This creamy chicken and rice casserole is the kind of dish that shows up at church potlucks and funeral lunches all over the Midwest, the pan always scraped nearly clean by the time folks are saying their goodbyes. It’s the kind of recipe my neighbors and I have been making since the 1970s, when condensed soups started showing up in every small-town pantry. You simply stir together one easy mixture—cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, broth, and a few seasonings—then pour it over raw chicken breasts and uncooked white rice right in a glass casserole dish. It bakes up into something that tastes like you fussed all afternoon, even though the oven did most of the work while you tended to the rest of your day.
Serve this casserole hot, scooped deep so you get plenty of saucy rice and a good chunk of chicken in each portion. It’s lovely with a simple green vegetable—steamed broccoli, buttered peas, or green beans—and a crisp lettuce salad with a tangy dressing to balance the richness. A pan of warm dinner rolls or buttered toast is perfect for chasing the last bit of creamy sauce around the plate. For a potluck, let the casserole rest 10–15 minutes so it sets up a bit, then bring it right in the glass dish with a big serving spoon and let folks help themselves.
Southern Creamy Chicken and Rice CasseroleServings: 6
Ingredients
1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3–4 medium breasts)
1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (whole or 2%)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional, for color on top)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional, for garnish)
Nonstick cooking spray or a little butter for greasing the dish
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch glass casserole dish with nonstick spray or a little butter. Using a glass dish helps you see the rice and sauce bubbling around the edges as it bakes.
Spread the uncooked long-grain white rice evenly over the bottom of the greased glass casserole dish. Shake the dish gently so the rice forms a fairly level layer; this helps it cook evenly in the oven.
Lay the raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts on top of the rice in a single layer. If any pieces are very thick on one end, you can lightly pound them or slice them in half lengthwise so they cook at the same rate as the rice.
In a medium mixing bowl, make the single creamy mixture: add the condensed cream of chicken soup, condensed cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, and milk. Whisk or stir until the soups are well blended into the liquid and no big lumps remain.
Season the soup mixture by stirring in the onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt. Taste a small spoonful (keeping in mind it’s concentrated and will mellow as it bakes with the rice); adjust the salt or pepper if needed.
Holding the bowl with both hands, slowly pour this one seasoned soup mixture evenly over the raw chicken breasts and the rice in the glass casserole dish. Make sure you cover all the rice so it has plenty of liquid to soak up while baking.
Use the back of a spoon to gently nudge the chicken so the liquid can flow underneath and around the sides, but do not stir the rice up from the bottom. Sprinkle the top lightly with paprika if you like a bit of color, and dot the surface with the small pieces of butter.
Cover the glass casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil, crimping the edges all the way around to hold in the steam. Place the covered dish on the center rack of the preheated oven.
Bake, covered, for 50–60 minutes, until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Carefully remove the foil (watch for steam), and check a few grains of rice near the center of the dish; if they’re still firm and there’s a lot of liquid, cover again and bake 10–15 minutes more.
Once the rice is tender, remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 10–15 minutes, until the top looks slightly golden around the edges and the sauce is bubbling. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
Take the casserole out of the oven and let it rest on the counter for 10–15 minutes. This resting time lets the rice finish soaking up the sauce so the casserole sets up nicely and serves in neat scoops instead of running all over the plate.
Before serving, sprinkle the top with chopped fresh parsley or a pinch of dried parsley for a bit of color, if you like. Use a large spoon to scoop down through the creamy rice and lift out a whole chicken breast for each serving, making sure everyone gets plenty of sauce and rice.
Variations & Tips
If you’d like to add more flavor without complicating the process, you can tuck a few thinly sliced mushrooms or a handful of frozen peas around the chicken before you pour the soup mixture over the top; they’ll cook right along with the rice. For a little more Southern comfort, stir 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar into the soup mixture before pouring, or sprinkle cheese over the casserole during the last 10 minutes of baking. If your family prefers dark meat, boneless, skinless chicken thighs work beautifully and stay very tender—just trim excess fat and keep them in a single layer. For a slightly lighter version, you can use reduced-fat condensed soups and swap the milk for additional broth, though the sauce will be a bit less rich. To stretch the dish for a bigger crowd, slice the chicken breasts into large chunks before laying them over the rice so everyone gets a piece in their scoop. And if you’re cooking for folks who like a little kick, add a pinch of cayenne or a few dashes of hot sauce to the soup mixture before pouring it over the rice and chicken.
