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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.
Andrea says
This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite one-dish recipes! It’s gluten-free, flavorful, versatile, filling & inexpensive. I have made it many times substituting packaged ranch seasoning for French onion (my hubby hates onion), mixing in frozen or fresh green veggies, and changing the fresh herb (parsley) for whatever I have on hand. The only addition I always do is to brown the top of the casserole at the end of the cooking time. THANK YOU for this winning recipe!
Sophia says
Not sure if I missed it but where is the recipe for the homemade cream of chicken soup!?
Karly says
Sorry about that – the ingredients list didn’t include it. You can find it here: https://www.bunsinmyoven.com/cream-of-chicken-soup-substitute/
Sophia says
Thank you very much…can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Mike cade says
Great?
Farmersdaughter says
I’ve made this for years only using chicken legs and chicken broth instead of milk. I usually cook for 50-60 minutes in a casserole with a lid at 350*. I’ve never had a problem with the rice getting done. It’s one of my favorite comfort foods!!
Stephanie says
This looked great until I saw how much sodium is in it Holy moly ?
Karly says
You could use reduced sodium products if you like.
Julie says
Delicious! I used one cup white rice with one cup brown/wild rice, and added grated Parmesan in the recipe as well as on top with the Gruyere, oregano, black pepper and minced garlic ?? Keeping the foil tight is key, I cooked it just a tad longer as well. Chicken stays very moist, great flavor!
Michelle says
I’m wondering if using seared chicken thighs would work better for the longer cooking time. Going to try that and a lidded cassoulet pot… fingers crossed
Katie says
Bake this at 400 instead of 350, and the rice will cook. I use a recipe similar to this, except I use broth instead of milk (no onion soup mixture) and I add sauteed onions and green peppers. I also use Jasmine rice. Same of everything else and I’ve never had the rice under-cooked. It’s one of my favorites.
Rosemary Barnes says
Thanks for your suggestions. I’m going to try it. I’m on a wheat and lactose free diet so the cream of mushroom soup wouldn’t be good for me.
Dana Yaussy says
I heated the milk/soup mixture on stove top with rice- just enough to get hot then put in casserole dish 9×13. Chicken breasts on top. Must really seal foil tight. Did not stir half way through. To amp up flavor I did add 2nd dry soup mix and some more milk. My husband very picky eater and he liked it and asked for me to fix again which is unheard of!
Robin says
I’m trying this one for dinner tonight. Like others, I’ve done this with cream of mushroom soup also substitute pork chops for chicken just brown them (searing) before putting in pan. And I had always used instant rice without it getting soggy.
When my kids were … well kids … this was one of their favorite dinners. It’s quick & easy, just add a veggie on the side.
Brian says
Try sautéing the rice in a bit of oil until just golden first. This will give it a head start and the flavors will absorb more.
Cori says
Good, but needed some tweaks. I used minute brown rice and it came out perfectly. I also used 2 packets of onion soup mix with 1 can of cream if mushroom and 1 cream of chicken. My store didn’t have grueyere so I used provolone. I kept it uncovered while the cheese was melting and it formed a great crust. It’s not a pretty dish, but it is hardy and my 5 year old and husband loved it.
Cindy Nestberg says
This recipe is full of holes. The cooking time is way off. I double sealed tightly the tin foil. There is NO way the rice was cooked after an hour. Plus it says to stir half way? How do you stir something with chicken chunks in it? and then reseal that tin foil tightly again”.
ashley fessel says
i had the pan wrapped really tight. The i cooked the dish 15 minutes longer than recommneded and the rice ended up crunchy still. i wasn’t impressed with the flavor at all.
BJ says
Can you dive up the chicken instead of leaving the tenderloins whole? Will it dry it out too much?
Karly says
I think that would work fine, but I haven’t tried it.