The Best Chicken Rice Casserole Recipe – NO CONDENSED SOUP

This one pan Chicken Rice Casserole Recipe comes together with just 15 minutes of prep time and then the oven does all the work which means you can have this cheesy chicken and rice casserole dinner on the table in less than an hour. And the best part is it’s made with REAL ingredients, ie: NO condensed soup necessary!!

You Will Love This

• It’s a ONE PAN dinner, which happens to utilize my favorite enameled cast iron casserole pan from Amazon Basics. It’s legit the best piece of cookware that I own as it is SO versatile and easily goes straight from the stove top to the oven. If you’re a regular around here, then – you’ve seen this pan used in roughly 90% of my recipes!
• There’s NO condensed soup in it! Most of us grew up eating chicken and rice casserole made with that sodium laden can of condensed soup. And don’t get me wrong, it was delicious. But there are other ways to give your casserole that same creamy texture without the use of condensed soup. The starch from the rice combines with heavy cream and shredded Parmesan in this recipe, giving this casserole just the right amount of rich creaminess without reaching for the Campbell’s.
• If you loved this one pot dinner be sure to check out my One Skillet Walking Taco Casserole, One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta, or my Vegetarian Skillet Pot Pie.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Olive Oil — I like extra virgin olive oil for the flavor, but you could also use any other light-tasting oil with a high smoke point, like avocado.
• Chicken Thighs — We want bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe so that we achieve as much savory, delicious chicken flavor as possible. Thighs are perfect for this!
• Dry Seasonings — I like the combination of paprika, garlic powder, dried rosemary, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper for this recipe because it’s reminiscent of chicken noodle soup. But you could use any seasonings you prefer — a seasoned salt or poultry seasoning, or even Italian seasoning.
• Fresh Veggies — This chicken and rice casserole recipe calls for the classic mirepoix veggies — carrots, celery, and onion — as well as garlic. You just can’t go wrong with that combo!  
• Fresh Thyme — This is the only fresh herb I used in this recipe because it’s just so dang good fresh, but you can use dried thyme if you’re in a pinch. Tarragon or sage work well, too.
• Rice — I love the texture and flavor of a basmati and wild rice blend for this dish. You get the starchy, fluffy rice from the basmati and a level of nuttiness from the wild rice blend. This particular rice blend works best in this recipe.
• Chicken Broth — If you don’t have chicken broth on hand, vegetable broth will work in its place.
• Heavy Cream — This is the key to make this casserole perfectly creamy. It is a must and really shouldn’t be substituted.
• Parmesan Cheese — This is another important ingredient because it just takes this casserole to the next level with its naturally salty, nutty flavor.

Instructions

Combine paprika, garlic powder and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Pat chicken skin dry.

Sprinkle about 2/3 of the seasoning on the skin side of the chicken.

Sear chicken in oil, skin side down, for about 3 minutes or until a dark gold brown crust forms. Season the other side, flip and cook for a couple more minutes. Remove from pan.

Add onion, carrot, celery and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently for about 8 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. 

Add chicken broth.

Add heavy cream.

Add Parmesan cheese.

Then add rice and stir to combine.

Next, nestle chicken thighs into rice mixture.

Cover and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the chicken is cooked through. Broil on high for 1-2 minutes to get the chicken skins nice and crispy again. 

Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh thyme and enjoy!

Tips

• For the most flavor, use bone in skin on chicken thighs. However if you only have skinless chicken breast on hand, I recommend following the recipe directions in the same way, but baking the rice mixture (covered) in the oven for about 20 minutes and THEN adding the seared chicken breasts to the rice, covering it again and baking for another 20-30 minutes.
• It’s tempting, I know, but please resist the urge to peek while this casserole is baking. The moisture from the broth and cream is going to cook the chicken through and make your rice nice and delicate in texture. You can safely bake it for at least 40 minutes before giving the rice a quick taste to see if it’s done. If it’s not quite cooked through then cover it and check it again in 5 minutes or so.

FAQ

Try these easy chicken casserole recipes next!