Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ditch the canned soup and bake a chicken and rice casserole from scratch.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated April 21, 2024
Elise Bauer
Chicken and rice casserole from scratch on a plate

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

Have you ever had the classic Campbell's chicken and rice casserole made with canned cream of mushroom soup?

I admit I have not, though the idea of it intrigued me recently. The dish sort of reminds me of my mother's arroz con pollo, but with mushrooms and without tomatoes.

With this recipe, I set out to make a scratch cooking version of chicken and rice casserole, sans the cans, with the goal of extracting as much flavor as I could out of the ingredients.

How To Make Chicken and Rice Casserole

First, note that we use chicken thighs, instead of the more popular (and more expensive) breasts. The thighs have more flavor and are a little fattier, so they won't dry out with long cooking.

The chicken pieces are browned in olive oil, removed, and then the onions are cooked in the same pan with the browned chicken bits. Then the mushrooms are browned, and the whole pan is deglazed with dry sherry.

All goes into a casserole dish with stock, cream, sour cream, herbs, and rice. It's then topped with the chicken and baked in the oven.

The rice cooks in the stock, the chicken finishes cooking, and the resulting chicken and rice bake is, as my 10-year-old nephew says, "Really good!"

Chicken and rice casserole, ready to serve

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

What Kind of Rice To Use

For this chicken and rice casserole, I like to use medium or long grain white rice. The recipe assumes the rice requires approximately 1 1/2 cups of liquid per cup of rice to cook. Some rice varieties, such as brown rice, require more liquid (and a longer cooking time). Adjust recipe accordingly.

Quick Tip

Basmati rice also works in this recipe, and there's no need to adjust the cooking time.


Can I Make This on the Stovetop?

Sure! You can make this entire dish on the stovetop instead of the oven if you want. Just use a large sauté pan with a tight cover, and cook on low heat when all is assembled. Cook it at a low enough heat to keep a bare simmer, but not so high that you burn the rice.

Can I Make This Casserole Ahead of Time?

You can make part of the casserole ahead of time, and then assemble and bake before serving. Just follow the steps to brown the chicken, cook the onions, garlic, and mushrooms, and move them to the casserole dish. Once you deglaze the pan with sherry, let it reduce and transfer it and any scraped up drippings to the casserole dish as well.

Refrigerate until you are ready to cook, then start with mixing the chicken stock with cream and sour cream, before assembling the casserole and baking it.

More Comforting Casseroles to Try

Doubling the Recipe

If you're feeding a crowd, it's easy to double this recipe, but it works better if you do it in two separate 9 x 13-inch casserole dishes instead of one larger pan. Double all the ingredients and follow these tips.

  • Put one cup of rice in each casserole dish.
  • Brown the chicken as in Step 2 and divide it between the two dishes.
  • Sauté the onions and garlic as in Step 3 and divide them between the two dishes.
  • Sauté the mushrooms as in Step 4 and divide them between the two dishes.
  • Make the sauce as in Step 5 and divide it between the two pans. If you're concerned about not dividing it evenly, make the sauce in two separate batches.
  • Cook as directed in Step 7.

If you're making one to eat and one to freeze, we recommend cooking both of the casseroles, and freezing the second casserole after it has cooled completely.

Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

You can make this in and Instant Pot! Give it a try using our recipe.

Can I Make This in a Slow Cooker?

Yes! We have a slow cooker version of this recipe, too.

5 Vegetable Sides for Chicken and Rice Casserole

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 70 mins
Total Time 95 mins
Servings 6 servings

This recipe assumes the rice requires about 1 1/2 cups of liquid per cup of rice to cook. Some rice varieties, such as brown rice, require more liquid (and a longer cooking time). Adjust recipe accordingly.

If you are avoiding cooking with alcohol, skip the sherry and deglaze the pan with a 1/4 cup extra of chicken stock.

Depending on how salted your stock is, you may need to more generously salt this dish. You can always salt to taste at the table.

Stovetop Method: To cook the casserole on the stovetop, use a large sauté pan with a tight cover, cook on low when all is assembled. Cook it low enough to keep a simmer, but not so high that you burn the rice.

If you don't have both Italian seasoning and poultry season, you can substitute 2 teaspoons of one of these herb mixes, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme, and basil.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 into 1 1/2 inch pieces, patted dry

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, sliced

  • 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine

  • 1 1/3 cups chicken stock (see Recipe Note)

  • 1/2 cup sour cream

  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

  • 1 cup uncooked white rice, medium or long grain

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Brown the chicken:

    Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high or high heat (hot enough to brown but not burn). Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper.

    Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Add a little more olive oil if needed with every batch.

    Remove chicken pieces and set aside in a bowl. The chicken does not have to be cooked through, only browned.

    Browning Chicken Pieces for Cream of Mushroom Chicken and Rice Casserole
    Elise Bauer
  3. Sauté the onions and garlic:

    In the same sauté pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Lower the heat to medium, add the onions, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.

    Add the garlic; cook 30 seconds more. Remove onions and garlic to a shallow 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.

    Chicken Rice Casserole Browning Onions in the skillet
    Elise Bauer
  4. Sauté the mushrooms:

    Raise heat to medium high and add the sliced mushrooms. Dry sauté the mushrooms (don't add butter or oil), allowing them to brown lightly and release some of their moisture. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish.

    Sautéing Mushrooms in skillet for Chicken and Rice Casserole
    Elise Bauer
  5. Make the sauce:

    Add 1/4 cup dry sherry or dry white wine to the pan to deglaze it, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom.

    (At this point, if you are making ahead, reduce the sherry to 1 tablespoon and pour off into the casserole dish. Refrigerate cooked onions, garlic, mushrooms, and browned chicken pieces until you are ready to make the casserole.)

    Let the sherry reduce to about 1 tablespoon, then add the chicken stock, and remove from heat. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the cream, and the sour cream.

    Best Chicken and Rice Casserole Reduce the Sherry in pan
    Elise Bauer
  6. Assemble the casserole:

    Add the uncooked rice to the casserole dish. Then pour the stock, sherry, cream, and sour cream mixture over the rice.

    Add the Italian and poultry seasonings (or fresh herbs) and paprika to the dish.

    Stir the rice, onion, mushroom, and herb mixture so that they are evenly distributed in the casserole dish.

    Place the chicken pieces on top of the rice mixture (in a single layer if you can, they will be crowded).

    Simple Tip!

    You can add 1 cup of frozen, unthawed peas in with the rice when you assemble the casserole. Because of the wine, the peas won't stay bright green, but they are still tasty.

    Mixing ingredients for chicken and rice casserole

    Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker
    Chicken pieces on top of a chicken and rice casserole, ready to bake

    Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker
  7. Bake:

    Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for 45 minutes and then remove foil.

    If the casserole still has too much liquid, let it cook a few minutes more, uncovered, until the excess liquid has evaporated away.

  8. Serve:

    Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
624 Calories
32g Fat
34g Carbs
51g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 624
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g 41%
Saturated Fat 10g 51%
Cholesterol 255mg 85%
Sodium 1062mg 46%
Total Carbohydrate 34g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 51g
Vitamin C 3mg 16%
Calcium 68mg 5%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 845mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.