinner idea.
- Easy recipe. It uses simple ingredients that are easily combined and baked in a baking dish for a one dish meal.
- Versatile. You can easily substitute or omit ingredients you don’t care for and include those that you do! I provide plenty of options!
Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
How to Make Chicken Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
You will need a few simple ingredients to make this chicken rice casserole. I’ve included substitutions and variations as well.
- chicken – you will need 2 cups of shredded chicken for this recipe. I like to use the shredded chicken recipe I’ve shared previously. You can also use my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken recipe or pick up a rotisserie chicken in the grocery store.
- rice – you’ll need 2 cups of cooked rice. You can use cooked white rice or brown rice.
- cream of chicken soup – you will need 2 cups of cream of chicken soup. You can also use canned soup if you prefer. You can use all cream of chicken or a combination of cream of chicken and cream of celery.
- onion – (optional) if used, you’ll use 1/2 cup diced onion.
- celery – (optional) if used, you’ll use 1/2 cup diced celery.
- mayonnaise – you can also use Greek yogurt.
- seasoning – you’ll need 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. If you enjoy the added flavor of garlic, you can substitute the salt and pepper called for in the recipe with 1 teaspoon of Stone House Seasoning.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep. Preheat the oven to 425º F and spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or lightly coat it with butter or olive oil. Set aside.
Combine chicken rice casserole ingredients. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until combined.
Pour into baking dish. Spread the chicken rice casserole mixture into a prepared baking dish.
Bake. Bake for 30 minutes or until the casserole is heated throughout and lightly browned.
Serve. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole – Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese to the casserole mixture before baking.
- Mushroom Chicken Rice Casserole – Add 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms to the casserole mixture before baking.
- Original Chicken Rice Casserole – see the recipe notes for the original casserole recipe using uncooked rice and sauteed celery and onion.
Storage Tips
To make ahead. Prepare the chicken rice casserole without baking. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To serve, allow the casserole to sit out on the counter as the oven preheats. Adjust the baking time to make sure that the casserole has heated throughout.
To store leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To freeze. Prepare the chicken rice casserole without baking. Cover tightly with plastic wrap followed by foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then follow the baking instructions in the recipe. The baking time may need to be extended by up to 10 minutes to heat the casserole throughout.
Here’s my Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family always does!
Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken breasts, (about 2 breasts) cooked and shredded
- 2 cups cooked white rice, or cooked brown rice
- 2 cups cream of chicken soup, (optional) or 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup and 1 can condensed cream of celery soup
- 1/2 cup diced onion, (optional)
- 1/2 cup diced celery, (optional)
- 1 cup mayonnaise , or Greek yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F. Spray 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until casserole is lightly browned.
Notes
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 recipe homemade cream of chicken soup
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper Instructions:
– Preheat oven to 425º F. Spray 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
– Melt butter in a medium skillet. Add onion, celery, and garlic and saute until onion is tender, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add to chicken, cream of chicken soup, chicken stock, rice, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and over with foil.
– Bake covered for 30-35 minutes or until the rice is tender. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until lightly browned.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
my husband will not eat anything with mayo in it. could I use another can of chicken soup in place of the mayo? Thanks in advance
Hi Carolyn,
You could use greek yogurt or sour cream in place of the mayo if you wish. I’ve never added additional soup in place of the mayo, so I can’t say how that will turn out. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks!
Can’t tell there is mayo in it, but this recipe tastes wonderful! Only change I made was sautéing the diced onions and celery in 1 T of butter.
Reminds me of a recipe Mama used to make. Can’t wait to try it. Using canned cream soups is a perfectly acceptable alternative to the homemade variety. Just adjust salt where it may be called for elsewhere in the recipe. Robyn, thanks so much for finding all these basic, wonderful recipes for us. I look forward everyday to seeing what is new. I am a fan of your sight.
This was a soupy mess of uncooked rice after 35 minutes.
Hi Jeff – I’m sorry your rice didn’t cook. I am sure that was frustrating! I’ve not had that problem so I’m not sure what went wrong. Thanks!
This was very good! I didn’t have time to make the homemade chicken soup so I used 2 cans of Campbell’s cream of chicken soup. I also added a small can of mushrooms and 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken. I cooked it for 50 minutes and then 10 min with foil off. It would also be good with almonds and crumbled sausage in it.
Thanks Robyn for the quick chicken tip since I am new to using the pressure cooker, it worked great! I did salt and pepper the chicken even though it was frozen.
Thanks Monica! I’m happy you enjoyed it! xo
I stumbled upon this recipe while looking for a chicken breast pressure cooker recipe. I followed Robyn’s Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipe and cooked and shredded four chicken breasts, which I then used in making her Chicken and Rice Casserole. I did not have all ingredients on hand so I did have to make a few adjustments. Based on Lori’s review, I cooked brown rice in advance using two cups of Chicken Broth. (I did not have Chicken Stock). When mixing the ingredients together, I used my only can of Cream of Chicken Soup in place of Robyn’s homemade Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe, one can Cream of Celery Soup, and one cup of Chicken Broth. I heated the casserole for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.. I also added a little shredded cheese to the top of the casserole during the last 10 minutes of heating. All in all, the casserole was good, but I am looking forward to improving my version by trying Robyn’s homemade Cream of Chicken Soup and Chicken Stock the next time I make the casserole.
I also found the soup and stock amounts are too much; I reduced both to two cups each. That cream of chicken recipe is a GAME CHANGER, though. I’ll never use Campbell’s again!
My mistake
Hi Iris,
I apologize that the recipe was confusing. I hope that it turned out well for you.
Thanks!
Robyn xo
I see my comment was deleted just moments later. I guess this blogger only posts positive comments.
It says use cooked long grain rice, not uncooked.And Iris dear, you need not make any more comments. I can’t see where anything you said was nice or helpful. Try learning how to read a recipe.
This recipe has been changed. I make it often but always have to come back for recipe because mom brain here. Anyway, it used to have u cooked rice and chicken broth. Didn’t have mayo.
I agree the entire chicken soup addition was confusing. Also in the sauce recipe you say 1/4 cup of flour divided. But you never say what to divide. Also 4 tablespoons is a 1/4 cup so ????? I was feeling ill and wanted a quick casserole and didn’t have the time for a sloppily written recipe. In the oven now and just hope it’s not a total waste of time, ingredients and much needed couch time.
Iris, if you were that ill and cranky, maybe you should have gotten takeout or made a tried and true recipe, instead of being an utter b***h to the blogger who so generously shared her recipe with you. There are literally millions of recipes on the internet. You didn’t have to choose this one, you know.
Robyn, thanks for the recipe. I’ve got only about a cup of soup (canned…I know, I know! but I’ll be pinning your homemade version!) so I’ll have to tinker with the liquids amount anyway, but this kind of recipe (as opposed to the raw chicken breasts on top of rice kind) is just what I was looking for. It’ll make a good guideline. Best wishes.
Amen!
Wow – I read with no problem. It tells you what to do with the flour. Read ahead 🙂 that’s what you should always do before you begin any recipe
Right! That’s what I did. Thanks to the author of the recipe, it smalls great cooking. I used rotisserie chicken for the old recipe, by the way, totally my choice and I think (hope)it will still turn out anyway.
I hope you enjoy it, Maria! Thanks!
I’ve never used uncooked raw rice in a casserole before because I thought it wouldn’t cook properly. I’ve always used Minute Rice. I am going to try the raw rice as you said to do. I’m nervous of course. I’ve made this casserole since the 1960’s but not just the way you do, which sounds and looks delicious. Thanks.
This was a great recipe. I did not try the homemade cream of chicken recipe due to time, and I used rotisserie chicken instead but it was great. I had a problem with salt because i used knorr chicken granules to make the broth. It came out too salty, but the liquid worked great for the canned soup… just add less salt next time. My son ate the whole thing almost by himself even though it was salty. Sometimes good recipes just need a little change and come out perfect the next time.