Cheesy Chicken and Rice
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!
Servings: 4 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 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 14.5 ounce chicken broth regular or low-sodium
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1/4 cup melted butter divided
- 3/4 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, 1/2 cup water, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, 1 1/2 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
Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1926mg | Potassium: 567mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 509IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 282mg | Iron: 2mg
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