Chicken and Yellow Rice Casserole
This recipe is definitely a keeper. Chicken and Yellow Rice Casserole is big on taste and very satisfying. It’s a comforting dinner that’s simple to make and pleasing to your taste buds. Chicken, yellow rice, and cream of mushroom soup. Only 3 main ingredients for this one-pot meal!
Yellow Rice is the Best
My family loves rice- yellow rice. We would much rather have the yellow than the white. (I guess you could say we are rice snobs) The yellow is so much more flavorful and savory, and if I am cooking a dish that requires rice, I always try to switch the white for the yellow. Like this rice and corn casserole!
Last night, I needed a quick and easy one-pot meal. I was not in the mood to wash a bunch of pots and pans and spend a lot of time cleaning up after supper, so this was the perfect dish to make.
The chicken is tender and juicy, and the rice is loaded with flavor and has a nice creamy sauce. This dish is sure to please your family and have them going back for seconds.
I have been making this Chicken and Yellow Rice Casserole for years, so it is a tried and true recipe. If you have left-overs, they will be great the next day as well. My daughter actually carried some leftovers in her lunch box to school. She just reheated them for a few seconds and had the best lunch at the table.
What You Will Need For This Casserole
I used 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup because we like mushrooms, but feel free to use cream of celery, or cream of chicken, or just whatever you like best.
We also like chicken thighs. My family prefers dark meat, and thighs usually have the best flavor. Again, use whatever chicken pieces you like the best.
Now, on to the rice. Yellow rice is the best! I know I have said this before, but it’s true. It is packed full of flavor and spices and is just quite delicious. If you are going to cook a meal with rice, it might as well taste good, right?
This casserole is easy to throw together and requires very little prep work. It comes together in 5 minutes or less and bakes on low for 1 1/2 hours. This gives you time to relax before dinner, help the kids with homework, catch up on the never-ending laundry, or just to sit and watch a movie–like that ever happens!
This casserole would be perfect for weeknight dinners, potlucks, church socials, or dinner with friends, or just because you love chicken and rice!
Are You Looking For More Dinner Ideas?
If you are looking for more delicious dinner ideas, be sure to try Creamy Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole. This casserole is loaded with a lot of different flavors- cream cheese, sour cream, chicken, and cream of chicken soup. It tastes like a bite of creamy heaven. Absolutely delicious!
Chili Mac and Cheese is another family favorite. It’s full of flavor and requires basic pantry items. This is requested a lot at my house.
Chicken and Yellow Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 family pack chicken thighs I used 8 thighs.
- 1 9oz. package yellow rice
- 2 10.5 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup
- 1 1/3 cup water
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix rice, soup, and water.
- Pour rice mixture into a 13″ x 9″ casserole dish.
- Arrange chicken on top of rice mixture.
- Salt and pepper as desired.
- Cover with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. If you are using chicken breast, you may need to add an additional 30 minutes to the time.
Yum! I’ve never cooked with yellow rice before. Will have to give this a try!
This looks super delicious! I’ve been looking for chicken casserole recipes and this looks perfect for dinner. Thanks!
You are welcome! Enjoy!
Hi! I’m using chicken breasts instead as we like white meat best but I wanted to ask you if I put the chicken on the rice in the casserole dish while it’s frozen still?
Hi Kristy,
Chicken breast will work for this recipe. I would not recommend using frozen meat. I would thaw before adding to the top of the rice. Also, depending on the size of the breast, you may need to cook a little longer. Great question! Thanks for trying this recipe. Enjoy!
I definitely want to try this. Not a lot of ingredients which is perfect for me!
I tell you this looks sumptuous. It’s very boring to make something with lots of ingredients and pre chopping and all. I am definitely gonna try this recipe with very less ingredients.
This looks yummy may just be our dinner tonight. Thank you for sharing.
This looks yummy thank you for sharing
This sounds delicious! My partner regularly makes chicken, broccoli & rice which I love!
This looks so yummy! Chicken and rice is always a big hit in our home.
Mmmm, this sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
My mom used to make a similar recipe for our family while growing up, though I don’t think she used yellow rice. I bet that’s a great flavor addition. I really like yellow rice. I’ll have to try something like this for my husband and myself soon! It sounds easy and yummy!
Love easy recipes and really love yellow rice. Will have to try this one – thanks!
I am single and have been looking for some good recipes 😋. This looks great and can easily be cut down for one serving size. Going to try this tonight.
Just threw this together tonight, I used a xan of mushroom and a can of chicken condensed soup, I’m excited (;
Yay! I love mushrooms in just about everything! I bet it was delicious!
Hi,
I have a couple questions I will be making this dish tomorrow. First question I plan on using frozen green beans should I defrost them ahead of time ahead of time. Second question just making sure I’m not cooking the rice first then adding it to the Casserole?
Hi Tracey! I’m so glad you are going to try this recipe. My family loves chicken and rice and request it often. This is super easy to put together. For the first question, I have never added green beans to my casserole. If you decide to do this–I would defrost the green beans before adding to the mixture. Again, I have never added green beans to my casserole. OR you could always have them as a side dish. Second question, you DO NOT need to cook the rice before adding to the mixture. There will be enough liquid in the mix to allow the rice to cook in the oven. Thanks for the questions. Enjoy!
Thank you thank you. Dinner turned out amazing. Green beans added a great flavor. I did use cream of chicken soup as well. If you can provide an email address I would love to send you a picture
Thank you very much again.
Thank you, Tracey for the picture. I am so glad dinner was a success. Check back for more recipes. 🙂
This chicken and yellow rice casserole was so delicious! I loved how easy it was to make and it was so good!
The perfect food for after a busy day! Thanks for sharing! My family loved it!
This is such a great recipe for dinner. Really delicious!
I love recipes like this that are quick to assemble and the oven does all the work! Delicious!!
I love this recipe however I bought a huge container of the yellow rice and not sure how to measure out the 9oz. I tried to use a measuring cup but the top turned out soupy so I’m guessing I didn’t add enough rice. Any suggestions?
Hi Josie! Use about a cup of yellow rice for this recipe.
I’m making this tomorrow with, but giving a bit if Southwest flair to it with the addition of diced onion and diced green chiles. Would also like to add some shredded cheese. Any thoughts on when that should be added? Mixed in at the beginning, or added over the top at the end of cooking?
Thanks!
Diced onions and green chiles sound so good in this dish. I would mix everything in at the beginning and reserve some cheese to sprinkle over at the end of the cooking time. Let me know how this turns out and thanks for the comment.
It turned out perfectly! Thanks for such an easy recipe that can be manipulated for any taste!
Yay! I’m so glad you liked the recipe with adding your southwest flair. Keep in touch!
Hello! I am trying this recipe tonight but I am using rotisserie chicken (shredded) and mixed into the dish. How long should u bake it if the chicken is already cooked?
Sorry I did not see your comment sooner. You can certainly decrease the cooking time if you are using a rotisserie chicken. I would say start checking at 35-40 minutes. You are basically cooking the rice. If you tried this recipe, I would love to hear from you. Thanks for the question. Have a super day!
Is it possible to use a metal baking dish or does it need to be glass? I’ve made this recipe once already (in a glass dish) and it was absolutely delicious. I want to double the recipe but I only have one glass dish.
Hi Ashley! Any baking dish will work for this recipe. Thanks for the question.
I’ve tried this twice , its really good. My problem is that the rice is so soft , it comes out super mushy. HELP
Hi Terri! I’m glad you like the recipe. The rice will be soft in this dish. I’m not sure why it’s mushy for you. The next time you cook this dish, uncover it during the last 20 minutes or so. This may help. If you decide to try this and it works, let me know.
I want to add a bag of frozen “California medley” veggies. Defrost first (as suggested) but do you think I should reduce the amount of water added? Will these veggies produce extra liquid?
Hi Michael,
Thaw and drain your veggies very well. Then add to your casserole. You should be good to go! Enjoy!
I am cooking this tonight! Sounds yummy and it is a quick dish.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I would like to make this sometime soon, I was wondering if you think chicken breast would be OK to use, and how many do you think I should. Do you shred the chicken at the end of cooking or just leave it whole?
Hi Julie,
Chicken breasts will work for this recipe. You may need to adjust the time depending on the size and thickness of the breasts. My family loves chicken thighs, so that is what I usually cook with this recipe. The amount of chicken depends on how many you are feeding with this dish. Some breasts are large. You may need to slice them in half so they will cook completely. You do not shred the chicken. Each person will get a piece of chicken with rice. Thank you for the comment. I hope you enjoy the recipe.