chicken and rice casserole
I’m not going to tell you that you’ll like this from-scratch (NO CANNED SOUP) Chicken and Rice Casserole. No, I am not. Instead I am going to tell you that you are going to fall head over heels, like tell everyone that you know, sing from the rooftops, in love with it.
I originally shared this recipe on december 10, 2018. I have updated the text and added step by step photos to share it with you again today.
Okay maybe I am laying it on a bit strong, but this Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe… it’s good. Like really, really good. And it is made entirely from scratch with fresh veggies, chicken breast and brown rice with cheese on top!
How to Make Healthy Chicken and Rice Casserole Without Canned Soup
Soften the Vegetables
- First start with softening the fresh veggies in a skillet.
- I used a combo of onion, carrots, celery and garlic in a little bit of butter. If you prefer red bell peppers or broccoli they would work instead.
- I would use the onion no matter what for the best flavor.
Cook with Butter
- Why butter instead of oil? I used butter because I wanted the casserole to taste classic and buttery!
- I used two tablespoons, and it does add a subtle butter flavor.
- If you prefer to use extra-virgin olive oil it will work fine.
Make Sauce
- After the veggies are softened, make the sauce which is a combo of broth and cream cheese. The heat melts the cream cheese right into the broth and it takes on a tangy creamy flavor – IMO –> totally casserole appropriate!
- If you happen to find it, whipped cream cheese melts into the sauce more easily.
Layer The Casserole
- Layer the ingredients into a casserole dish.
- Start with the rice. Note: the rice is Brown Minute Rice, which is par-cooked and dehydrated brown rice. So it is whole-grain, but cooks quickly.
- On top of the rice, add on the veggies, the cubed chicken, then pour on the broth mixture.
- Last add on thawed peas, cover with foil and transfer to the oven.
Add Cheese After Foil is Removed.
- After the rice is cooked and has soaked up all the sauce, remove the cover and add on shredded cheese.
- I like to grate my cheese by hand for a recipe like this. Bagged shredded cheese is awesome and convenient, but it is coated in starch to keep it from clumping together in the package. That inhibits it from melting together too unfortunately. So if you want maximum cheesiness (who doesn’t) then shred your cheese by hand.
- Today I used orange NY Sharp cheddar cheese but white cheddar would work great too.
- Add that on top of the casserole, and pop it back in the oven to melt.
Let it Sit
- I let the casserole sit for about 10 minutes to cool down a bit before we dug into it. I also added on some fresh parsley on top to make it prettier.
- If you’re looking for something to serve with this recipe, try my Garlic Mashed Broccoli or my classic Garden Salad.
Do I Cook Rice Before Adding It In A Casserole?
You do not need to pre-cook the rice before making this casserole. I have accounted for the amount of moisture the veggies will let off and the amount of broth needed to perfectly cook the rice through. Note that this recipe used uncooked instant brown rice which is a partially cooked rice. Which means it will absorb less broth than regular brown rice.
How To Sub Regular Brown Rice:
A lot of folks have asked if they can make this recipe with regular brown rice. To do so, use two cups of regular brown rice. The rice will take longer to become tender and absorb the liquid, close to an hour. You’ll want to consider swapping in chicken thighs for the breast because they would dry out an hour of baking. The thigh meat will be fine.
Do You Cook Chicken Before Putting It In A Casserole
This recipe calls for raw chicken. It cooks through as the casserole bakes. If you want to use up leftover cooked chicken, you can use it, but it may be a bit dry. Using dark meat would be preferable as it doesn’t dry out as much.
Step By Step Photos To Make This Recipe
-
- 1. Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray and spread the rice in the bottom.
-
- 2. Sauté the vegetables in butter to soften.
-
- 3. Spread the cooked vegetables over the rice.
-
- 4. Top the vegetables with cubed chicken breast
-
- 5. Scatter the peas on top.
-
- 6. Simmer the broth and whisk in cream cheese
-
- 7. Carefully pour the hot broth and cream cheese into the casserole.
-
- 8. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.
-
- 9. Remove the foil, top the casserole with cheese and bake 10 minutes longer.
Before I go, and you head off to print the recipe, I feel I should confess I sat down to write this post eleven billion hours ago but have ended up on an internet Odyssey of inadvertently delighting in learning about all sorts of casserole related lexicon.
Facts About Traditional Casseroles
For example, do you know what a Hotdish is? A hotdish is a casserole from the Midwest that is usually made with canned cream soup, veggies (usually frozen or canned) and some sort of starch. One of the most famous kinds of hot dish involves tater tots on top! Check out this Tater Tot Hot Dish Recipe from Amanda’s site. Drool! I do not think I can go through life without trying it. It sounds too strange to not be good. And everything in moderation, right?
I also learned that a “covered dish” is not a covered dish at all. It’s actually a party where everyone brings a dish to share. Like a potluck.
Furthermore, I learned that whereas a Hotdish always includes sauce, veggie, starch and almost always a protein, Casseroles do not have to have all of those components. For example, Chicken Divan does not have the starch part of the meal in it. It would be served over noodles or rice.
This Chicken and Rice casserole, while not a traditional hot dish, does contain the requisite components of one: creamy sauce, starch, protein and veggies. Though without the canned soup nor tater tots, I can’t really see that it would be considered one.
More Casseroles To Try
- Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli Made with fresh or frozen chopped broccoli, with crunchy breadcrumb topping.
- These Stuffed Shells with Spinach have a secret healthy ingredient mixed in!
- Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash A grown-up mac and cheese if ever there were one, made with rosemary and Gruyere Cheese
- Chicken and Biscuits Casserole On the best-of list- not to be missed!
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas come together super fast, or this Layered Chicken Enchilada Casserole with homemade enchilada sauce is also a popular recipe.
- My Mexican Chicken Casserole is made with leftover chicken.
- If you’re looking for an alternative to canned cream of chicken soup, try this from scratch condensed Gluten-free Cream of Chicken Soup.
If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a review and star rating! I appreciate it so much! And if you’re new here you may want to sign up for my email newsletter and join the conversation over on instagram.
Thanks for reading and Happy Cooking!
~Katie
Print
chicken and rice casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chicken and Rice Casserole- a healthy from-scratch version made without canned soup! Whole-grain quick cooking brown rice, lean chicken breast, creamy sauce and fresh veggies bakes up to make a complete meal! 441 cal, 31 g protein! Naturally gluten-free and kid friendly.
Ingredients
3 cups instant brown rice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry thyme
½ teaspoon pepper
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 ounces cream cheese, whipped or regular cut into chunks
1 pound chicken breast, cut into cubes
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 12 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread rice on top.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, thyme and pepper, and cook stirring often until the vegetables are just starting to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape vegetable mixture out onto the rice, covering evenly.
- Add broth to the skillet, increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, and whisk in cream cheese until melted.
- Top rice and vegetables with chicken and peas. Pour in broth mixture, gently so as not to disturb the chicken and rice too much.
- Cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the rice has absorbed the liquid, about 45 minutes.
- Remove foil, top with cheese and return to the oven until melted, about 10 minutes. Let rest uncovered for 10 minutes and serve hot garnished with parsley if desired.
Notes
To Make This Ahead: I would prepare it through step 3. Then, let the broth mixture cool. Then continue building the casserole as directed. Cover with foil and refrigerate for a day. Then continue on as directed, adding 20 minutes of extra time before removing the foil and adding cheese.
To Freeze It: Bake as directed, then freeze. Thaw and then rewarm, covered with foil in the oven at 350 degrees F until steaming hot all the way through, 25 to 35 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 casserole
- Calories: 441
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 31 g
How many people does this chicken rice recipe serve?
It serves 6 people. Let me know how it comes out!
Does it have to be instant rice?
I have to test it out but my guess is that it would work fine. You could start by trying it with two cups of regular brown rice, and if you have it use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breast. The rice will take longer/ My guess is close to an hour. Breast would dry out in that time, but thigh meat will be fine. Let me know if you try it!
Could I make this with precooked rice from a rice cooker and how would you modify? Thanks!
I think that should work. I would use much less broth. Maybe just a cup. Let me know if you try it.
Pretty darn good! Even though I overbaked about 10 minutes. I added about 1 C sliced mushrooms sautéed a few days ago. Next time I’ll try a full cup of peas. How about cutting the chicken breast in small fillets to save time?
Hi Susan! So glad you liked this. The chicken chunks cook pretty fast as is, it is more a factor of the rice absorbing the liquid in time. (Love the addition of mushrooms! I have to try that!)
Always looking for casserole type recipes without canned soup. I really try to cut back on salt.
★★★★★
So glad you like this one. Simply skip the added salt in this if you like and look for low salt broth.
Made this tonight. I used uncooked brown rice (not instant) and it took a total of 1hr 25 min for the rice to cook. I used 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of broth (like the recipes calls for) it was delicious! Very moist and flavorful! I’d love to know how to make it with precooked rice!
★★★★
That is good to know that it worked with regular brown rice. I have to try experimenting to use cooked rice. There would be too much broth (because it would already have absorbed it’s capacity.) My guess is we would want some sort of creamy sauce to bind it. I’ll get back to you if I come up with anything.
Hi!
I want to try this, but my husband is on a restricted diet after surgery- no brown rice only white. Could this work with white rice?
Thank you!!
I think 2 cups of uncooked white rice would work. I have never tried it, but that’s how I would do it.
Hi Katie:
I know you have a family and your healthy meals probably are more for the ‘families’ of the world. This is not a dig! Your recipes are so good and delicious – I’m diabetic II and I can eat some of them (I have to watch some of the ingredients especially when it comes to sugar – I like Monk Fruit ’cause it won’t increase my sugar levels and it tastes just like sugar).
Don’t mean to go on, but I want to make your Chicken & Rice Casserole for my husband and grandson. When he’s not around, it’s just my husband and me, so am I able to half this recipe or any of your other recipes?? I just didn’t know if it was just that easy to ‘half all of the ingredients’ and then I was wondering if the oven temperature and time cooking would have to be changed. How would I do that………is there a ‘rule of thumb’ to go by? Thank you so much for your time in reading this and responding to me. My husband and I try to watch how much we eat at a serving and sometimes he likes leftovers (not much) so I’m just trying to figure out the best way to enjoy your recipes at the same time!!! Debra
When you halve a recipe the most important thing to consider is the size of your cooking vessel. Yes, halve the ingredients, but in the case of this casserole, you’ll need to use a smaller casserole dish. I think a 9 by 9 square dish would work. Thank you!
I followed the recipe except I used minute Jasmine rice. For me, there was too much rice, and the rice layer was sort of bland. I would lower the rice and increase meat and veggies. Maybe add some extra seasoning to the broth cream cheese mixture. It was easy though. Just needs tweaking for my tastes.
★★★
Is the chicken cooked before it is added to the casserole? Or does it cook in the casserole?
It goes in raw and cooks through as the casserole bakes.
I’ve always used regular rice and baked it for 1 hr, it would be interesting to try it out with instant rice. Thanks!
★★★★★
I hope you like it this way!
I often make recipes at home for my kids and I gonna try this, thanks for this addition to the recipe plan.
You are welcome!
Absolutely delicious! A healthy version of one of my favorite things but just as satisfying! I did as another reviewer suggested and skipped the carrot and instead used a diced red bell pepper. I may have used an extra ounce or so of cream cheese. It Was perfect and healthy!
★★★★★
I am so glad to hear that this came out well for you! Thank you!
Any thoughts on using cauliflower rice?
Hey Rob. I love cauliflower rice, but I don’t think it will work for this recipe as a 1:1 swap. I actually want to try it myself now that you say it! Here’s what I would try: I would add frozen cauliflower rice to the veggie mixture in the skillet. Add it in after the veggies are softened and then let it warm through. Next I would cut the amount of broth down to 1 cup. Then follow the instructions as directed here. Make sure to grease the casserole dish well, as this will likely be sticky along the sides. Let me know if you try it and I will do the same if I do.