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This chicken and rice casserole is serious comfort food! My whole family loves how flavorful it is, and I love that it’s super simple to throw together for busy nights!
I have this weird new food obsession.
Rice.
Seriously. Rice.
It seems so random. I mean, I’ve always liked rice just fine, it’s just not something that I ever really craved or cooked, unless it was my Bacon Fried Rice. <— Can never get enough of that one!
Lately, though, I’m obsessed.
I think it has something to do with white rice made in my Instant Pot. It’s the most perfect rice I’ve ever had. Shall I share my recipe sometime?
Anyway, my family is getting sick of plain white rice, so I thought I’d continue my obsession and create something with a little more excitement and flavor.
Enter the casserole – my favorite way to serve dinner. 😉
I’m from the Midwest after all. Casseroles are a requirement around here.
We kept this chicken rice casserole super simple with just 5 ingredients and loads of flavor thanks to the packet of onion soup mix.
Chicken Rice Casserole Ingredient Notes:
Chicken Tenderloins – We use strips of chicken tenderloins in this recipe, but you can also use chicken breasts that you’ve cut into strips yourself.
Rice – You’ll need long grain white rice. Do not use instant rice. We haven’t tested this recipe with brown rice.
Cream of Chicken Soup – This is going to add lots of creamy chicken flavor to the casserole. If you don’t like the canned stuff, try out my homemade cream of chicken substitute recipe!
Onion Soup Mix – A packet of onion soup mix is just what we need to add that French onion soup flavor to this chicken and rice casserole!
Cheese – I love a cheesy chicken and rice casserole so I top it with plenty of shredded Gruyere cheese! And of course you can add or use any other shredded cheeses you prefer to this recipe.
Seasonings – The onion soup mix adds loads of flavor to this dish, but you can top your chicken with some paprika and garlic powder, if you feel the urge.
What Readers are Saying!
“Just made this recipe, exactly to directions, turned out great, rice is nicely done and sauce is delicious. I did brown for about 5 minutes under the broiler for a little color. Chicken was nice, not dry. Very easy for a weeknight meal…” – Denise
How to Make Chicken & Rice Casserole:
Mix: First up you’ll need to prepare the rice and soup mixture. While your oven pre-heats go ahead and add the uncooked white rice to a mixing bowl and then pour in the water, dry soup mix, and cream of chicken soup. Stir to combine.
Assemble: When the creamy rice mixture is ready you can pour it into a prepared 9×13 baking dish. Smooth it out evenly in the dish and then you can start adding in the chicken tenderloins. Just place them over the top of the rice mixture and try to keep them from overlapping.
Sometimes we sprinkle the chicken with extra seasoning and sometimes we just let the onion soup mix do the work. You can feel free to get creative or keep it simple.
Bake: Now you can go ahead and cover the dish with foil and let it bake for an hour.
We’re going to turn this into a cheesy chicken casserole by topping it off with a bunch of shredded Gruyere cheese. Once you’ve topped the casserole with the cheese cover it with foil again and return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the cheese has melted.
Helpful TipS!
- My biggest tip to ensure that the recipe is cooked properly is to be sure that the foil is on TIGHT. You need the steam to stay inside the pan to cook that rice properly.
- Don’t be afraid to let it cook a bit longer if it’s not quite done. The chicken is cooking with the rice, so I know a lot of people are worried it’s going to dry out after being in the oven for so long. But, it’s cooking in that steam and liquid and it really doesn’t dry out. It comes out nice and tender, just the way we like it.
- This recipe used to call for milk in place of water. It worked well for me and for many other readers, but plenty of people were having a hard time getting the rice to cook through. We’ve swapped the milk for water and think that is a bit more fool proof.
FAQs:
Absolutely! Mozzarella, provolone, Havarti, or Monterey jack would all work well in this chicken and rice casserole.
You’ll want to use thawed or fresh chicken in this recipe.
Yes, this casserole stores well in both the refrigerator and the freezer. It should last up to 4 days in the fridge and you can re-heat it in the oven or microwave. It should last a few months in the freezer if sealed tightly.
MORE CASSEROLE RECIPES!
- Million Dollar Mac & Cheese Casserole
- Keto Meatball Casserole
- Broccoli & Cheese Casserole (Air Fryer)
- Crockpot Hashbrown Casserole
- Amish Breakfast Casserole
French Onion Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 cups water
- 20 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 1 packet Onion Soup mix
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
- 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- 1 teaspoon parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Add the rice, water, cream of chicken soup, and soup mix to a bowl and stir well to combine.
- Pour rice mixture into the baking dish and place chicken tenderloins over the top.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 60 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
- Remove the foil and top with the grated cheese. Cover and return to oven for 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.
Anthony says
Baby swiss is a close substitute.
Jackie {The Beeroness} says
Perfect this time of year!
Renee says
What would make an acceptable substitute for the Gruyere cheese?
Sara says
I was wondering the same!
Karly says
I would just use mozzarella or a mix of mozzarella and Parmesan. 🙂
Joseph Gisin says
swiss cheese, gruyere is like a mild version of swiss
Jamie says
Could you sub long grain brown rice?
Karly says
Haven’t tried it, but I think it will be fine!
Bobbi says
I’ve made a recipe similar to this with brown rice. You just have to cook it longer to make sure the rice is done. Sounds yummy!!
Mary V says
put some broccoli in as well, yummy
Kris says
Just popped this in my oven for dinner! I used a combination of mozzarella & cheddar for the cheese…..didn’t have Gruyere…..I hope my gang likes it!
Karly says
Hope you enjoy! I’m sure those cheeses will be great!
Ally says
How did it turn out?
Hate taking chances with a new meal unless someone says it turned out good
Jessica says
I made it today and it’s great. Used mozzarella and sharp cheddar instead. Hit the spot!
Alyssa @ A Bite of Inspiration says
This looks delicious! I’m all about French Onion soup and the casserole idea is GENIUS! I’ll be trying this soon! Thanks for sharing!
Jenny dbol says
Looks so delish! I’m in Norway and we don’t have French Onion dip – is it a cream cheese based dip? We have a mean Brown Onion soup powder…just wondering how to use it instead of the Kraft dip – any advice?
bo says
Looks so delish! I’m in Norway and we don’t have French Onion dip – is it a cream cheese based dip? We have a mean Brown Onion soup powder…just wondering how to use it instead of the Kraft dip – any advice? ………..
not dip ..onion soup MIX
Karly says
Based on what I can find on google, the brown onion soup powder and our French onion soup mix are pretty similar! I’d just swap them. Alternately, you can leave the soup mix out and add other seasonings you might like. 🙂
Rebecca says
Do you cook the rice before you put it in the casserole?
Karly says
Nope!
Stellablue says
It clearly says Uncooked
Stephanie says
I made it by following the directions, but had issues with the rice not being cooked all the way/still hard…. Any suggestions?!?
Anatalia Castillo says
You need to put water or chicken broth because if you don’t have enough liquid to cook rice, it will come out hard. Take it from a person who cooks rice everyday.
Lily says
So adding water or chicken broth along with the milk and cream of chicken? Because I figured those liquids would be enough.
Vonnetta King says
Hi Stephanie, I used a chicken seasoning on my meat, used cream of chicken with herbs and added 1 can of chicken broth. My dish was flavorful and the rice was tender.
Janice says
I agree, my rice wasn’t cooked either?
Kim says
Can this be done in a crock pot?
Karly says
I’m sure it can, but would probably need some adjustments. If you give it a try, let me know.
Trish says
Kim, have you make it in your crockpot yet? If so how was it? Did you need to make any adjustments?
cakespy says
This looks like the perfect cold weather meal. I love this classic casserole that is suitable for modern tastes!
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
Oh my! This looks like the perfect meal for a cold winter’s night. Chicken and rice go together like chocolate and ice cream. Can’t wait to try this!
Carlee says
Ha! I suppose there are worse things to be obsessed with. We have been draining bags of rice faster than normal lately too. Maybe your obsession is catching?!
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says
This looks HEAVENLY!
Amy @Belly Full says
See, for me…anything with rice! If I HAD to make a choice between pasta, potatoes, or rice…rice wins. I know, it’s crazy! I would have been a great contestant on Surviver. LOL. I printed this out!
Karly says
That is pretty crazy. I’d choose the french fries every time. 😉