This easy baked chicken and rice casserole made without canned soup only has 5 ingredients making it an easy meal the whole family will enjoy!
Why you'll love this recipe
Minimal Ingredients: Just five pantry staples—no complicated steps!
No Canned Soup: This homemade version is lower in sodium, free of preservatives, and full of fresh flavor.
Hands-Off Cooking: Ten minutes of prep, then the oven does the work.
Easily Customizable: Swap in different types of rice, chicken, or add veggies for variety.
I’ve made a similar casserole using cream of mushroom soup, and while it’s delicious, it tends to be much higher in sodium. This version is just as flavorful but made with simple, fresh ingredients you probably already have on hand. Give it a try, I think you’ll agree!
If you prefer a faster version, try my Instant Pot chicken and rice, which cooks everything together in the pressure cooker for an easy one-pot dinner.
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts - you can also use boneless chicken thighs
- red onion, diced - though any kind of onion will do
- long-grain brown rice - The recipe calls for brown rice, however white rice may be used in its place. If you do that, you'll need to reduce the cooking time. Use the rice in your pantry to make some dirty sausage with rice!
- chicken broth - you can use store bought chicken stock or homemade bone broth. To keep this recipe gluten-free be sure to check your labels.
- salt and black pepper
Substitutions
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work well and stay juicy. No time adjustments are needed.
Using frozen chicken? Thaw completely before cooking for best results.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this no-soup chicken and rice casserole with a simple side dish like:
Save This Recipe For Later!
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later!
- Instant Pot Green Beans
- A fresh garden salad
- Warm crusty bread
Or, for a one-dish meal, mix in frozen peas, diced carrots, or spinach before baking.
Storage and Make Ahead Tips
✔ Meal Prep Tip: Assemble in the morning, cover, and refrigerate. Bake when ready!
✔ Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave with a splash of broth to keep the rice moist.
✔ Freezer Friendly: Assemble, cover tightly, and freeze before baking. When ready to cook, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as directed.
Top Tips for Rice
- White rice: Cooks in 30 minutes covered + 15-20 minutes uncovered.
- Brown rice: Requires 40-50 minutes covered + 15-20 minutes uncovered. (Check for doneness and add a splash of broth if needed.)
- Rinsing rice removes excess starch and helps it cook up fluffier—don’t skip this step!
Other Five Ingredient Recipes You'll Love
This version of baked chicken and rice casserole is proof that you don’t need a can of soup to make a creamy, comforting meal. It’s simple, wholesome, and adaptable—perfect for busy weeknights!
Recipe
Chicken and Rice Casserole without Canned Soups
Send me this recipe!
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 4 4- oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ medium red onion diced
- 1 cup long grain brown rice rinsed and drained
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- salt and black pepper
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and season with salt and black pepper. Cook until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. They will not be cooked through yet.
- Add onion and rice to the prepared baking dish. Season with salt and black pepper and stir to combine. Pour the chicken broth over the rice and arrange the seared breasts on top of the rice mixture.
- Tightly cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover. There will still be a good amount of liquid when when you pull the foil off.
- Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.
- Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before fluffing the rice with a fork.
Garnish with fresh parsley
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. Calories and other nutritional values vary depending on which brands were used.
David says
I used a single boneless, skinless, chicken thigh trimmed to bite size pieces seared and tossed into the pan with the uncooked washed rice. Then sauteed some onion, red bell pepper, and mushrooms, deglazed with chicken broth and a tablespoon of onion soup mix. Poured on top, sealed with foil, and baked 30 min at 350, opened and baked 15 min until rice is done. It was MAGNIFICENT and PERFECT for one person! I have a new fresh chicken & rice recipe!!! THANK YOU!!!
Melissa says
Does the bake time change if I use brown rice?
Joyce says
This was an incredible flop. 3 cups of boullion to 1 cup of rice. I didn't get rice, I got soup.
Not sure what kind of rice you used, but the long grain and wild rice I used, well. I thin it needed at least another cup or 2 of rice. What a waste of ingredients
Luna Regina says
This looks refreshingly simple! I'd add some carrots and broccoli, maybe peas, to mine juts for that extra color.