Javascript required
Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer
Home / Easy Chicken and Rice Cheese Bake Dinner

Easy Chicken and Rice Cheese Bake Dinner

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.

Jump to Recipe

Chicken and rice casserole on a plate with salad

Chicken and Rice Casserole


Casseroles are a great solution for dinner. Most casseroles are simple to make and use ingredients you have on hand. Once the casserole is in the oven, you have time to make a side dish and set the table before it's time to eat.

This Chicken and Rice Casserole has been in our family for years. Whenever I serve it to my family, I am reminded of my Grandma Edwards. She made this dish all the time. It was always a favorite of ours when we went to her home for meals. However, she often served it with cut up chicken pieces as opposed to boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Isn't it interesting that food can take you back to a time and place? One bite of this casserole and I am a 7-year old girl sitting with my parents and siblings around my Grandma's kitchen table eating delicious food, enjoying the conversation, and wondering what delightful dessert was awaiting us. I love food memories!

Not only does this chicken and rice casserole taste good, the aroma that fills the house while it is cooking will have everyone asking when dinner will be ready. This is definitely a dish I would label as comfort food. The rice mixture is warm and creamy and the chicken always turns out perfectly moist, never dry.

chicken and rice casserole on a plate with a fork next to it and a small bowl of cheese

Recipe Variations

  • Small cut-up pieces of broccoli can be added.
  • Mushrooms, onions, and/or green peppers can also be added.
  • If you are not a fan of using "cream of" soups from a can, our recipe for Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute. It is creamy and flavorful without the modified food starch and monosodium glutamate.
  • You don't necessarily need to stick to cream of chicken soup. Cream of mushroom and cream of celery soup also taste great in this casserole.
  • You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for your chicken and rice casserole.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Frequently Asked Questions

As you can see from the number of comments below, this has been a very popular and loved recipe by our readers. To save you some time going through the comments, here are some quick answers to some of the commonly asked questions about our Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole.

Can I use other "Cream of Soups" other than Cream of Chicken?

Yes, Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Celery both taste great in this recipe.

Can I use chicken broth instead of water?

Yes, chicken broth will add even more flavor. You can also use a combination of water and chicken broth.

Do I cook the chicken before adding it to the casserole?

No. That is one of the great things about this recipe! The chicken cooks along with the rice.

Cheesy chicken and rice casserole in a glass baking dish

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:

  • Nuts About Berries Salad
  • Creamy Green Pea Salad with Bacon
  • Chopped Broccoli Salad
  • Oven Roasted Vegetables
  • Oven Roasted Green Beans
  • How to Cook Frozen Peas (the RIGHT way)

chicken and rice casserole on a plate with a fork next to it and a small bowl of cheese

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

This Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole is an easy chicken casserole recipe for a busy day. Only a few minutes of prep work and the oven does the rest!

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Layer rice, 1 cup cheese, salt ,and pepper in pan.

    Rice and cheese in a pan.

  • Place chicken breasts on top. Dob rounded teaspoons of cream of chicken soup over the chicken breasts and rice. Pour water on top and sprinkle with onion soup mix.

    Layering ingredients in a pan for chicken casserole.

  • Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

    Chicken and Rice casserole ready to bake

  • Remove from oven, and stir excess sauce into the rice. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese.

    Baked cheesy chicken and rice in a pan

*If using brown rice, add 15 minutes to baking time.

Calories: 406 kcal Carbohydrates: 41 g Protein: 27 g Fat: 14 g Saturated Fat: 8 g Cholesterol: 81 mg Sodium: 723 mg Potassium: 375 mg Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 1 g Vitamin A: 375 IU Vitamin C: 1 mg Calcium: 283 mg Iron: 1 mg

Echo Blickenstaff

Echo lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah with her husband, Todd, who works in advertising, and her four kids: two girls and two boys. She deploys her accounting degree as the blog's resident problem solver. In her time outside the kitchen, Echo loves to get away from the phones and busy schedules and spend quality time with the family. Anywhere's great – but getting out into nature in the mountains or on the beach – is the best kind of getaway.

More about Echo Blickenstaff

Similar Recipes

angashatevesserom.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/cheesy-chicken-and-rice-casserole/