This chicken and rice casserole takes me back to Sunday dinners at my grandmother’s house. The aroma of chicken and onion soup would fill her kitchen, signaling that comfort was on the way. This one-dish wonder combines tender chicken with perfectly cooked rice in a creamy sauce that’s both nostalgic and satisfying. Best of all? It practically cooks itself while you tackle other things.
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Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Chicken and Rice Casserole With Cream of Mushroom Soup
The secret to this casserole’s success lies in its slow cooking method. The covered baking period allows the rice to absorb all the flavorful liquid while the chicken becomes incredibly tender. The final uncovered baking creates the perfect finishing touch, allowing the top to get slightly crispy while keeping everything underneath moist and cream
Old School Chicken and Rice Casserole – Ingredients You Will Need
The ingredients for this chicken and rice casserole recipe are very simple. Here’s what you will need:
- Chicken pieces – Provide protein and become tender during the slow baking process
- Rice – Absorbs the flavors while cooking to perfection in the oven
- Dry onion soup mix – Adds depth of flavor without needing to chop onions
- Cream of mushroom soup – Creates a creamy sauce that binds everything together
- Canned mushrooms – Add earthy flavor and meaty texture throughout the dish
- Butter – Adds richness and helps prevent the rice from sticking
- Pimentos – Contribute sweet pepper flavor and bright red color
- Green bell peppers – Add fresh flavor and slight crunch
What Are Pimentos?
A pimento is a type of pepper that is not hot – it is mild, sweet, and succulent. For convenience, you can buy diced pimentos in a jar.
How to Make Chicken and Rice Casserole With Cream of Mushroom Soup
This oven chicken and rice casserole recipe couldn’t be simpler to make, and it’s possibly one of the quickest dinner preps ever. Here’s all you do:
- If using a Dutch oven, melt the butter in it. If using a baking dish, melt the butter and pour it into the dish.
- Add the rice, pimento, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Stir to combine the veggies and rice.
- Lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture.
- Spoon the mushroom soup over the chicken.
- Sprinkle the onion soup mix over everything and add water.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake at 325°F for 1¼ hours.
- Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Classic Chicken and Rice Casserole: Creamy One-Dish Comfort Food
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice uncooked
- 2 tablespoon pimento peppers
- ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
- 4 ounces canned sliced mushrooms
- 4 ounces butter melted
- 1 pound chicken cut into bite-sized pieced
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 package dry onion soup mix
- 1 ½ cups water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a 3-quart casserole dish, combine the rice, pimento peppers, chopped bell pepper, mushrooms, and melted butter.
- Lay the chicken pieces over the rice and spoon the cream of mushroom soup over chicken.
- Sprinkle the onion soup mix evenly over the top.
- Add 1 1/2 cups water to the dish.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil for the final 15 minutes to let chicken brown.
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
Like most casserole dishes, this one easily lends itself to plenty of variations. Here are some ideas.
Broth: For more flavor, you could use chicken broth instead of water.
Soup: Substitute cream of celery soup or cream of chicken soup for the cream of mushroom soup (or mix them together).
Herbs: For additional flavor, consider adding fresh thyme, parsley, paprika, or freshly minced garlic. You could also choose to garnish with fresh basil.
Rotisserie Chicken Casserole: To make things even easier, you can forgo cooking chicken in favor of adding shredded rotisserie chicken.
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole: Add fresh or frozen broccoli florets for a pop of color and flavor. You could also go with peas, green beans, or mixed vegetables.
Chicken and Cheese Casserole: Amp up the creaminess factor with some shredded Cheddar cheese. If you’re in the mood to turn up the heat, pepper jack is a good choice. Other good options are mozzarella, provolone, or Swiss.
How to Serve Chicken and Rice Casserole
Since you’ve got your meat and grains covered, a Caesar salad would be a great choice, or a vegetable side dish such as:
How to Store Leftover Chicken and Rice Casserole
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating: It’s important to thoroughly reheat any dish containing rice, as leftover rice (even when stored in the fridge) can grow bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. Add a few drops of water or broth to keep the rice moist, then reheat the leftovers in the oven or microwave to a piping hot temperature (at least 165°F).
Freezer: This chicken and rice casserole freezes well for up to 3 months. If you plan to freeze an entire cooked casserole, cook it in an aluminum pan. Allow it to cool completely, then cover it with a layer of plastic freezer wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil.
To Reheat: If frozen, thaw the casserole in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
Make Ahead: This is a great make-ahead chicken casserole recipe. Prepare the dish but do not bake. Cover it well and store it in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days before baking.
To Freeze Unbaked: Prepare the dish but do not bake. Cover it well with plastic wrap and foil and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
Love easy chicken casseroles? Try these recipes!
- Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Casserole
- Chicken and Dressing Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
- Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
- Tarragon Chicken Casserole
Favorite Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Chicken Croquettes
- Chicken Dijon
- Chicken Fried Chicken
- Chicken Parmigiana
- Ritz Cracker Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
Check out more of my easy casserole recipes and the best chicken recipes on CopyKat.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I am wondering though if the rice is minute rice, long grain rice, parboiled? Thanks so much! Love pretty much all your recipes!
Yes, minute rice is par boiled rice, so it cooks more quickly.
Hi Stephanie,
First, I wanted to thank you that we can reduce or increase a recipe!
I wanted to ask you,
What can I substitute the Pimento with?
We don’t like pimento. I know it’s only 1 TBLS .
Also, I have to substitute the bell pepper as I am highly allergic to them. So, I would replace it with onions.
This recipe sounds for delicious!
Thank you!!
There is a slider bar on the recipe, slide it to increase or reduce the portions of the recipe.
If you really hate pimento, I would simply omit it from the recipe.
When I read 1 1/3 cup rice, I assumed uncooked. but since there is mostly zero liquid in this recipe, does that mean 1 1/3 cups cooked rice? It’s not a well written recipe at all. Not up to Stephanie’s usual standards.
The rice is meant to be raw. The melted butter, the water, and the juice from the chicken will combine together to make for enough liquid to cook the rice.
Loved the cream of mushroom soup in this recipe.