Looking for a comforting and delicious meal that the whole family will love? Look no further than Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole. This classic dish combines tender chicken, fluffy rice, and gooey cheese into one satisfyingly flavorful bite. Whether you’re in need of a quick weeknight dinner or want to impress guests at your next gathering, this timeless casserole is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
One of my favorite things to make for dinner is a casserole. Not only are they budget friendly and easy to prepare, but most of the time they can be prepared ahead of time making them perfect for busy nights. Most casseroles are simple to make and use ingredients you already have on hand.
This Chicken and Rice Casserole is creamy, cheesy, and packed with flavor! Tender chicken, rice, cheese, and cream of chicken soup combine to create a meal the entire family will enjoy. You can even slip in some broccoli, peas, or corn to make this a full one-pan meal! Not only does this casserole taste incredible, but the aroma that fills the house while cooking will have everyone asking when dinner will be ready.
Ingredients Needed for this cheesy chicken rice casserole:
- Chicken- boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked and shredded or diced
- Rice (not minute rice) brown or white rice works
- Cheddar Cheese– try to use freshly shredded as the bagged cheese have an additive to prevent clumping that doesn’t allow for melting easily
- Salt/Pepper- to taste
- Cream of Chicken Soup- 10.5 oz can
- Water
- Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Recipe Variations
- Cut up pieces of broccoli or carrots go perfectly in this recipe
- Feel free to add mushrooms, onions, peppers, or any other vegetable desired
- Homemade cream of chicken soup works good in this recipe if you don’t want to use canned
- Cream of mushroom soup, celery, broccoli, and potato are all great alternative options to the cream of chicken
- Chicken Thighs can be used in this recipe in place of the chicken breasts
- Feel free to use chicken broth in lieu of water for added flavor
- Have fun with seasonings to make it your own. Dried herbs, minced garlic, or garlic powder make great additions.
Layers of Your Casserole
- The bottom layer, rice. Uncooked at this point.
- Next in line, shredded cheese, salt and pepper.
- Followed by- - cream of chicken soup.
- Then, Lipton Onion Soup and a cheese layer.
How to make Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
With a few simple steps, this casserole is oven ready in just a few minutes! Scroll below for full recipe card!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
- Layer the bottom of pan with the rice.
- Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, and chicken to the top of the rice.
- Spread the 2 cans of cream of chicken soup over the chicken.
- Pour water on top of mixture, followed by the Lipton onion mix. No need to stir.
- Place pan carefully into the preheated oven and allow to bake for 90 minutes. If using brown rice, add about 10 minutes to the baking time.
- Once cooked, remove from oven and sprinkle an additional ½ cup cheese on top. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes and serve! You can garnish with parsley for additional color.
What to Serve with this Casserole
This casserole can be served on its own, or with a side or steamed veggies, a side salad, or a bread item. We love Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts or Garlic Parmesan Roasted Asparagus with ours! In the summer months, a nice Chopped Caprese Salad makes a wonderful side option!
Storage
- Refrigerator: store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Do not bake the casserole. Tightly wrap the dish in a few layers of plastic wrap or foil, pressing out any air. Freeze up to 4 months. Allow to thaw once ready to cook and proceed with cooking instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do you cook the rice before putting it in a casserole?
For this casserole, there is no need to cook the rice first. You will simply add the uncooked rice to your casserole dish.
Can you freeze chicken and rice casserole?
Yes! You can either freeze this prior to baking it and simply thaw, place in oven as directed, and enjoy. Or you can freeze leftover casserole in a freezer safe container for up to 4 months. Thaw and reheat leftovers using the microwave.
How do you spice up a bland casserole?
Add your favorite spices. Dried herbs such as Italian seasoning, pepper, garlic, or all-purpose seasoning are great additions.
If you love casseroles, try these other favorites:
Casseroles are a family favorite meal option. They are budget friendly and delicious. Whether you want a side dish or a full meal, check out these great choices to add to your next menu. Be sure to bookmark these, print out the recipes, or pin them to Pinterest.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole– tender pasta with chicken, bacon, and Ranch seasoning combined into a flavorful casserole
Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole– layers of pasta, cheese, sauce, and meat combined into a creamy spaghetti dish
Parmesan Chicken Casserole– using only 5 ingredients, this chicken casserole is melt in your mouth scrumptious with every bite
Chicken Pot Pie Bubble Up Casserole– a one pan meal the entire family will love. All the flavors of classic chicken pot pie are combined into one pan.
This Chicken and Cheesy Rice Casserole is a classic comfort food that never fails to satisfy. With its creamy texture, savory flavors, and simple preparation, it has become a staple dish in many households. Whether you’re looking for an easy weeknight meal or a crowd-pleasing dish for potlucks and family gatherings, this casserole is sure to be a hit. So grab your ingredients, preheat your oven, and indulge in the deliciousness of cheesy chicken and rice casserole - it’s bound to become a favorite in your house!
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Easy Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken *boneless/skinless, diced
- 2 cups uncooked rice *brown or white works, not Instant
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese *shredded
- salt/pepper
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup *10.5 oz cans
- 3 cups water
- 1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Layer the bottom of pan with the rice.
- Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese, salt pepper, and chicken to the top of the rice.
- Spread the 2 cans of cream of chicken soup over the chicken.
- Pour water on top, followed by the Lipton onion mix.
- Place pan carefully into the preheated oven, and allow to bake for 90 minutes. If using brown rice, add about 10 minutes to the baking time.
- Once cooked, remove from oven and sprinkle an additional ½ cup cheddar cheese on top. Bake an additional 5 minutes to allow cheese to melt.
- Enjoy!!
Nutrition
Kelcy says
I assume the chicken is already cooked?
Kristin says
Yes, cooked and shredded or diced! Rotisserie chicken works great in this recipe!
KIMMY says
LOOKS TASTY, BUT WAAAYY TOO MUCH SODIUM!
Kristin says
You can cut down on the sodium by using low sodium cream of chicken, as well as making homemade Lipton onion soup mix to control the salt amounts a bit!
B says
So, in typical ADHD fashion I missed the part about the chicken being cooked and used raw, cubed chicken breast. I cooked it at 350 for 90 min, it was bubbly and hot.. threw the cheese on it and impatient me I hit it with the broil to brown up that cheese a little bit. It was delish. so good i made it again the next day where i realized I was supposed to use cooked chicken. The recipe turned out great with raw cubed chicken. it cooked all the way through in the 90 min.
I did add a bit of garlic powder to the top of the rice on the second batch and 2 cups broccoli along side the chicken and a 3/4 cup of extra water I mixed with the cream of chicken to make a thick slurry so it spread easier. 1000% I will make this again and again. Also will be checking the other recipes!
Kristin Hayes says
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and love all the changes and how it worked out!! Hope you enjoy the other recipes you check out!
Amanda says
I don’t see where it says how much water to add. She just says add the water.
Kristin says
Hi! It is 3 cups of water! Hope you enjoy and keep me posted what you think!!
Kathy says
Loaded potato soup or cheesy au gratin potatoes!
Pam says
I would use it in my Cheesy Ham & Potato soup!
Barb says
I have a terrific Cheese Onion Bread recipe that I’ve been making for over 30 years and I bet this cheese would be delicious in it.
Kristin says
Congrats Barb!! You were selected as our winner of the serving dish! Can you please send us your address so we can get this shipped out to you? Our email to send your address to is [email protected]
Natalie Capetillo says
I add it to my potato casserole.
Cindy Elliott says
We’d definitely add it to tacos-one of our family’so favorites!