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This Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole is made with rice, chicken breasts, cheddar cheese, cream of chicken soup, water, and seasonings. You will love this easy and delicious comfort food meal.
Featured with this recipe
- The Best Casserole
- A Recipe Straight from My Heart 💕
- Ingredients in This Recipe
- How to Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Tips for the Perfect Casserole
- Shredding the Chicken Before Serving
- Reader Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Questions About Chicken and Rice Casserole
- What to Serve with this Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
- A Dish Worth Sharing
The Best Casserole
Today, I’m sharing one of my all-time favorite comfort food recipes: Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole. This dish has been a staple in my family for generations, and I promise it’s about to become a favorite in yours too.
Picture this: tender, juicy chicken breasts nestled in a bed of creamy, cheesy rice, all baked to perfection. The aroma alone is enough to have your whole family gathering in the kitchen, asking, “Is it ready yet?” Trust me, this casserole is everything you want in a cozy, easy dinner—and then some!
A Recipe Straight from My Heart 💕
Whenever I make this Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole, I think of my Grandma Edwards. She used to make it every time we visited, and it was pure magic. Sitting around her kitchen table with my family, sharing laughter, and enjoying her cooking are memories I’ll treasure forever.
Food has a special way of connecting us to the past, doesn’t it? One bite of this casserole takes me back to being a 7-year-old, eagerly anticipating dessert after Grandma’s delicious meal. Now, I get to pass this tradition on to my own family, and it’s just as special.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Just rice, chicken breasts, cheddar cheese, cream of chicken soup, and a few pantry staples.
- Easy to Make: Minimal prep and just one pan—perfect for busy weeknights!
- Comfort in Every Bite: Creamy, cheesy, and oh-so-satisfying.
Ingredients in This Recipe
The beauty of this casserole lies in its simplicity. You only need a handful of pantry staples and fresh ingredients to create something truly magical. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Rice: Long-grain white rice works perfectly, but Jasmine or basmati can also be used for a subtle flavor twist.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are my go-to, but thighs work just as well if you prefer dark meat.
- Cheddar Cheese: Shredded cheddar adds the perfect cheesy touch. Feel free to mix in other cheeses for variety.
- Cream of Chicken Soup: This gives the casserole its creamy texture and rich flavor. (See tips below for substitutions!)
- Water or Chicken Broth: Broth adds extra flavor to the rice, but water works if you’re keeping it simple.
- Onion Soup Mix: This seasoning blend brings everything together beautifully.
- Seasonings: Salt and pepper are essential, but you can customize with your favorite herbs and spices.
How to Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Making this casserole is as easy as layering ingredients and popping it in the oven. Seriously, it’s that simple! Here’s a quick rundown of the process:
Add a Cheesy Finish: Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top during the last few minutes of baking, letting it melt into gooey perfection.
Prepare the Dish: Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. This ensures nothing sticks and makes cleanup a breeze.
Layer the Ingredients: Start with the uncooked rice, spreading it evenly across the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and half the shredded cheese.
Add the Chicken: Place the chicken breasts directly on top of the rice. No need to pre-cook; they’ll bake to tender perfection in the oven.
Add Creaminess: Drop small spoonfuls of cream of chicken soup over the chicken and rice. This step ensures every bite is rich and flavorful.
Pour the Liquid: Pour water or chicken broth evenly over the dish, making sure the rice gets fully saturated.
Sprinkle the Seasoning: Finish with the onion soup mix, spreading it evenly across the top for that savory, aromatic touch.
Bake to Perfection: Bake uncovered at 350°F for 1 hour, or until the chicken is fully cooked and the rice is tender.
Tips for the Perfect Casserole
- Choose the right chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. If the chicken is more than 1″ thick, pound them flat or cut them in half lengthwise. You can also cut the chicken into smaller portioned pieces for easier eating. Before removing the chicken from the oven, use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken breast to ensure the chicken reaches the USDA recommended safe internal temperature of 165 degrees (Fahrenheit).
- Use the right rice: Long-grain white rice is a good choice for casseroles as it tends to absorb flavors well. You can also use Jasmine rice, basmati rice, or even wild rice. We have tried making this with brown rice and we can never get it to cook well enough without also drying out the chicken.
- Add vegetables: Enhance the flavor and nutrition of your casserole by adding vegetables like carrots, peas, bell peppers, broccoli, or mushrooms.
- Seasoning: Try using a mix of herbs and spices such as thyme, rosemary, garlic, onion powder, and paprika to season the dish. You can also add onion powder and garlic powder. Salt and pepper are essential for flavor.
- Broth or stock: Instead of just water, use chicken broth or stock to cook the rice. This adds depth of flavor to the dish.
- Try a different soup: You don’t necessarily need to stick to cream of chicken soup for the creamy sauce. Cream of mushroom soup, cheese soup, and cream of celery soup also taste great in this casserole.
- Cream of chicken substitute: If you are not a fan of using “cream of” soups from a can, try our recipe for Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute. It is creamy and flavorful without the modified food starch and/or monosodium glutamate (MSG).
- Save a little time: If you want to save a little time and also ensure you don’t get crunchy rice, boil the water/chicken broth or stock evenly over the casserole ingredients before baking. Cover with aluminum foil to trap in the heat and then bake– you can cut the time by 10-15 minutes by doing this trick.
- Rest before serving: Allow the casserole to rest for a few minutes after removing it from the oven. This helps the flavors meld and makes it easier to serve.
- Garnish: Garnish with fresh parsley or chopped green onion or chives to add a little color to the dish.
Shredding the Chicken Before Serving
If you have younger kids at home or just want to make this casserole easier to eat, try shredding the chicken before serving. Shredding the chicken after cooking makes the chicken have an even distribution throughout the dish. It also creates a tender texture and helps the chicken get more of the flavors from the creamy sauce. Shredded chicken blends seamlessly with the other ingredients, making it easier to serve and appealing to picky eaters, especially kids. Plus it helps you get all the flavors of the casserole in each bite!
Reader Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nan: “I made this for a dinner party last night. It was DELICIOUS. So easy to prepare, and everyone loved it!”
Lizzy P: “I keep coming back to this recipe. It’s foolproof and always hits the spot!”
Erica: “I used chicken broth instead of water and added extra cheese—total game-changer!”
Questions About Chicken and Rice Casserole
Yes, cream of mushroom and cream of celery both taste great in this recipe.
Yes, chicken broth will add even more flavor. You can also use a combination of water and chicken broth.
No. That is one of the great things about this recipe! The chicken cooks along with the rice.
What to Serve with this Casserole
I prefer to serve this Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole with cooked vegetables on the side in the winter months, and in the summer months, I serve it with a large garden salad. Try some of these delicious recipes that go perfectly with this casserole:
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
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Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 2 cups uncooked rice not Minute Rice
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 (10.5 oz) cans cream of chicken soup undiluted
- 3 cups water
- 1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Layer rice, 1 cup shredded cheese, salt, and pepper in pan.If your chicken breasts are thicker than 1", cut them in half lengthwise or pound them flat with a mallet so they cook thoroughly and evenly. Place chicken breasts on top. Daub rounded teaspoons of cream of chicken soup over the chicken breasts and rice.
- Pour water on top and sprinkle with onion soup mix.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour.
- Remove from oven, and stir excess sauce into the rice. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese.
Notes
- If using brown rice, add 15 minutes to baking time.
- In a hurry? Boil the water before pouring over the top. Quickly cover with foil to trap in the heat and bake as directed. This can save you up to 15 minutes of cooking time.
- The USDA recommends keeping leftover cooked chicken for a maximum of four days.
- After cooking and consuming your tender chicken, take your leftovers from your baking dish or your casserole dish and place in an airtight container where it can remain safely for up to four days in the fridge. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
A Dish Worth Sharing
This Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole is more than a meal—it’s a memory maker. Whether you’re preparing it for a busy weeknight or serving it to guests, it’s sure to be a hit. If you give it a try, let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear how it turned out and any fun twists you added.
And don’t forget to share this recipe with your friends and family—it’s just too good to keep to yourself!
I cooked it for 1 hour and 20 minutes. The mixture seemed to be set together great but the rice didn’t really ever cook too well. Is there a secret to mixing it in order for the rice to cook properly. My family said they liked the taste but they just couldn’t stand the crunchy rice. I agree but would like some tips on how to get it done without the rice turning out crunchy. I will be finishing the leftovers. Lol I’m not upset about that.
also, i always dice up my chicken into pieces so it’s easier to mix and serve
i had to come back later and comment because we make this one a week. it’s a staple in our menu rotation because EVERYBODY loves it, including a 2yo and 6yo. i did make some alterations: 3 cups of chicken bone broth instead of water; 2 cups of cheese (1 in casserole, 1 under and on top of topping keep reading); 2 10.5oz cans of Campbell’s cheddar cheese soup instead of cream of chicken (also used cream of broccoli once and that was good too, kids weren’t fans though lol); always rinse the rice before use; use salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder as seasoning; and i use a crunchy topping: 2 sleeves of ritz crackers + 1 stick of unsalted butter. i put the casserole in for 45 minutes. when the timer goes off i leave it in the oven while prepping the topping. crush the crackers in a gallon ziploc bag. cut the butter into pieces and melt in the microwave. pour melted butter over the crackers and mix them up. take casserole out and mix very well. half a cup of cheese on the casserole, spread the topping over the top evenly, then sprinkle the remaining half cup of cheese on the topping. put back in for 20 minutes. it’s perfect every time
That sounds incredible!!!
I doubled the recipe (using 2 casserole dishes) after an hour cooking it’s very watery. I double checked recipe and I followed it exactly. Any one else have this problem?
When you cook two pans in the oven instead of one, sometimes they don’t heat as well. That could be the issue. Try cooking them one at a time if you can!
I used cheddar soup mix in this, since that’s all I had on hand.. was perfect! My husband loved it!
I made this recipe last week and it was great. I want to make it again but with linguine noodles. Can I cook it the same way with pasta? Thanks!
We haven’t tried cooking it with pasta before, so I’m not sure whether or not it will work.
What do you mean “stir excess sauce into rice”? What “excess” sauce? How do you stir halved chicken breasts? Wouldn’t it be better to cut the chicken into bite sized chunks?
You could cut the chicken up into pieces if you’d like. As far as the excess sauce, it just the sauce that is on the top of the rice, you stir it into the rice.
Did anyone ever try to make this in the crockpot? How long and high or low?
My family loved this recipe! I added organic broccoli, used reduced sodium chicken broth instead of water, I also used 2 packets of onion soup mix.
That sounds amazing! I love how you made it your own. We will have to try it that way too.
Just made this casserole it was simple and easy to follow your directions I did add chicken broth instead of water and added a can of mushrooms to give it a little more texture and I used onion and mushroom Lipton soup mix. The family absolutely loves this and I will be making it again
This was delicious 😋 I used the vegetable Lipton soup package instead…it was absolutely wonderful!!!!
This turned out fantastic! Was cold here today so I thought I’d do this for husband even tho I’m not a casserole person.
I halved it, but it still needed the full hour for the rice. Brought it out at 45 min and added shaved parm. And didn’t have shredded cheddar so used slices of cheddar on bottom after rice. Used chic tenderloins and they were very tender. Definitely a keeper! The soup and onion soup mix make it when you want something easy.
I love this
If I were to cut this recipe in half, would the cooking time still be 1 hour? Thank you
The cooking time would still be close to an hour for the rice to fully cook. I would check it after 45-50 minutes and see if the rice is done.
Most likely close to the same time.
This is in the oven right now and it smells amazing! I used frozen diced chicken breasts (that I mostly thawed), and I only had one can of cream of mushroom and a can french onion, so we’re going to use those. I mixed it all together in the pan (not on purpose initially, then I had to even it out) and we’ll see how it goes, but I’m very optimistic. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Right, so I have to be honest here and state that this is not the sort of meal I’d normally be making for myself since I don’t do rice so much nowadays. However, as I needed a special diet in preparation for a procedure I found this one via Google. Made using cream of mushroom soup, its actually pretty good. Now I’m wondering if there’s a way to adjust it to use vegetable rice
easy and delicious meal that everyone loves
Made this, and absolutely love love love it, made again tonight, I like to use a mixture of brown and white rices, parboiling the brown for about ten minutes before assembling the rest of the casserole 🤤
I just made a comment while this was in the oven, and when it was done after cooking another thirty minutes it was just about perfect….just a very few somewhat crunchy grains of rice. We all thought it was quite good, and I was pleased that the chicken wasn’t dried out….it was moist and husband said it was just how he liked it. I’ll make it again, and I’ll bake it for one and a half hours and either add a little more water in the beginning, or add a small amount halfway through cooking like I did tonight. A great recipe…glad I tried it!!
This was delicious and easy to make! I used chicken broth instead of water and added a little more cheese then recommended. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you for the recipe!
How many lbs. of chicken breasts would you use? The chicken breasts I buy are huge, often weighing 12 oz. or more, and six of them would be a LOT of chicken.
I’m not sure exactly how many pounds we use, but maybe try three of your chicken breasts cut in half?
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast?
Yes!
If I added 2 more cups of rice how much longer should I leave in oven
I’m not sure since I haven’t tried it that way before. Make sure you add extra liquid as well!
I want to cook this today but don’t have any Lipton onion soup mix! Do you have suggestions for a substitute? Or can I just leave it out?
The onion soup mix flavors a lot of the dish so I would substitute some spices like onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and celery seed if you have it!
I know this comment was made a long time ago, but dried minced onion and beef Bullion cubes with a touch of paprika is a great substitute for the onion soup.
Heather, it may have been from a long time ago, but I am just now seeing it and scanning comments for a soup substitute. Thank you!!! Your answer was in great timing for me. Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, Holiday Season!
Hello, you can also use ranch seasoning or even Italian seasoning. I didn’t have have the onion seasoning on hand, and used hidden valley ranch for the seasoning.
I use Italian seasoning instead of soup mix!