Cheesy Chicken and Rice

A serving of chicken and rice casserole on a plate with green beans.

4.91 from 10 votes

If you're craving comfort food flavors and have 10 minutes to prepare a dinner, make this Cheesy Chicken and Rice. Bite-sized chicken in a fluffy cheesy rice is a dinner win!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken

Servings: servings

Calories: 565kcal

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup long grain white rice rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
14.5 ounce chicken broth regular or low-sodium
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese divided
¼ cup melted butter divided
¾ cup crushed buttery round crackers
Optional Garnish: parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Directly in a 9”x9” baking dish, add rice, chicken, broth, ½ cup water, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, 1 ½ cups of the cheese and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Carefully mix until combined, then cover tightly with foil.
Bake 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together cracker crumbs and remaining butter.
Once the bake time is complete, carefully remove the foil. Mix the chicken and rice mixture, then top with the remaining cheese and buttery cracker crumbs.
Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender, top is golden brown and chicken cooked through. Garnish with parsley.

Video

Notes

Tips and Substitutions

Rinsing or washing rice first removes that excess starch, resulting in grains that are more separate when cooked.
If you want to add additional creaminess, opt for a 13"x9" baking dish and add 10.5oz cream of chicken soup canned or homemade. Increase the covered bake time to 50 minutes and uncovered 20 minutes.
The seasonings of this casserole are simple: SPG...salt, pepper and garlic! You can swap out or opt for other/more seasonings to your palates preference.
While it can be tempting to try different types of rice, be sure to take into account the liquid ratio and the baking time. From personal experience, I have NEVER had uncooked rice at the end of bake time following this exact recipe.
For other types of rice, here are some suggestions:
Brown Rice: needs 5-10 minutes more covered bake time
Minute Rice: needs 5-10 minutes less covered bake time. I have not made it with this rice, but l've been given feedback that it works great as well.
Short Grain: not recommended as it becomes too soft and mushy

Nutrition