Chicken and Rice Casserole

Beautifully seared, spice-infused chicken baked on a bed of fantabulous rice is a fantastic meal for the entire family. You'll love spooning the rice's warm creamy goodness and perfectly browned chicken onto your plate. So delicious and yet so effortless and elegant.

Course casserole, chicken, dinner, Main, rice

Cuisine French

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 724kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

The Chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds chicken thighs (with bone in and skin on)

The Casserole

1 yellow onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 cups white rice, rinsed and drained
1 10½-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup shredded parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven skillet over medium-high.
Mix paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper thoroughly in a small mixing bowl.
Sprinkle paprika seasoning mixture over chicken thighs, ensuring the seasonings cover all sides.
Place chicken in the heated skillet skin side down and sear for 3-4 minutes or until a golden brown crust forms. Flip the chicken and continue searing for an additional 3 minutes. Remove chicken from the skillet, place on a plate, and set aside. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.
With the heat still at medium-high, add onion, celery, minced garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Turn off the heat and set the onion-celery mixture aside.
Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray.
Add rice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, melted butter, broth, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, onion-celery mixture, salt, and pepper to the baking dish and mix thoroughly.
Next, place chicken thighs skin side up on top of the rice mixture.
Add rice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, melted butter, broth, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, onion-celery mixture, salt, and pepper to the baking dish and mix thoroughly.
Next, place chicken thighs skin side up on top of the rice mixture.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken cooked.
Once the rice is done, take off the aluminum foil, turn the oven to broil, and broil the casserole for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the chicken top to a golden brown.
Take the chicken and rice casserole out of the oven, garnish with fresh parsley, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

You can use other chicken cuts, but the baking time may vary depending on its size. The larger chicken breast will take a little longer, and the wings will take less time.
If you want to add vegetables, frozen are best because they have less moisture than fresh, so you don't have to adjust the amount of liquid.
Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165℉/74℃.
Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition