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Delicious and hearty, this easy chicken and rice casserole recipe is one tasty family dinner. Simple to prep before it’s baked in the oven, this creamy vegetable and chicken recipe is wonderfully comforting and filling.

easy chicken and rice bake

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Casseroles are always a great go-to weeknight meal after a busy day. With minimal prep and hands-off cooking time, this is one effortless dinner that the whole family will love.

If you a stuck in a dinner rut, this vegetable, chicken and rice casserole is one tasty way to break out of it. It’s been on my weekly meal rotation for quite a while as it’s so tasty and super easy to make.

Be sure to try my Broccoli Rice Casserole and Breakfast Sausage Casserole too!

Why you will love this recipe!

  • Hearty: This chicken and rice bake is loaded with tender chicken, fresh veggies, and fluffy rice – perfect for a hearty and satisfying meal that everyone will enjoy!”
  • Hands off cooking: I love making casseroles, they require little hands on cooking and when baking in the oven you are free to get on with other things.
  • Family friendly: This is a great family dish that even your picky eaters will love!
easy chicken and rice casserole

Ingredients And Substitutions

  • Vegetables: Mushrooms, onion, carrots, garlic, and frozen peas.
  • White wine: Used to deglaze the pan and add flavor. Sherry also works, or use stock if you prefer.
  • Stock: Chicken stock or chicken broth is best for this recipe, but vegetable or turkey stock will also work well.
  • Cream: We use sour cream and heavy whipping cream to create a delicious and creamy sauce for this casserole with chicken and rice. You don’t need any cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup.
  • Seasonings and herbs: Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and poultry seasoning. Optional spices: thyme, rosemary, basil, and fresh parsley for garnish.
  • White rice: You can use medium or long grain white rice for this recipe.
  • Chicken breasts: You can use chicken thighs or breasts in this recipe. You could also use leftover shredded chicken.
chicken and rice casserole ingredients

How To Make Chicken And Rice Casserole

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and add mushrooms. Brown the mushrooms over high heat, allowing them to brown lightly and release some of their moisture. Add the mushrooms to a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
  • 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 carrots, and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Transfer onions, carrots, and garlic to to the baking dish.
  • Add 1/4 cup dry sherry or dry white wine to the pan to deglaze it, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom. Let the white wine reduce to about 1 tablespoon, then add the chicken stock, and remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and heavy cream, salt, black pepper, Italian and poultry seasoning.
  • Add the uncooked rice, thawed green peas and chicken pieces to the casserole dish. Then pour the stock, wine, cream, and sour cream mixture over the rice. Stir the rice, vegetable, and chicken mixture so that they are evenly distributed in the casserole dish.
  • Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminium 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.
  • Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.
process images of making healthy chicken and rice casserole
close up image of chicken and rice casserole

TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN

Recipe Notes and Tips for the Best Chicken and Rice Bake

  • You can easily add other veggies to this dish. Bell peppers, broccoli, or green beans would make a great addition.
  • You can also use shredded letfover chicken to make this creamy chicken and rice oven bake.
  • You can also make this dish with beef steak if you prefer.
  • For best results, use whipping cream, but you can use half and half for a lighter dish.
  • Brown rice will require longer cooking time.

Can you make this recipe with brown rice?

The timings for this recipe are for white rice. Brown rice or wild rice can be used, but you may need to bake the casserole for an extra 10 – 15 minutes to make sure that it is tender and cooked through. The rice bakes in the oven, there’s no need to cook it first.

Can you make it ahead of time?

The leftovers from this easy chicken and rice casserole bake will keep well covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let it cool completely before storing. You can reheat the casserole in the oven at 360F for 15 to 20 minutes till warmed through. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil when reheating so that the top doesn’t burn.

vegetables rice and chicken bake with a spoon in casserole dish

What do you serve it with?

Loaded with fresh veggies and chicken, this healthy chicken and rice casserole is a hearty and filling meal all by itself, but you can easily serve it alongside some additional veggies if you like. Try it with:

chicken and rice bake served on a plate

More Chicken Recipes

If you liked this recipe for baked chicken and rice casserole from scratch, be sure to check out my other easy chicken recipes:

If you enjoyed this Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe or any other quick and easy recipes on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

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easy chicken and rice bake
5 from 4 votes

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Chicken and Rice Casserole

Delicious and hearty, this easy chicken and rice casserole recipe is one tasty family dinner. Simple to prep before it's baked in the oven, this creamy vegetable and chicken recipe is wonderfully comforting and filling.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Save This Recipe

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Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and add mushrooms. Brown the mushrooms over high heat, allowing them to brown lightly and release some of their moisture. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish.
  • 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 carrots, and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Transfer onions, carrots, and garlic to a 9×13 casserole dish.
  • Add 1/4 cup dry sherry or dry white wine to the pan to deglaze it, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom. Let the white wine reduce to about 1 tablespoon, then add the chicken stock, and remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and heavy cream, salt, black pepper, Italian and poultry seasoning.
  • Add the uncooked rice, thawed green peas and chicken pieces to the casserole dish. Then pour the stock, wine, cream, and sour cream mixture over the rice. Stir the rice, vegetable, and chicken mixture so that they are evenly distributed in the casserole dish.
  • 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.
  • Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.

Video

Notes

  • You can easily add other veggies to this dish. Bell peppers or green beans would make a great addition.
  • You can also make this dish with beef steak if you prefer.
  • For best results, use whipping cream, but you can use half and half for a lighter dish.

Nutrition

Calories: 681kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 1260mg | Potassium: 1286mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 6268IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this recipe is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or nutritional advice. I am not a doctor or a dietitian. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance regarding your diet or health. For more details, please read my full disclosure page.

About Neli Howard

Meet Neli Howard, the food blogger and recipe developer behind Delicious Meets Healthy. With over 12 years of cooking experience, Neli shares easy, wholesome recipes made with real ingredients to help you cook stress-free, flavorful meals the whole family will love. Her work has been featured in Healthline, Forbes, CNN, and more.

5 from 4 votes

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7 Comments

  1. Rob says:

    5 stars
    I tried this recipe as an alternative to the usual made with condensed soup that I have made for years. This recipe version makes a casserole that tastes the way the original is expected to taste, The rice isn’t over cooked and mushy, you can taste the mushrooms and onions, the spices and seasoning are spot on.
    I did make one change – the chicken always seems to be overcooked when cooked the full time in the rice. This time I flattened, browned and then added the chicken during the last 15 minutes to finish cooking. Turned out great.
    This is a superior version of chicken and rice casserole and my family loves it

    1. Neli Howard says:

      Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! I’m so happy to hear that you and your family loved this version of the casserole. I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback. Happy cooking! ๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿฝ๏ธ

  2. Brooke says:

    If you are using brown rice youโ€™ll have to almost double the time.

    1. Neli Howard says:

      The recipe is written for white rice, which cooks more quickly. Iโ€™m so sorry to hear your meal took longer to bake when using a substitution! Iโ€™ve included a note in the post mentioning that brown rice typically takes longer to bakeโ€”about 1 hour, though the exact time can vary depending on the rice variety and your oven. I hope that helps for next time! ๐Ÿ˜Š

  3. Connie Peterson says:

    5 stars
    Very good! I avoid cooking with โ€œcream of whateverโ€ soups so I really appreciate a recipe that yields similar results with fresher ingredients.

  4. Lindsey Selene Tvedt says:

    5 stars
    This is a really good casserole, but if youโ€™re making a larger batch than the recipe says, make sure to increase the cooking time to ensure the rice reaches proper softness.

  5. Wonderful cook says:

    5 stars
    I made this for our dinner last night and it was the bomb! I will definitely make this recipe again. Thanks!