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This chicken and rice casserole is the ultimate comfort food!This is the best chicken and rice recipe because it’s easy to make with simple ingredients that you can switch up depending on your tastes.

This is a cozy comfort food dinner that is always a hit when I make it. 

chicken and rice casserole on a grey plate next to a fork.


Why We LOVE This Recipe

This chicken rice casserole is one of my family’s favorite dinners. It’s comforting, cozy, and hearty with all of the flavors of a classic chicken and rice casserole. It’s so easy you can make it on a weeknight!

It’s what I consider a “leftover” recipe because I use leftover chicken and rice to make it. I love repurposing our leftovers into brand new dishes so whenever I have left over cooked chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the store, this is the recipe I make. All you have to do is combine the leftovers with a few more ingredients, pop it in a baking dish and bake the casserole until it’s bubbly and hot.

Ingredients for Chicken and Rice Casserole

  • Chicken: you’ll want to use shredded (or cubed) already cooked chicken
  • Cooked rice: learn how I make brown rice in the instant pot
  • Cream of chicken soup: but you can also use cream of mushroom
  • Spices: Salt and pepper, smoked paprika, onion and garlic powder
  • Frozen Vegetables: I used peas but you could use a mixed vegetable or green beans
  • Shredded cheese: I love using cheddar. Be sure to shred it yourself so it melts better.

How to make Chicken and Rice Casserole

  1. Add the chicken, soup and spices to a large bowl.
  2. Add the peas and some of the cheddar, then stir it all together.
  3. Spread the mixture in a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
  4. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.
  5. Bake the casserole for 20 to 30 minutes at 350°F or until it’s hot.

Doesn’t get any easier than that!

chicken and rice casserole in a clear casserole pan.

Recipe Variations – Switch it Up!

What I love about this chicken and rice casserole is that you can swap out ingredients based on what you like or what you have on hand. 

  • I love peas in my chicken casserole, but you can swap them out, use frozen broccoli instead and call it chicken broccoli and rice casserole. It’s so delicious, too.
  • You can adjust the flavor and use cream of potato soup or cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken. That’s an easy way to put a new twist on it every time you make it.
  • If you don’t have any leftover cooked chicken just pick up a store-bought rotisserie chicken and shred it. Rotisserie Chicken and Rice is DELISH!
  • For the cheese, yellow cheddar is great but you can use white cheddar, too. Or try shredded provolone or Monterey jack cheese – pretty much any cheese that melts well will work.

What makes a Casserole?

Do you wonder about these things like I do? So, here’s a fun fact: a casserole is a meal where all of the ingredients are cooked in the oven in the same baking dish. There are usually three main parts of a casserole:

  • The main ingredient can be pretty much anything like chicken, beef, pork or other type of meat. Or a vegetable like cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms… the list is endless. It can also be a combination of protein and vegetables.
  • There’s usually a starch like rice, potatoes, or pasta.
  • Casseroles usually have some kind of binder or creamy component, too, like condensed soup, white sauce or gravy that holds everything together.

Of course, there are a million variations and many casseroles have more components than that, but at a very basic level those are the three main parts. Casseroles usually have some kind of topping, too, like breadcrumbs or cheese.

chicken and rice casserole on a grey plate next to a fork.

FAQ about this Easy Chicken Rice Casserole

Can I put uncooked rice in a casserole?

Yes, but for my recipe you’ll want to use cooked rice. Since it’s a “leftovers” casserole both the chicken and rice need to be cooked ahead. Then they’re just combined with the other ingredients and baked until hot. 

For other recipes, you may not have to cook it first – always read the recipe first to check! Rice that is added to a casserole raw will take 30 to 40 minutes to cook, but that time will vary depending on the other ingredients. For my recipe, there’s not enough liquid for uncooked rice to absorb.

Do you cook chicken before putting it in a casserole

It depends on the recipe! For my chicken and rice casserole you will want to use cooked chicken. It’s my favorite way to use up leftover chicken.

This really is the easiest comfort food dinner! It’s great for weeknights or anytime you have a craving for a cheesy chicken casserole.

Can I use any frozen vegetable?

Yes you can substitute any frozen vegetable – broccoli is great!

chicken and rice casserole on a grey plate next to a fork.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

4.98 from 146 votes
Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole is an fast comfort food dinner. Use leftover chicken or turkey and rice to make this cheesy chicken casserole recipe!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Yield 8 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

  • 3 cups cooked chicken shredded or cubed
  • 3 cups cooked rice
  • 21 ounces cream of chicken soup (2 10.5 ounce cans) (may substitute cream of potato or mushroom)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground garlic powder
  • 2 cups frozen peas
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Stir together chicken, rice, soup, spices, peas and 1 cup shredded cheese in a large bowl. Spread in a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake until hot all the way through, about 20-30 minutes.

Recipe Video

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 1031mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 748IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 235mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole is a cheesy, creamy baked casserole with condensed soup, peas and chicken. Use rotisserie chicken to make it super easy – and substitute broccoli if you like!

Favorite Casserole Recipes

Last Updated on September 7, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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50 Comments

  1. I can’t wait to try this recipe because it sounds wonderful and easy. However, can I make this ahead of time and freeze?

  2. I really appreciated this recipe, adapting it to what I had on hand. I used up my 1-1/2 cups of leftover Basmati rice and what I had available for the other ingredients. I cubed up 2 small chicken breasts, used 3/4 cup white cheddar powder mixed in with the chicken soup, along with the water from a can of peas and carrots. Added 1/2 the can of the veg, some garlic and onion powder and topped it off with 1/2 cup of the end of the cheddar cheese I had available sprinkled on top. Baked it in an 8×8 dish, since there are only 2 of us. It was delicious! Served with a salad and garlic bread. With the crazy cost of food today, I just feel sick throwing anything away. Thank you for teaching us to “repurpose” it into another tasty meal!

  3. Delicious! We used the white meat from a rotisserie chicken and frozen mixed veggies instead of peas, and it was perfect. I also made a 2nd casserloe to freeze, but subbed tuna in for chicken. I’m sure it will be just as good. Thanks!

  4. Running across your recipe brought back memories! I used to fix this for our 5 kids growing up. It was actually on our weekly menu. They are now grown with small families of their own and I immediately shared your recipe with them! Then I scaled-down the recipe for 2 and my husband ask why I ever stopped making it?! Thank you for a trip down memory lane and a recipe that I will be making again on a regular basis! I substituted peas for the broccoli and it was delicious!

  5. I am making this for the second time. Very good. Substituted gluten free soup and it the best Chicken and Rice. Thanks very much!

  6. Everyone loved the flavors and went for seconds. Definitely a comfort food! I broiled mine a little at the end to get more of a little brown crust.