Creamy Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole

This creamy chicken and rice casserole recipe is the ultimate comfort food for busy weeknights. This oven-baked chicken and rice is a simple and quick dinner using leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken. Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup and Rice-A-Roni or packaged rice bring easy, delicious flavors to the table. Save this best ever recipe and enjoy a family-favorite meal with minimal effort!

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What is Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole?

The Campbell's Food Company invented creamy chicken and rice casserole as a way to promote their cream of mushroom soup around 1941. It has been served to countless families and friends in the decades since its creation.

Some health-conscious cooks make their own cream of something soup, but I still rely on the old favorite, Campbell's Cream of Mushroom for my chicken and rice casserole.

Why this is the best Creamy Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole

It's a simple and easy baked chicken and rice recipe. This great weeknight chicken casserole is as easy as dumping a few things together; it doesn't get any easier than that! The recipe is simple with only a few ingredients, so prep is very quick and easy too.

The ingredients for this easy recipe are very common and very inexpensive. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in every grocery I've ever visited.

This rice-a-roni chicken casserole tastes great. The simple ingredients pack a big punch in terms of flavor. The Rice-A-Roni contains a seasoning packet, plus the cream of mushroom soup adds flavor - all of it combines to make the best chicken casserole you've ever eaten!

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This recipe is super versatile. Don't like mushrooms? Use cream of chicken soup instead. Love cheddar? Throw in a couple handfuls of shredded cheese. Don't have bread crumbs? Use French fried onions or Ritz cracker crumbs. Prefer a different flavor of Rice-A-Roni? Use whatever you want! You can literally replace any of the ingredients with something else and still have a delicious chicken and rice casserole.

This recipe is easy to serve. It doesn't get easier than a dump-and-go casserole, which makes this a perfect weeknight dinner for a busy mom or dad.

What you'll need to make the best Baked Chicken and Rice-A-Roni

Equipment

• 10-inch stainless steel skillet - This is to cook the Rice-A-Roni.
• Garlic press - I use my garlic press almost every time I cook. It makes fresh garlic cloves into a thick paste with no big chunks of garlic, and that paste is easy to distribute into the food. If you don't have a garlic press, mince the garlic as small as you can with a sharp knife, but understand that there are probably going to be some chunks of garlic in your creamy sauce, and they may not cook completely. If you have chunks of garlic in the casserole, they will have the consistency of carrots or uncooked rice when you chew them.
• Deep 9x13 pan - You will cook the casserole in a 9x13 baking dish.

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Ingredients

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Chicken-flavor Rice-A-Roni - Or use a store-brand "rice and vermicelli" blend. The spices in the box are important to the flavor of the casserole recipe.
• Butter - This is required to prepare the Rice-A-Roni per the package instructions.
• Cooked chicken - This can be leftover roast chicken, leftover rotisserie chicken, or chicken you cooked and shredded just for this recipe. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you could use bone-in breasts or chicken thighs with or without bones. Chicken thighs are fattier and so they will stay more tender and juicy if you happen to overcook them.
• Cream of mushroom soup - You can use any cream soup, including cream of chicken, cream of onion, or cream of celery, or even homemade cream of chicken soup (or whatever flavor you want).
• Whole milk - This will add liquid to dilute the cream soup and make the whole casserole creamy.
• Fresh garlic - I think fresh garlic is a wonderful addition to nearly every savory recipe.
• Velveeta - Any flavor. I have used the normal orange Velveeta, the queso blanco, and the Mexican style. They're all different and all delicious. You don't have to use this, but it really makes the finished casserole so good.
• Broccoli - I started adding this to make the casserole a little healthier, and so that I didn't need to make a separate vegetable. I put a 12-ounce bag of frozen broccoli (but any frozen veggie would work) in the fridge the day before I'm cooking, and then I add the thawed broccoli to the casserole. Drain any water that may have collected in the bag.
• Bread crumbs - These will add some crunch to the top of the chicken rice casserole.
• Butter - You'll use this to moisten the breadcrumbs to make a sort of crust for the top of the casserole.

How to make Creamy Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole

Please note that I have changed the recipe slightly since the photographs were taken. The instructions below do not completely match up with the photos, but the photos still show the correct procedure even though they do not include all of the ingredients.

1. Prepare Rice-A-Roni in a large skillet according to the package directions. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Add cream of mushroom soup, milk, and garlic to a large bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add cubed Velveeta and use a wooden spoon or spatula to smash the cubes a bit.
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3. Remove Rice-A-Roni from the heat and add it to the bowl with the bacon, shredded chicken, and broccoli. Stir all together.
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4. Melt the butter in a small bowl. Add the bread crumbs and stir together until all the bread crumbs are coated.
5. Pour the rice and chicken mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish.
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6. Sprinkle the casserole with bread crumbs.
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7. Bake uncovered in the oven for about 20 minutes until everything is heated through and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
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8. Garnish with fresh parsley or chopped green onions if desired.
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Cook's Tips for the best one-pan chicken and rice casserole

This recipe makes a lot of food. If you're only serving 2-3 people, halve it and bake in a 9x9 pan.

 If the bread crumbs aren’t toasted at 20 minutes, but the rice mixture is heated through, you can turn the oven to broil and watch it carefully.  The breadcrumbs will be toasted before the broiler is done heating. Keep a close eye on it so that they don't burn.

If you don't have leftover rotisserie or roast chicken, precook the chicken or use deli chicken to speed up assembly.  Be sure to season the plain chicken with salt and pepper when cooking.

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Variations & Substitutions

You can substitute other soup flavors for the cream of mushroom, such as cream of celery, cream of onion, or cream of chicken soup.

You can use French fried onions or Ritz crackers crumbs in place of the buttered bread crumbs on top of the casserole.

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You can add veggies such as sliced mushrooms, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, chopped red or green peppers, green beans, corn, peas, or even frozen mixed vegetables. I prefer to add frozen vegetables because they're already partially cooked and don't need to be blanched prior to being added to the casserole. Frozen veggies should be fully thawed. 12 ounces is a good amount.

If you're using raw veggies, throw them in boiling water for a couple of minutes (or if adding onions and peppers, sauté those in some butter), then drain completely, then add them to the mixture with the rice and chicken.

I don't recommend using plain cooked rice as the Rice-A-Roni has a seasoning packet that flavors the creamy sauce for this chicken rice casserole.

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Storing leftover chicken and rice bake

Allow the casserole to fully cool to room temperature, and then transfer it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven.

You can also freeze your leftovers. Transfer cooled casserole to a freezer container or freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. I really like Souper Cubes for recipes like this one because they allow me to freeze the casserole in individual-sized portions. (They intend for you to store the frozen food in their containers in the freezer, but I prefer to remove them and store them in a freezer bag and re-use the container to freeze something else. This way, I don't need 15 sets of Souper Cubes and can use just one of each size.)

To serve frozen casserole, move it to the fridge to thaw overnight, and then heat in the microwave or oven.

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Can you make cream chicken and rice casserole ahead?

Yes! You can prepare this casserole a day or two in advance and refrigerate it before baking. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap before sticking it in the fridge. You will need to add some extra time to baking if you're putting it straight into the oven from the refrigerator.

You can also make this chicken and rice-a-roni casserole ahead to freeze. Line the casserole dish with parchment paper. Prepare the casserole, and then stick it in the freezer. (You can also freeze it in Souper Cubes as above.) Once it's fully frozen, lift it out of the casserole dish using the parchment paper, and wrap the whole thing (including the paper) in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Store for up to 3 months.

To serve the frozen, unbaked casserole, unwrap the plastic wrap and foil, and then place the casserole (paper and all) back in the casserole dish. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then bake. You will probably need to add 15 minutes to the cook time because it's chilled to start with, but check it often to ensure it doesn't burn.

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Try these other easy chicken recipes:

• Chicken Bryan - Copycat Carrabba's Recipe
• Green Chili Chicken Soup (Stovetop or Crockpot)
• Gluten-Free White Chicken Chili (Slow Cooker or Stovetop)
• Buffalo Chicken Pasta Casserole
• Easy CrockPot Salsa Chicken
• Rotisserie Chicken and Egg Salad
• Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice
• Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts - Longhorn Steakhouse Copycat
• Chicken Piccata with Zucchini Noodles
• CrockPot Chicken and Potatoes

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