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
This dish is delicious! My husband says I can make it every day, LOL. I used 2 cans of chunk chicken instead of fresh chicken, made it so easy but still wonderful. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks, Shaay. I love those “husband approved” recipes, don’t you?
Looks yummy! How would I modify this to use brown rice? Could be an almost perfect WW casserole!
Cynthia, you can substitute the long grain white rice with brown rice but it will take much longer to bake and the rice be tender. I have not made this with brown rice so I cannot tell you how long the cooking time should be.
So do you use all four cups in your original recipe?
You would use the entire recipe (4 cups) of homemade cream of chicken soup in this casserole, Connie. Hope you enjoy.
Hey Robyn,
I plan to try this recipe tonight. Quick question: In the original recipe above, it says “1 recipe homemade cream of chicken soup”. Does that indicate 4 cups of the homemade soup? And, if I wanted to substitute canned soup, what quantity would you recommend in the original recipe?
Thanks,
Chad
Chad, my homemade cream of chicken soup makes 4 cups or about 32 ounces. You can substitute with 2 cans, if you like.
Robyn- I made this casserole (original recipe) the other night and all I can say is “Wow!” It was very tasty, easy to make and the results were amazing! Even better the next day! I followed your instructions to the letter!
The only comment I have is that the celery was a tad stiff. I did saute the celery, onions, and garlic together, even cooking them longer than 5 minutes (about 8 minutes). Next time I will perhaps cook the celery separately for a bit, then saute all three together, that should soften it up enough.
Otherwise, a keeper in our house! I used rotisserie chicken which made it even better! Thank you for an EXCELLENT recipe!
Thanks, Mike. One of the things I like about this recipe is you can saute the vegetables to the level of softness you wish or not saute at all. So glad you liked it.
I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but of all the ones I’ve seen so far this looks like the one I grew up eating. I remember my dad would put crushed corn flakes mixed with melted butter that added a nice crunch. I will make it when I go pick up my mom next week! Thanks for sharing
I hope you enjoy the casserole, Anita, and hope it brings back warm memories of your dad.
My first attempt with already cooked chicken breast and cooked rice ( long grain white) didn’t have mayonnaise or Greek yogurt! So trying sour cream. Added chicken broth while mixing to keep it from being dry. Also added cup of cheese. Looks and smells amazing. Will see how it tastes. It is oven and in Gods hand. For a friend that lost her younger sister to an unexpected heart attack. Thank you for this recipe.
I’m so sorry about your friend’s sister, Lisa. It’s so sweet of you to make this for your friend. I’m sure it will be delicious with the sour cream.
I lost my Mom’s recipe and yours looked similar. I did add broccoli, water chestnuts (for crunch), fresh parsley and a crushed corn flakes/butter topping. WOW!! Reminded me of Mom’s casserole. Thank you for your recipe.
I’m so glad this recipe reminded you or your Mom’s, CJ. I love the recipes I have of my mama’s and my grandmother’s. xo
What do you think about adding mushrooms? Would that work ?
You can add mushrooms, if you like, Natalie. Hope you enjoy!
So glad I found this recipe. This is the very recipe my mom use to make when I was younger & she gave the recipe to me.
I myself have made this casserole many times thru the years but haven’t made it in quite some time. I lost the recipe & tho I mostly remembered what went into making this dish, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t leaving anything out.
Then I found your recipe thankfully!!!
This is one of my favorite chicken casserole dishes to make & it tastes so good …especially on a cold, rainy winter day.
I’m so glad you found this recipe, Delilah. I love how recipes our moms made when we were young bring back such memories when we make them now. This was one of my favorite recipes my mom made when I was growing up.