4-ingredient chicken and rice casserole is the dump-and-bake dinner where raw chicken breasts, uncooked long grain rice, a packet of dry onion soup mix and a can of cream of mushroom soup go into one dish with water, get covered with foil, and bake until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Five minutes of prep, no browning, no pre-cooking.
How to make 4-ingredient chicken and rice casserole: put 4 seasoned chicken breasts in a greased 9×13 glass dish, pour 1 cup of uncooked rice over them, sprinkle on the onion soup mix, pour over the mushroom soup whisked with 1 1/2 cups of water, cover with foil and bake at 325°F for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Four ingredients, plus water, salt and pepper.
- 5 minutes of prep: nothing to brown or pre-cook.
- One dish for the chicken and the rice.
- Feeds 4, one chicken breast each.
What Are the 4 Ingredients?
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: 4, raw.
- Long grain white rice: 1 cup, uncooked.
- Dry onion soup mix: one 1-ounce packet.
- Condensed cream of mushroom soup: one 10.5-ounce can.
Water (1 1/2 cups) and a little salt and pepper for the chicken don’t count toward the four.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Using instant or minute rice. Use regular long grain rice, not minute rice.
- Baking it in a metal pan. Use a glass baking dish or casserole dish; the rice does not cook well in a metal pan.
- Leaving it uncovered. Cover the dish tightly with foil for the whole bake.
- Skipping the grease. Spray the dish with cooking spray before the chicken goes in.
- Guessing at doneness. Check the thickest chicken breast with a food thermometer: it needs to read 165°F. Check that the rice is tender too.
Is This No Peek Chicken and Rice Casserole?
Yes, it works the same way. “No peek” means you never lift the foil while it bakes: raw chicken breasts sit on uncooked long grain rice, the dish is covered tightly with foil, and the steam trapped under the foil is what cooks the rice. Peeking lets that steam out.
The usual no peek version is a little bigger than this 4-ingredient one. It uses 2 cups of uncooked long grain rice, a can each of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, with 4 seasoned chicken breasts on top and a packet of onion soup mix sprinkled over them. It bakes covered at 350°F for 1 hour 15 minutes without lifting the foil. Either way, the chicken needs to reach 165°F and the rice needs to be tender.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken. Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts go in raw, seasoned with salt and pepper.
Rice. One cup of uncooked long grain white rice, not instant.
Soup and soup mix. One 1-ounce packet of dry onion soup mix and one 10.5-ounce can of condensed cream of mushroom soup.
Water. One and a half cups, whisked into the mushroom soup.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, raw
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice (not instant)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 packet (1 ounce) dry onion soup mix
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- Salt and black pepper, to season the chicken
How to Make 4-Ingredient Chicken and Rice Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 325°F.
2. Prepare the dish. Spray a 9×13-inch glass baking dish or casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts and season them with salt and pepper.
3. Add the rice and onion soup mix. Pour the uncooked rice over the chicken, then sprinkle with the onion soup mix.
4. Add the soup and water. In a bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup and 1 1/2 cups of water. Pour it over the chicken and rice.
5. Cover and bake. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
6. Serve. Serve each chicken breast with the rice from the dish.
Variations
| Version | What changes | Bake |
|---|---|---|
| This recipe | Onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup | 325°F, covered, 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Rice pilaf version | A 6.3-ounce box of garlic and herb rice pilaf, 1 1/3 cups water and a can of cream of chicken soup with 4 chicken breasts | 375°F, covered, 50 to 60 minutes |
| Bouillon version | 6 to 8 chicken thighs or breasts, 3 bouillon cubes in 1 cup boiling water, plus garlic powder, dried parsley and pepper with the soup mix | 350°F, covered, 1 hour |
Whichever version you bake, the chicken still needs to reach 165°F.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months; USDA FSIS notes that cream sauces don’t freeze well, so the texture can change. Thaw in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, or reheat straight from frozen, which takes about one and a half times as long. Reheat covered until it reaches 165°F, in the oven, on the stove or in the microwave, not in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Spoon the rice and gravy from the dish next to each chicken breast. For more easy chicken and rice bakes, try creamy chicken rice casserole, one pot cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole or teriyaki chicken and rice casserole. For more short-list chicken dinners, there’s 4-ingredient French onion chicken, oven-baked 3-ingredient creamy chicken and Ritz cracker chicken casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ingredients in a 4 ingredient chicken rice bake?
Raw boneless chicken breasts, raw long grain rice, dry onion soup mix and condensed cream of mushroom soup, plus water, salt and pepper.
Do you cook the rice or chicken first?
No. Both go in raw and cook together, covered, for 1 hour 15 minutes at 325°F.
Can I use minute rice?
No. Minute rice is not used here; stick with regular long grain white rice, which cooks through in the 1 hour 15 minutes under foil.
Can I use a metal pan?
Use a glass baking dish or casserole dish instead; the rice does not cook well in a metal pan.
Can I use cream of chicken soup?
Yes, in the rice pilaf version: a box of garlic and herb pilaf, 1 1/3 cups of water and condensed cream of chicken soup, baked covered at 375°F for 50 to 60 minutes.
How do I know it’s done?
The rice should be tender and the thickest chicken breast should read 165°F on a food thermometer. If the rice is still firm, cover it again and give it a little more time.
Final Notes
Raw chicken, raw rice, two soups, a glass dish and a tight foil cover. Tell me in the comments what you served with it.
4-Ingredient Chicken and Rice Casserole
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Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts raw
- 1 cup long grain white rice uncooked; not instant
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 ounce dry onion soup mix 1 packet
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 can
- salt and black pepper to season the chicken
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325F.
- Spray a 9x13-inch glass baking dish or casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts and season them with salt and pepper.
- Pour the uncooked rice over the chicken, then sprinkle with the onion soup mix.
- In a bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup and 1 1/2 cups of water. Pour it over the chicken and rice.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken reaches 165F on a food thermometer.
- Serve each chicken breast with the rice from the dish.
Notes
Nutrition
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