Filed Under: Casseroles, Chicken, COOKTagged With: casserole, one dish meal
This Chicken and Rice Casserole was one of the first blog posts I put up back in the days where I was essentially trying to create an online cookbook for myself and my family of favorite recipes. I didn’t even have a photo for it back then!
This recipe is an old family favorite. My mom used to make Chicken and Rice Casserole all the time when I was growing up. In fact, often times if I were sick, it’s one of the recipes I’d ask for. It was kind of like chicken soup in casserole form. Now it’s one that my daughter and I like a lot too. It’s quick and easy to prepare, making it ideal for a busy weeknight dinner.
I remember it being one of the first meals I learned to cook as well. The simplicity of it made it perfect for a young child to learn to make. Once you’ve prepared it a few times, you won’t even need the recipe anymore. It only has a few ingredients and it’s so easy to vary it according to your preferences. Or just to switch things up a bit now and then.
This Chicken and Rice Casserole was even a regular part of our meal rotation for our many family camping trips each summer. It’s perfect for a foil packet dinner! Prepare as instructed but instead of putting in a casserole dish, simplymake a packet out of doubled thick aluminum foil. Cook it over your campfire or even on the BBQ. I usually add extra liquid to it when cooking it this way as it tends to dry out a little faster.
This Chicken and Rice Casserole is an old family favourite. My mom used to make this all the time when I was growing up and now it’s one that my daughter and I like a lot too. It’s quick and easy to make.
CourseMain Course
CuisineAmerican
Keywordchicken, rice
Prep Time5minutes
Cook Time45minutes
Total Time50minutes
Servings4
Calories493kcal
Ingredients
4chicken breastsWe prefer boneless, skinless breasts with this but my mom used assorted chicken pieces.
1cancream of chicken soupYou can use cream of celery or cream of mushroom if you prefer.
10ozwaterA soup can's worth works fine. You can substitute milk or chicken broth for all or part of the water if you want.
2cupsinstant riceuncooked
1tsppoultry seasoning
1tsprosemary
1tspbasil
1tsp black pepper
Instructions
Stir rice, soup, and water together. (Some may prefer to mix the seasonings into this mixture for more even distribution. We like to add ours over the top instead – see below).
Place rice mixture in a 2 qt. casserole dish. I like to spray it with cooking spray to make it easier to dish up.
Place chicken pieces on top of rice mixture.We leave the chicken pieces whole but some people may prefer to cut them up, depending on how large they are.
Mix seasonings together and sprinkle evenly over top of the chicken and rice.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 40-45 minutes until chicken and rice are cooked through. Timing may vary a bit according to thickness of chicken pieces.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Variations on the basic recipe:
You can make the casserole as directed but add some vegetables to the dish – for example, a 10 oz. pkg. of frozen spinach, green beans, or peas, or 2 cups broccoli (fresh or frozen). If using green beans, you might want to top with 1/2 cup of those canned French fried onions just before serving.
If using broccoli, you might want to add some cheese to the recipe – the variation I saw on the Kraft site called for 1/4 lb. of cut up Velveeta but I would stir in some grated cheese instead.
Mom’s Chicken and Rice Casserole is such a classic dish – and for good reason! It’s a simple inexpensive way to put together a complete meal for your family. Best of all, it’s delicious.
Check out some more really easy and really yummy family favoritecasseroles here –
Try different herbs for added flavour: sage or lemon thyme work wonderfully well. For a meatier casserole, add chopped sausage or pancetta when cooking the chicken. Stir wholegrain mustard through the casserole at the end of cooking (to taste); this is especially good if you have sausage in the casserole.
The best way to prevent it from drying out is to add a little bit of water, around ¼ cup, to the top of it. Allow the water to seep between the food and the sides of the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil to seal in the moisture.
The key to a good casserole is the sauce or broth that binds those ingredients together as they bubble in the oven, allowing the flavors to meld together into a harmonious, comforting meal. This can be something as simple as the McCormick Brown Gravy Mix used in this tasty Hamburger Casserole dish.
In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...
Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese. But making a casserole is not an exact science, and you can definitely break away from this formula. Check out some fun side-dish casseroles and desserts below!
Uncovering the foods promotes browning and crisping, and reduces the amount of liquid in the finished dish. If a casserole looks soupy when it's ready to bake, bake it uncovered unless the ingredients include pasta or rice, which absorb liquid.
In general, covering a casserole dish will cook the food faster. This is because the lid traps the heat that rises off the food instead of letting it dissipate into the oven. Covering also has the effect of moistening the food inside, like steaming, because any moisture that rises off the food is trapped by the lid.
Maybe you cooked it at too high of a temperature, evaporating the water long before the rice actually cooked. Maybe you took the lid off of the pot too early, letting the steam escape. Maybe you didn't add enough liquid to begin with.
Can you put raw uncooked rice in a casserole? Yes, you must put it raw and uncooked into the casserole. The liquids used will cook it to the perfect texture.
When you cook chicken at a high temperature, the muscle fibers of the chicken contract rapidly, causing moisture loss. However, if you cook your chicken too low and slow, the fibers will break down, resulting in a mushy, dry texture.
The time a casserole takes to cook will vary from 2-2½ hours for chuck, blade and thick flank, up to 4 hours for shin, leg and neck. Pork cuts for braising and casseroling normally take 1½ hours, and lamb much the same.
It's basically food glue that also provides other added benefits. Think of it as a culinary adhesive that offers more than just stickiness. Additionally, mayonnaise enhances the juiciness of dishes without making them overly moist.
If you coat it too early, the moisture in the meat absorbs the flour and spoils the texture of the casserole. Begin by browning the meat or chicken, separately, before adding vegetables, liquids and herbs. This seals in the juices and adds flavour.
Not every single casserole has all of them, but as a rule of thumb, here's what to look for: a starch, a binding agent or sauce, and a protein or vegetable. Many casseroles also have both vegetables and proteins, as well as a crunchy element to give some textural contrast, and cheese.
Not every single casserole has all of them, but as a rule of thumb, here's what to look for: a starch, a binding agent or sauce, and a protein or vegetable. Many casseroles also have both vegetables and proteins, as well as a crunchy element to give some textural contrast, and cheese.
The term “casserole” can refer to any dish prepared in a casserole dish—essentially a deep, wide baking dish—and baked in the oven. A casserole can have layers, as in the case of an Italian lasagna or a deep-dish pizza, or composed of some evenly distributed combination of veggies, a protein, and a starchy binder.
Introduction: My name is Twana Towne Ret, I am a famous, talented, joyous, perfect, powerful, inquisitive, lovely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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