Baked chicken thighs with cream of chicken soup and rice

Mix soup, water, rice, paprika and black pepper in 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with chicken. Season with additional paprika and pepper. Cover.
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Bake at 375 degrees F 45 minutes or until done.

TIPS

*For creamier rice, increase water to 1 1/3 cups.

Serve with your favorite steamed vegetable blend. For dessert serve pear wedges.

The Best Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole is made completely from scratch in this easy one pan recipe that’s sure to please the whole family!

Chicken and Rice Casserole is a classic family favorite here in the United States. It is total comfort food. In this recipe, we’ve stuck with a completely “from scratch” concept. In addition, this recipe is made in just ONE pan.

A lot of times nowadays, chicken and rice casserole comes from a box or is made from a bunch of canned ingredients. Not here! We are bringing you completely from scratch deliciousness for your family to enjoy. You still get to dump everything in a pan, but this time it’s all whole, real ingredients. There is ABSOLUTELY NO cream of chicken in this dish.

Rice Options:

We recommend using only regular white rice in this recipe. Instant rice is not a good option and will overcook in this casserole. Brown rice requires a much longer cooking time than white rice and is also not recommended for this recipe.

Is Best Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole really made in only one pan?

This recipe is made directly in a 9×13 baking dish. There’s no need to dirty any bowls or pots or pans. Simply stir everything together directly in the 9×13 pan, add in your chicken, season, and bake. It’s that simple!

Chicken Options?

Chicken thighs are used in this recipe because they will stay moist during the long baking process. If you prefer, chicken breasts can be used instead, but you’ll want to check the chicken and rice to see if both are done after baking for 1 hour. The additional 30 minutes of cooking may be unnecessary for chicken breasts. Use thick chicken breasts for best results.

The Best Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole is made completely from scratch in this easy one pan recipe that’s sure to please the whole family!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups long grain white rice
1 medium white onion diced
6 tablespoons salted butter melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 to 6 whole chicken thighs
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan.
Stir rice, onion, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and flour together directly in the 9×13 pan until flour has no more visible white specks. Spread rice mixture out evenly on the bottom of the pan. Pour in chicken broth, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Place chicken thighs on top of rice mixture. Brush remaining melted butter on top and sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and paprika (optional).
Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes until rice and chicken are cooked through and the chicken skin crisps up. For crispier skins, place under the broiler setting for 2-3 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

Notes

This recipe is best when you use jasmine or basmati rice. Offbrand bags of rice labeled without their variety (as simply “long grain white rice”) are generally low quality and may produce poor results.

Can you cook rice and raw chicken together?

Can You Cook Raw Chicken And Rice Together? Yes! Raw chicken and uncooked rice can be cooked together to make a perfect easy one pot meal. I prefer to at least sear the chicken in the pot first, because the browning adds so much flavor.

Do you have to cook rice before putting it in a casserole?

Do I Cook Rice Before Adding To Casserole Dish? Short answer: No! Long answer: As long as you add boiling hot liquid and seal your ovenproof casserole dish well, your rice will cook perfectly well in the oven. No need to pre-boil the rice.

At what temp do I bake chicken?

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.