Grandma's Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole

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Grandma’s easy chicken and rice casserole is creamy, cozy comfort food made with cooked chicken, quick rice, and simple pantry staples.

There’s something about chicken and rice that just feels like home.

It’s warm, creamy, filling, and uncomplicated—the kind of supper Grandma might have put on the table on a cool fall evening when everyone was hungry and she needed something that would stretch far enough to feed the family.

And if you think Grandma wouldn’t have appreciated a shortcut or two, think again!

The women of our grandmothers’ generation watched all sorts of labor-saving inventions arrive in their kitchens and homes. They knew the value of anything that made feeding a family a little easier.

I’m much the same way.

I almost always have fully cooked chicken breast in my freezer, ready to turn into dinner. Combine that with quick-cooking rice, a couple cans of creamy soup, chicken broth, and a handful of seasonings, and you’ve got an old-fashioned chicken and rice casserole without spending all evening in the kitchen.

Best of all? Everything goes into one casserole dish.

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Grandma’s Comfort Food, Made Easy

I love old-fashioned recipes, but I also love a good shortcut.

One of my biggest time-savers is cooking chicken ahead. I often cook several pounds of chicken breast at once in my Instant Pot with chicken broth and onion, then shred it and freeze it in portions.

I also bake chicken and cook chicken breasts on the grill, so at any given time you might find three or four different kinds of fully cooked chicken breast tucked into my freezer.

Grandma would've been proud.

Having cooked chicken ready to go means a casserole like this can be assembled in just a few minutes. If you don't prep chicken ahead like I do, leftover baked or grilled chicken will work beautifully. You can also use rotisserie chicken if that's your favorite shortcut.

Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole at a Glance

This is the kind of recipe I love for busy days because there's almost no prep involved.

Uses already-cooked chicken
Made with 10-minute instant white rice
Everything mixes right in the casserole dish
No rice to precook
No chicken to cook
No skillet to wash
Simple pantry ingredients
Cozy enough for a fall or winter supper
Great for leftovers and make-ahead meals

Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here's a quick look at what you'll need to make this easy old-fashioned casserole. These are simple ingredients you might already have on hand in your pantry or refrigerator.

Cooked Shredded Chicken

You'll need about 3 cups of cooked shredded chicken breast.

I use chicken I've cooked ahead and frozen, but leftover chicken works just as well.

Quick-Cooking White Rice

I used 2 packets of 10-minute boil-in-bag white rice, removed from the bags and added to the casserole dry. Together, my two packets measured just shy of 2 cups.

This is instant or quick-cooking rice, not regular long-grain white rice. The shorter cooking time is an important part of what makes this particular recipe so easy.

Cream of Chicken Soup

One 10.5-ounce can gives the casserole its creamy chicken flavor.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

One 10.5-ounce can adds another layer of savory flavor and creaminess.

Chicken Broth

You'll need 1¾ cups chicken broth. Using broth instead of water gives the rice much more flavor as it cooks.

Onion

I used ¼ cup very finely diced onion. Dice it quite fine so it becomes tender during the relatively short baking time. There's no need to sauté it first.

Seasonings

Keep them simple:

½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper

I don't add salt initially because the soups, broth, and precooked chicken already contain salt. Taste the finished casserole and add salt only if you think it needs it.

Butter

You'll need 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces and dotted over the top.

It may look quite buttery while the casserole is baking, but once everything is stirred together, that butter adds wonderful richness to the creamy chicken and rice.

How to Make Grandma’s Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Step 1: Preheat the Oven

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

Lightly coat a 9x13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 2: Combine the Ingredients

Remove the quick-cooking rice from the boil-in bags and place the dry rice directly into the casserole dish.

Add the shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, finely diced onion, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.

Stir everything together very well.

Step 3: Add the Butter

Cut 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and distribute them evenly over the top.

Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil.

Step 4: Bake

Bake covered for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and give the casserole a thorough stir. This distributes the melted butter and helps make sure all of the rice has access to the creamy cooking liquid.

Cover tightly again and return to the oven for another 10–15 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Total baking time should be approximately 35–40 minutes.

Step 5: Let It Rest

Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. The rice will continue to absorb some of the creamy liquid as it sits.

Serve and Enjoy!

This is a one-pot meal and I confess, I didn't eat anything else with mine. No veggies. No bread. No. . .nothing. Just a bowl full of delicious, warm, creamy, flavorful rice casserole, one grandma would've been very, very proud of!

A Note About the Rice

For this recipe I deliberately use 10-minute instant white rice.

If you're using boil-in-bag rice as I did, simply cut open the bags and pour the dry rice into the casserole. Don't boil it first.

Instant rice works especially well here because the chicken is already cooked. Instead of baking raw chicken and regular rice for an hour or more, we're simply heating the chicken while the quick-cooking rice absorbs all of that creamy chicken flavor.

It's an old-fashioned casserole with a very convenient shortcut.

Can I Use Regular Long-Grain White Rice?

Regular long-grain rice requires considerably more liquid and a longer cooking time, so don't substitute it cup-for-cup using the instructions above.

If you don't have instant rice, you can make a version using regular long-grain white rice, but you'll need to increase the broth and baking time. Another option is to cook regular rice separately and then combine it with the chicken and creamy ingredients before baking just until everything is hot.

I'll always recommend following the quick-rice method above for the easiest version of this particular casserole.

Why This Recipe Works So Well for Fall

When cooler weather arrives, I start craving meals like this one.

There's nothing particularly fancy or seasonal in the ingredient list. It's simply warm, creamy comfort food—the kind of casserole that tastes especially good when the evenings start getting cooler.

Serve it with green beans, corn, a simple salad, or warm biscuits and you've got an easy fall supper that tastes like something Grandma would've made.

What to Serve With Chicken and Rice Casserole

Because chicken and rice is already a hearty meal, I skipped the sides, but you might be in the mood for more. With that in mind, let's keep the sides simple. Try it with:

You really don't need much. A vegetable and something warm from the bread basket make this a complete comfort-food supper.

Storage and Reheating

This casserole is excellent for meal prep. Let leftovers cool, then transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate promptly. Enjoy refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days.

The rice will continue to absorb moisture as it sits, so don't be surprised if the casserole is thicker the following day.

When reheating individual portions, add a small splash of chicken broth if the rice seems dry, then heat until steaming hot throughout.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I cook the instant rice first?

No. Remove the rice from the boil-in bags and add it dry directly to the casserole.

Can I use rotisserie chicken?

Absolutely. I prefer to cook and freeze my own chicken breast, but shredded rotisserie chicken is an easy substitute.

Can I use leftover grilled chicken?

Yes! Leftover grilled or baked chicken is perfect for this recipe and may add even more flavor.

Do I have to sauté the onion?

No. That's one of the things that keeps this a true one-dish recipe. Just dice the onion very finely and stir it straight into the casserole.

Why don't you add salt?

Between the condensed soups, chicken broth, and cooked chicken, there's already quite a bit of sodium in the dish. I prefer to taste the finished casserole before deciding whether it needs additional salt.

Can I leave out the cream of mushroom soup?

If you don't care for mushrooms, you can substitute another can of cream of chicken soup. The flavor will be slightly different, but you'll still have a creamy chicken and rice casserole.

Can I Freeze Chicken and Rice Casserole?

Yes. Divide cooled leftovers into freezer-safe portions and freeze them for an easy future meal. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Adding a splash of broth before reheating will help restore some of the original creaminess.

More Old-Fashioned Recipes Grandma Would Love

If this creamy chicken and rice casserole takes you back to Grandma's kitchen, be sure to check out more of my old-fashioned Southern comfort-food recipes.

This is exactly the sort of food I love sharing here at Backyard Texas Grill: uncomplicated recipes that have fed families for generations.

From Grandma's Southern meatloaf and hearty chicken stew to mashed potatoes, biscuits, old-fashioned cakes, pies, and other family favorites, there's something special about keeping these familiar recipes on the table.

And don't miss my collection of Old-Fashioned Recipes Grandma Used to Make for even more nostalgic favorites.

Final Thoughts

I think Grandma would've approved of this one. It's warm, filling, inexpensive, and made from ingredients you can easily keep on hand. And thanks to cooked chicken and quick-cooking rice, you can have an old-fashioned casserole in the oven in minutes.

That's my kind of shortcut.

Sometimes the best comfort food isn't complicated at all. It's simply chicken and rice, bubbling away in a casserole dish, waiting to make supper a little easier.

Thanks for Stopping By

If you make this delicious casserole and enjoy it, please leave a comment or review. And before you go, please pin some photos to your Pinterest boards.