One-pan no peek chicken and rice is sure to become a favorite family meal! Wild rice, soup, and chicken are combined in a single baking dish then baked to creamy chicken and rice perfection!
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I’ve seen a few variations on the one-pan no peek chicken and rice but this is definitely one of my favorite no peek chicken recipes for two main reasons.
One, all the ingredients are mixed and baked in the same 9×13-inch baking dish, which means minimal dishes to clean (especially if you serve the no peek chicken on paper plates). And two, it is loaded—and I mean loaded—with rich, hearty flavor.
The old version of this one-pan creamy chicken and rice dish recipe found in my ginormous recipe binder had plain ol’ white rice. And while that might be something my kids prefer, sometimes you’ve gotta ignore what the kids want and make something you like.
It’s a way to encourage their taste buds to mature, right?
This one-pan chicken recipe uses five chicken breasts, so it easily feeds a family of six, especially if the chicken breasts are solid pieces of poultry. We found a half chicken breast plus a solid helping of wild rice was plenty per person.
You could also try using chicken tenders if you’re in a bit of a hurry. Using smaller pieces of chicken when making this no peek chicken recipe would make for a shorter bake time so perhaps try cutting it down by 20 to 30 minutes.
If you pair this chicken dish with an easy salad like this super easy salad recipe and some light and fluffy one-hour dinner rolls, you could easily serve 10 people!
If the flavor is a bit too mushroomy, use a can of cream of chicken soup instead or try doubling the cream of celery. You could also use only one packet of onion soup mix and this no peek chicken will still be delicious, trust me.
A little on the salty side? Try using reduced sodium cream of mushroom soup. Or cut back the onion soup packets to just one or half a packet.
Some of my readers have even used panko bread crumbs or french fried onions instead and said it was just as yummy!
If you end up with leftover chicken, I bet you could dice it and throw it in this creamy chicken and rice soup. In fact, I’m going to have to try that next time!
And of course I’ll be serving it with my famous best ever dinner rolls (not to be confused with the aforementioned one-hour dinner rolls).
One-Pan No Peek Chicken & Rice
One-pan no peek chicken and rice is sure to become a favorite family meal! Wild rice, soup, and chicken are combined in a single baking dish then baked to creamy chicken and rice perfection!
Ingredients
- 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 boxes Zatarain's Long Grain & Wild Rice Mix, (7 oz each)
- 1 can cream of celery soup, (10.25 oz each)
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup, (10.25 oz each)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/4 can water, (soup can)
- 1 box Lipton Onion Soup Mix, (2 packets)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine rice mix, cream of celery soup, cream of mushroom soup, garlic powder, and water in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Mix well.
- Place chicken evenly on top of rice mixture. Sprinkle with onion soup mix. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes.
- Note: DON'T open the oven to peek at the chicken and for sure DON'T remove the foil!
Notes
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 440Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 3409mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 25g
vanessa
this was delicious, easy to make, and smelled delicious while cooking! hard to not peek!! i swapped cream of chicken soup in place of the mushroom. i used thin cut chicken, but after thinking about it, a standard cut of chicken breast would probably be even better.
Emily Hill
I am so very glad you liked it! That makes me so happy!
Joanne
Says 6 servings but recipe only uses 5 chicken breasts.
Emily Hill
Most chicken breasts are fairly large and so a full chicken breast is more than a single serving. With our family, you can get at least six servings when using five good-size chicken breasts. You may even be able to get more if you use half a chicken breast as a serving. :)
Michelle
could I use boneless pork chops?
Emily Hill
I’ve heard others suggesting this and saying it turns out really yummy! I’m just not sure the cook time on it. Sorry!
Ribin
Can this no peek chicken recipe be done in a crockpot? My hubby loves cream of celery soup and using the oven in the desert heat is murder. We try not to use the oven in summer. Can’t wait to try a new chicken recipe.
Thank you.
Emily Hill
I’ve never tried it but someone else did. Here’s what she said: “I layered it in just like the casserole shows and cooked it on high for a couple of hours. I actually didn’t even stir the rice wit the soup. Dumped in the rice mix, stirred the canned soups and garlic powder for the next layer, set the chicken on top, poured two can of water on that, then topped with onion soup. I think putting the rice in ‘dry’ might keep it from getting too soggy? I steamed some frozen veggies on top for the last half hour. I’m not sure but I think it took four hours altogether. Delicious and so easy.” Hope that helps!
Rebecca
Hello I wanted to know if I should cook it for the same amount of time if I am only making 3 pieces of chicken instead of 5
Emily Hill
if you’re using the same amount of rice and soups, then I would say yes but maybe check it about 15 minutes earlier than you would. Hope that helps!
Jen
Do you cook the rice prior to baking ?
Emily Hill
Nope! It will cook while baking due to all the liquid! That’s why it takes only one pan!
April Drumheller
When you used thin chicken, did you still cook it for the full time 1 hour 45min
Emily Hill
I haven’t tried it with thin chicken but I’d definitely cut back the cook time. Maybe check it at about an hour or an hour and 15 minutes. Good luck!
Hailey
I used thin chicken and cooked for 1 hour and it came out perfect :)
Emily Hill
Awesome!
Marcy
Did you still bake the full hour and 45 minutes, or did you reduce the cooking time?
Gloria
Made this today! Delicious!
Emily Hill
Yay! So glad you liked it!!
Alyssa
Super easy, and makes a great dish to take to a new mom!
Emily Hill
I didn’t think about it being a great dish for taking to families. You’re so right!
Grandma
I’m making dinners for my son and daughter for after their baby is born. Can this be frozen unbaked and cooked later? Or should I cook first and then freeze so they can warm it up later?
Emily Hill
I’ve never frozen it pre-cooked so I’m not sure. You could totally freeze it after cooking for easy reheating, though!
gayle a alvey
I was wondering that about the freezing myself there’s only 2 of us this would make 2 meals for us.I think freezing half of it before cooking would be better, you just have to watch the time on it
.
Emily Hill
You could try it that way. I prefer cooking and then freezing leftovers in single-serving portions but do whatever is easiest for you!
Chris
Can’t beat chicken & rice and your version looks absolutely delicious!!
Emily Hill
It’s delicious AND easy!
Lee W.
The boxed rice comes with a seasoning packet but I dont see that mentioned in the recipe. Do you use it…or just the garlic powder?
Emily Hill
You use the seasoning packet too. But you can leave it out if you’re concerned about sodium. :)
Joan Eskridge
Do you use anything to grease the dish so no sticking
Emily Hill
You can lightly spray with cooking spray if you want!
Heidy
I am a huge fan of chicken and rice, so this would be a perfect recipe for me. Adding to my menu and pinning!
Emily Hill
I hope you like it! We thought it was so good!
Diana
Love this casserole made with organic cream soups. Really easy and flavorful!
Emily Hill
So easy and so flavorful. Definitely a keeper!
Morgan
I bet it’s hard not to peek when you know it’s going to be so delicious. Looks great!
Emily Hill
Especially when it makes the entire house smell good!
Holly
I’m wanting to cut this in half and make a mallet portion. Suggestions on cook time?
Holly
Smaller portion
Emily Hill
I’ve never halved the recipe so I can’t be certain on baking time. I usually suggest making the full recipe and then freezing the leftovers for a quick weeknight meal later!
Julie
Such a beautiful fall infused dish!
Emily Hill
Thank you! It’s delicious too!
Kim - Today's Creative Life
This is one of my favorite comfort foods!
Emily Hill
I love hot, one-pan chicken dishes like this in winter!
Anna
The name of this dish makes me giggle! So fun! This chicken is bound to be a hit!
Emily Hill
Sometimes you need that little reminder not to peek!
mary
Anyone notice the sodium per serving????????? Amount Per Serving:CALORIES: 440……. SODIUM: 3409mg
Emily Hill
Yes, it’s quite high in sodium due to the rice mix and the soup mix. Those both have quite a bit of sodium due to the flavor packets. You could get low-sodium condensed soup to help with that. And you could also serve smaller portions.
Donna
Sodium is out of control. Next time will follow your suggestion for low sodium soup and 1 HALF packet of dry onion soup mix. Never expected it to be so salty. It was too salty for me and I like salt!
Emily Hill
Sorry about that! Yes, try the low-sodium soups and a half packet of soup mix. Or you can skip the soup mix and top with those crispy french fried onion strings!
debbie
Sodium content is soo ridiculous, sure it taste good however not worth it 🤪
Emily Hill
You can cut the sodium content by using low-sodium soups, plain rice, and only one of the onion soup packets. :)
Jaclyn
I bought Uncle Bens Long grain and wild rice mix- do I use the flavor packet from the box or just the rice itself?
Emily Hill
This is best made with plain white rice, but if you try the Uncle Ben’s, leave out the seasoning packet. Let me know how it turns out!
Rebecca
I’m confused… your recipe calls for a long grain and wild rice mix, but here you say it is best with plain white rice? Did you revise the recipe? And…do you use the flavor packet with the Zatarain’s?
Emily Hill
Someone asked what to do if they couldn’t find the Zatarain’s or needed to cut down on the sodium, so I suggested plain white or brown rice. I still prefer the Zatarain’s, and yes, you use the flavor packet. :)
Rebecca
Thank you!! That totally makes sense. I’ve made this before with plain rice and found it overly mushy, I think a wild rice would be better. I’ll give it another try. You have a lot of great recipes here, looking forward to browsing more!
Emily Hill
You are so nice! Thank you! I hope the second try works out! If you like easy chicken recipes, my artichoke chicken is really yummy too! :)
Charis
I found that they don’t sell Zatarain’s Long grain & Wild rice.mix here in Minnesota. Did find Uncle Ben’s. Long grain and wild rice mix. When I saw that the rice mix called for 2 1/4 c. of water and not knowing until I went searching on line. I add a full 2 c. of water. FYI to all the direction for Uncle Ben’s is the same as Zatarain’s. I did think it the rice looked a little dry. in the very good pictures. I cooked it for a little over 2 hrs and it came out just the right amount of moisture for us. Thank you.
Emily Hill
I’m glad you were able to find a substitute for the Zatarain’s. Others have used the Uncle Ben’s and said it turned out well. Glad you liked it!
Sharon
I’ve made it with Uncle Ben’s and used the flavor packet! It was delicious!
Emily Hill
Good to know there are other options for the boxed rice. Thank you!
Fallon
I have such a hard time not checking the temp of the meat. Does this really bake for 1 hour and 45? Will the chicken be over cooked? I’m going to make this today.
Emily Hill
I’ve had other people question the amount of baking time but it really does take that long. If you use chicken tenders, it might take less time. If you want to check it around 45 minutes, you can do so but it does let out a lot of the contained heat under the foil. Maybe just lift a small corner? No one has said the chicken has been overcooked, but feel free to test it!
Jordan
Could I do cream of cheese or cream of chicken in place of the cream of celery? Sounds so good!
Emily Hill
I haven’t tried the cream of cheese soup but you could totally use cream of chicken or double the cream of mushroom if you’d like!
Mike johnson
Can I use just plain brown rice?
Emily Hill
I haven’t tried that but it might work! There will be less seasonings since the boxed rice mix has seasonings in it, but there should be plenty of flavor in the soups and onion soup mix. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Bethany
Do you think this recipe would work in a crock pot?
Emily Hill
I haven’t tried it that way. Perhaps do a little research to see if you can find slow cooker recipes with similar ingredients?
Sandra
I would also like to know if it can be use in the crock pot. Can dirt rice work?
Emily Hill
I haven’t tried it in the crock pot but you could perhaps research and see if there are any crock pot recipes that sound similar. I haven’t tried it with the Dirty Rice mix from Zatarain’s, but I have usd that rice mix when making burritos with chicken, so I bet it’s still good!
Kris
Onions are not a liked ingredient in this household…..any thoughts on what would be good to use in place of the dry onion soup mix???
Emily Hill
You could bake it without the onion soup mix and see how it goes. Someone else suggested those crispy fried onions like you put on green bean casseroles, but that probably wouldn’t work for your family either. Hmmm… I wonder if you could try some seasoned bread crumbs? Sorry I’m not more helpful!
Kris
Didn’t think about seasoned crumbs…have a box of seasoned panko in the cupboard. will have to try this next weekend. I do something similar with stove top dressing and pork chops and it is a fabulous layered dish.
Emily Hill
Seasoned panko would be good I think! Let me know how it goes!
Marnielou
You could still use the dry onion soup mix but put it in a hand-held sieve and shake over the chicken. Flavor goes on it but the onions stay in the sieve!
Emily Hill
This is genius!
Sharon Rustad
Maybe you could try crunched up potato chips, corn flakes with butter drizzled over it.
Emily Hill
Those are both great suggestions!
Suzanne
It’s fine without it. I made this the other day without and it was delicious.
Emily Hill
Good to know. Thank you for the comment!
Hailee Schaaf
good substitute for the onion soup mix might be a cornflake and butter mixture. ❤
Emily Hill
That’s a great idea!
KeKe
Try Lipton Vegetable soup mix, maybe.
Emily Hill
That could be yummy!
Pj
No one likes onion in my house either and no one detected it at all
Bill
Maybe just try onion powder. Onion flavor and no extra salt added.
Sue
How could I make this low carb, diabetic friendly?
Emily Hill
I’m not really sure since it has all the rice. Someone did suggest using riced cauliflower instead of the boxed rice mix. Maybe try that?
Sandy
I have a recipe that is almost identical to this one. Instead of using the long grain & wild rice I used frozen riced cauliflower. I just used the same amount as if it were the rice. I also seasoned the cauliflower with the spices that were listed in the ingredients on the rice package. I did heat the cauliflower in a skillet to evaporate the moisture in it. I seasoned the cauliflower at that time.
Then I added it to my recipe and followed the rest as it was written. The end result was delicious!!!
Emily Hill
This sounds much healthier and SO delicious! Thanks for sharing these tweaks!!
Jo
Possibly parmesan cheese in place of onion soup mix
Emily Hill
That sounds yummy!
Tisa
Is it ok to use frozen chicken?
Emily Hill
I have never tried frozen chicken. I imagine you could but I assume it will take longer to cook.
Patti
To reduce sodium content, make your own Lipton onion soup mix. I did this when I was making another recipe, and found I was out of it, and didn’t want to go out! There are a ton of recipes online, it takes ingredients you have in your pantry. I won’t buy Lipton Soup mix again, no chemicals, and can control sodium content.
This is the recipe I used, delete if not allowed.
amindfullmom.com/diy-dry-onion-soup-mix/
Emily Hill
That’s a really great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Lauren
If I cut the recipe in half and only use 3 chicken breast, do I still cook it for 1 hr and 45 min?
Emily Hill
I really don’t know since I’ve never halved it. Perhaps check around an hour?
zoe
I’m going to half this recipe and cook it in a 9×9 but I’m not sure how long to bake it for doing it this way. I know it’s still going to take around an hour I’m just not sure how much time I should shave off… if any. Thought?
Emily Hill
Wish I could tell you. I’ve never halved the recipe. I would for sure check around an hour.
KeKe
Do you think the cooking time would change much if I used boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Emily Hill
I wish I knew but I haven’t tried that yet. They are usually smaller cuts of meat so you could maybe check around 1 hr 15 min instead of the full 1 hr 45 min. I wish I could tell you. Sorry!
Sarah
I used two boxes of Rice a Roni, flavor packets included; swapped celery for chicken soup; used three huge chicken breasts. It looks beautiful! However, the rice came out extremely salty.
Emily Hill
Sorry it was so salty! Did you use one or two packets of onion soup mix? You could always cut back to one or even half a packet to cut down on the saltiness. Using low-sodium soups helps too! If you use the Rice-a-Roni again, maybe try adding just one of the flavor packets?
Annemarie
How much cauliflower rice would be equivalent? Would love to try with that. Do you thaw and cook before putting in recipe?
Thanks!
Emily Hill
I honestly have no idea since I’ve never used cauliflower rice. Perhaps try to find a similar recipe by googling and see if that can give you a better idea? Sorry I’m not more help!
Bonnie
It’s in the oven now, I question only one and 1/4 cans of water but I’m trusting you and am following the recipe…..I’m excited to try it.
Emily Hill
I only now saw your comment. I hope it worked out!
R Kinonen
I just made this casserole for supper tonight and its so salty that I’m going to have to figure out how to tone down the saltiness before I can serve it to anyone. If it weren’t for that I know it would taste great. I followed the recipe and didn’t use any additional ingredients or seasonings so don’t know why it tastes so salty.
Emily Hill
The rice mix and the onion soup mix are heavily seasoned. If it’s too salty, try using low-sodium soups and cutting back the onion soup mix to one packet or even half a packet. That should help!
Jim
Thoughts on subbing a can of Cheddar Cheese soup for the cream of mushroom?
Emily Hill
I know someone else suggested it but I’m not sure how it turned out. I think it could be good!
Denise
If I make this using chicken tenders instead of whole breasts, any idea what the cook time would be?
Emily Hill
I don’t know as I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it will cook slightly faster. It still takes a while because the chicken is being cooked more by steaming than baking since there’s no direct heat an a lot of liquid. Maybe check it around 1 hr 15 min instead of the 1 hr 45 min? Sorry I’m not more help!
Harmony
Can you change this recipe to be gluten free? Sounds so yummy if possible. I have celiac disease
Emily Hill
I’m not very familiar with gluten-free products. I assume you can if you use gluten-free condensed soups and make sure both the boxed rice mix and onion soup mix are gluten free.
Katie
Super bummed. I made this tonight, followed the recipe exactly, and my chicken came out super dry :( I wish I would’ve checked it
Emily Hill
Oh no! I’ve had a few here and there say the chicken was dry. Does your oven cook at a slightly higher temperature? And did you add the water? If you used a different cut of chicken (e.g., chicken tenders or something smaller than a chicken breast), it would definitely cook faster. Sorry it didn’t turn out!
Patricia Foley
I had a hard time finding the eighth of of the zatarains rice after the third store I just got the yellow rice so hopefully it should be good, may only use one of the seasoning packets instead of the two though. Any thoughts?
Emily Hill
Not sure on the seasoning packets. I do know you can use Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice mix as others have suggested. That seems to work great too!
Alex
You say you your old recipe called for white rice, do you know how much rice it said to use? I can’t seem to find the long grain and wild rice you recommended.
Emily Hill
I don’t have an old recipe but I have mentioned others have tried this with plain rice. One box of Zatarain’s has about 1 cup of dry rice, so I’d go with about two cups since the recipe calls for two boxes. You can also use another brand of long grain & wild rice such as Uncle Ben’s if you can find that!
Alex
I was referring to when you said “The old version of this one-pan creamy chicken and rice dish recipe found in my ginormous recipe binder had plain ol’ white rice.”
Thanks for the uncle Ben’s tip, I believe I did see that when I was looking!
Emily Hill
You’re right! I totally forgot I had an older recipe somewhere. Sorry!
Laurie Becker
Wondering if anyone has tried plain wild rice instead of the boxed?
Emily Hill
I believe a few have tried it (per the comments on Facebook) and it seemed to have turned out just fine. It also cuts down on the sodium since there aren’t any seasonings with the plain wild rice. But there’s still plenty of flavor with the soups!
Terrie Cox
I have made this dish twice now and the family loves it. I used 1 packet of soup mix and one small bag of french fried onions on top. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Emily Hill
Yay! I’m so glad they liked it! I’m totally trying your topping next time. I love the idea of cutting back the soup mix and using a small bag of those fried onions. Sounds delish!
Alex
Just out of curiosity, when cookie rice in the oven, why is it necessary to add the cream of soup?
Emily Hill
For this recipe, it’s part of the overall creaminess.
PJ
My experience:
I could not find Zatarain either. I used the rice a roni wild mix 3 boxes (only 2 pouches of flavor), 1 1/2 cans of water, chicken tenders (frozen so I didn’t shorten the cook time) and only 1 pouch of onion mix and everything else as the recipe states. It was soo good, but still uncomfortably salty. The chicken was nice n moist but the rice cooked dry and a few grains here and there were still crunchy. Next time I will likely use only one rice flavor packet or add an additional box of just the rice, definitely 2 cans of water, and still only one soup powder and see how that goes. I have 2 picky guys and they both liked it despite it being salty, will make again!
Emily Hill
Sorry it was salty but I’m glad the family still enjoyed it! I love that you’re going to try it again. :)
Nicolette
Has anyone ever added broccoli florets to this? Sounds good!
Emily Hill
I’ve heard a few others mention trying it but I haven’t yet. I think I will next time. It sounds so good!
Danielle
I was about to ask that same question! I’m trying it now with broccoli florets! Hopefully it turns out!
Emily Hill
Please let me know! I’d love to try it next time!
Julie McWhirter
It says you could use chicken tenders but to reduce the cook time “by 20 min to 30” that would make the normal cook time 50 min. However, in the recipe, it says normal cook time is 1hr 50 min. Need to know how long to cook for chicken tenders?
Emily Hill
I thought I’d replied but somehow the comment went missing! You’re right–reducing the cook time by 20 – 30 minutes would make it more like 1 hr 30 minutes. (I was going from memory and obviously that didn’t work!) I wish I knew how long to cook it with chicken tenders. Maybe try 1 hr 20 min and check it?
Kara N.
I made this once with breasts. The flavor was great! However the chicken was dry. I used cream o chick and celery and aldi brand long grain and wild rice less the seasoning packets. Tonight I plan to make it again but with bone in thighs (skinless). I’m a little leary on cook time so any suggestions would be helpful!
Emily Hill
I would say I’ve had about 1 out of every 10 tell me their chicken was dry so I’m not sure why that happens. Did you use smaller chicken breasts, add all the liquid, and keep it covered tightly the entire time? Or perhaps your oven may cook hot (mine does!)? I would totally try bone-in thighs and see if that helps. Or if you use breasts again, maybe cut the cook time back by 15 minutes. Sorry it didn’t work out! :(
Alex
Has anyone made this with pork chops? That’s what I have on hand for dinner tonight so I’d love to try it with them, just wondering how long to cook for?
Emily Hill
I wish I could help! Maybe someone else has tried it and will be able to answer your question. So sorry!
Angela Curry
I made this and used three boxes of uncle Ben’s with two packets of seasoning. One can of reduced sodium cream of mushroom, one can reduced sodium cream of celery, and one can of cream of chicken (only because of three boxes of rice) and two cans of water. I also omitted the garlic powder because it brings out salt, used a little bit of lemon juice because it tones out salt ( I didn’t measure sorry but you don’t taste it I would say 1/4 teaspoon) . I used one packet of Lipton onion soup, added fresh broccoli florets and also used frenched fried onions and it was AMAZING. Even my very picky kid loved it and asked me to add this to our regular menu. Thank you and everyone’s comments for the inspiration.
Emily Hill
Oh my! I am drooling over your tweaks! That sounds delish!!!
Angela Curry
It was very good! I am very happy I found your site I will be using more of your recipes, thank you again.
Emily Hill
You’ve made my day. Thank you!
Cari
How large/thick should chicken breasts be?
Emily Hill
They can be any size but if you use smaller, less thick chicken breasts, you may want to cut down the cook time by 10 to 15 minutes. The same is true for chicken tenders. Hope that helps!
Danielle
I’m planning on making this tonight for dinner. I had to purchase rice a roni long grain rice because I couldn’t find the other two brands mentioned before. I’m using 2 boxes of rice, so would I just use 1 flavor packet? How many cans of water would you recommend using for the 2 boxes of rice? I plan on also using reduce sodium cream of mushroom and chicken soup and 1 packet of dry onion soup mix.
Emily Hill
So sorry I didn’t see your comment until now. I hope it turned out! The original recipes calls for two boxes so you’d use both flavor packets. But I’m sure one would work too (and cut down on the saltiness). Also, the original recipe calls for 1 1/4 cans of water so I would imagine the same would be true.
CJ Colbert
Can you post the nutrition? I need to know how much sodium is in it. Thanks
Emily Hill
It’s at the bottom of the recipe card below the “notes” section. And it’s very high in sodium but you can cut that down by using plain white or brown rice, low-sodium soup, and only one or half a packet of onion soup mix. You can also leave out the onion soup mix and try panko bread crumbs or fried onion strings as others have suggested. :)
Kendra
Another suggestion to keep the sodium lower is to use homemade cream of whatever soups. I don’t like the canned version. I have a recipe for homemade and can control what goes into it. They taste delicious as well!
Emily Hill
That’s a fabulous idea! I need to make my own creamed soups!
Ash- Blaize-Fiero
Making this now and our house smells amazing! So hard to not peek! We used cream of chicken and cream of broccoli. Hope it be super yummy!
Emily Hill
I hope it turned out! I bet cream of broccoli would be so yummy in this!
Naomi
Can I mix the stuff together the night before and sit in fridge , so that when my husband gets home from work he can just put it in the oven?
Emily Hill
I’ve never tried that before. I would think it would be okay since it’s refrigerated. I doubt the rice would get soggy. Wish I could be more help!
Jennifer D
Did you try this by chance? I was thinking about preparing in the morning so my husband could put in the oven when he got home to start? Thanks !
June
I have a question about it. Can you use any kind of rice like risotto rice in the recipe?
Emily Hill
I’m not sure about risotto rice but I know others have tried plain white or brown rice and it’s worked!
Tabatha
Could I use a cast iron pan in the oven?
Emily Hill
I really don’t know as I’ve never tried it. If it usually bakes similarly to a regular 9×13-inch metal or glass pan, you should be fine!
Jen
This looks delicious! I love chicken and am always looking out for new ways to prepare it. Before I try it though, I wanted to ask – about how many pounds of chicken did you use? As I was reading through the comments, I saw a few remarks about their chicken being dry and I was wondering if they might have used smaller chicken breasts? I know from trying other recipes that the fresh chicken breasts at my local grocery ones seem to be on the smaller side, so I usually try to reduce the times on recipes a little to avoid drying them out. Thanks!
Emily Hill
I wish I could tell you how many pounds. I use larger chicken breasts and do about 4 or 5. If using smaller ones, I’d try cutting back the cooking time by 10 or 15 minutes and checking the chicken (even though it says “no peeking”). Hope that helps!
Alex
I made this tonight, it was a perfect easy dinner for a Sunday night, a new staple for sure! I used chicken tenders instead of breast (only because that’s what I had). I used some of the suggestions to cut back on salt because the comment scared me a little lol. I used cream of chicken instead of celery and only one packet of onion soup mix. I also used just under two cups plain dry wild rice instead of white or the packaged rice, and i added broccoli to round the meal out a little. I cooked it for 1hr 15min, but and hour or 1hr 10min would have been better. It definitely wasn’t too salty, I even added a little at the table and i never do that with food. It feed my family of four with left overs.
Emily Hill
So glad you liked it and I love all the tweaks you made to the recipe. I’m going to have to for sure try it with broccoli next time!
TG
Hi! I am making this dish right now, but I was curious if I needed to take out my pan sooner? I used a 9×13 pan with full ingredients, but I only used three chicken breasts. I put them in for the full 1 hr and 45 minutes but they still have an hour left. Just wondering!
Emily Hill
If you used only three chicken breasts and they aren’t very thick, I’d check them after they’ve baked about 1 hr 15 minutes or so to see if they’re cooked through. Sometimes they can be done that early. If not, check again at 1 hr 30 minutes (even though it says not to peek!). Hope that helps!
Amanda
Wish I would have read these comments earlier! I got everything I need to make this tomorrow and now I’m not so confident! I was going to halve the receipe for my family of 3 and could only find Rice-A-Roni long grain rice. Each box is 4.2 ounces and the recipe calls for 7 (when halved) so I was going to use both boxes and halve everything else but seeing so many comments with dry and salty results has me nervous. Maybe I should only use 1 cup of the rice and only one seasoning packet? I see someone mentioned omitting the garlic to reduce the saltiness, does this really impact the flavor profile? Any suggestions?
Emily Hill
Most have found the recipe to be fine as is but if you tend to prefer less salty dishes, it may be too salty for you. You could always leave off the onion soup mix and leave the chicken plain if you’re worried. Or go for only one seasoning packet on the rice. And I’m totally unsure on cook time when halving the recipe. Sorry!
Katharine
Do you add the rice seasoning pack to the rice please?
Emily Hill
Yes! You add the rice seasoning to the dish. :)
Shsron
Can I use boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Emily Hill
For sure! But I’m not sure how it changes the cook time. Sorry!
Marta
I made this tonight but revised it to cut sodium. Used plain white rice and added shredded carrots and onions. Used one can of soup ans Added homemade white sauce to cut down on sodium. Sprinkled half an envelope of onion soup and some breadcrumbs. It was delicious! Thank you!
Emily Hill
Yay! I love the tweaks you made–they sound delish!
Kristina
How much rice do I use if I want to substitute plain white rice?
Emily Hill
One box has about one cup dry rice, so I would use one cup!
Jenna
I used 2 boxes of the uncle Ben rice. I only used one of those rice flavor packs and one of the onion soup mix to sprinkle on top. It was perfect! I can’t imagine adding any more seasoning. My chicken was perfectly cooked and moist with the 1 hour 45 minute cook time. I only used 2 large chicken breasts. Super yummy overall!
Emily Hill
I will probably have to try these tweaks next time. Sounds yummy!
Amber
Can you tell me how big a serving size is for nutritional purposes? Is it 1 cup or something else?
Emily Hill
I use about four good-sized chicken breasts and say that’s about six servings. It really depends on the size of the chicken pieces you use. The dish could probably feed closer to eight people. Sorry I’m not more helpful!
Elizabeth
Hi! Have you ever used boneless skinless chicken thighs? My kids love thighs and hey, they will devour a chicken dish if made with this instead of breast or tenderloins! That’s a win for me!
Emily Hill
I haven’t but I know others have tried it and it worked out great! You might have to check them while cooking as thighs could cook more quickly than breasts. Good luck!
Riley
Making this tonight! Such an affordable dish for a college student!! I can’t wait!
Emily Hill
I hope you like it! You’ll have leftovers for days! :)
Stroke Waiting to Happen
3409mg of sodium per serving is equivalent to ELEVEN tacos from Taco Bell. Are you kidding with this slop????? Your kids are better off eating a Big Mac (only 1007mg of sodium!) than this.
Emily Hill
Yep. It’s pretty high in sodium, which is why I don’t make it very often. But you can cut down the sodium by using plain white or brown rice (no seasoning packet), low-sodium soups, and cutting back the onion soup mix to one or half a packet. You can even leave out the onion soup mix and try panko bread crumbs or fried onion strings instead. Lots of ways to tweak it to make it healthier.
Dogmom
Why even bother commenting if you are going to be so rude. If the sodium is too high for you, just move on to the next recipe or give helpful suggestions of how to reduce the sodium.. Geez.
Christy J
I have a similar recipe from the 70s. We add a bag of frozen broccoli to the rice/soup mixture – the only difference. This dish makes a great meal!
Emily Hill
I really want to try adding broccoli next time I make it!
R Beyer
I made it for the first time this week, very good recipe. I followed some advice in the comments; I used one envelope of onion soup mix, 3 boxes of Uncle Ben’s long grain and wild rice but only two of the flavor packs and I think 1-1/2 cans of water. Used 4 large chicken breasts. We are a family of 4 and have plenty of leftovers. Will likely make chicken soup with the left over chicken and plenty of rice left as a side dish for another meal.
Emily Hill
Those tweaks sound perfect! Glad you liked it!
Bill
I’ve made this a few times and it’s come out great each time. I’m going to try and add a small can of corn (fully drained) tonight and see how it comes out.
Emily Hill
Yay! Glad you like it! Corn sounds like a delicious addition. I’ve heard other people try broccoli too. Yum!
Bill
It came out great. The corn doesn’t add a whole lot, but I do like the crunch. It didn’t affect the cooking time at all. I’ll have to try broccoli in the future. That sounds really good.
Emily Hill
I bet the corn was a nice addition to the texture. I’ll have to try that!
Bill
Have you ever tried using pork chops in this instead of chicken?
Emily Hill
I haven’t yet but many people have and like it!
Erin
Can you do this in a slow cooker?
Emily Hill
I haven’t tried it but someone on Facebook did and here’s what she said: “I layered it in just like the casserole shows and cooked it on high for a couple of hours. I actually didn’t even stir the rice wit the soup. Dumped in the rice mix, stirred the canned soups and garlic powder for the next layer, set the chicken on top, poured two can of water on that, then topped with onion soup. I think putting the rice in ‘dry’ might keep it from getting too soggy? I steamed some frozen veggies on top for the last half hour. I’m not sure but I think it took four hours altogether. Delicious and so easy.” Hope that helps!
Sherri Wear
I have it in the oven now. I can’t wait to taste it.
Emily Hill
I hope you like it!
Ginny Doty
would love to fix the no peak chicken & rice but all the salt in the two cans of soup and the soup mix makes for way too much for Me . I am on a very low salt diet.
Emily Hill
You can cut down the sodium by using plain white or brown rice, low-sodium soups, and cutting back the onion soup mix to one or half a packet. You can even leave out the onion soup mix and try panko bread crumbs or fried onion strings instead.
Danny
This was fantastically delicious Emily, I made for my wife & I, only I used 6 lrg chicken breasts, 1 can cream of celery, 1 can cream of broccoli, 1 can cream of mushroom low-sodium 10.25 oz. cans(2 cans water), 3 pkgs, of 6.2 oz. Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice mix(2 season packs) garlic and cajun seasonings, I let it baked (without peeking :) for 2 hrs. because of the extras, chicken was done nice and moist as was the rice also…perfect !
It’s even better for leftovers for lunch & dinner again now that all them juices and flavors soaked in after being refrigerated overnight, it not only taste’s yummy, it smells yummy !, will definitely be making again !
Emily Hill
The leftovers are the best! I love your idea of using some Cajun seasoning. I bet it was so flavorful. YUM!
Emily
Could this be made in a pressure cooker? If so how long would you cook it for?
Emily Hill
I really don’t know. I do know it can be made in a slow cooker, though. Sorry!
Carolyn I Stenvall
Made this yesterday and it was delicious!! So easy to pull together before popping into the oven and it smelled wonderful. I couldn’t find Zatarain’s Long Grain & Wild Rice so I used Rice-A-Roni Long Grain & Wild Rice and it worked great. Will definitely be making this again..
Emily Hill
Yay! So glad you liked it!!
Scott
I really like this recipe, but our local stores aren’t carrying the Zatarain’s Long Grain & Wild Rice anymore. After a bit of experimenting, this recipe is great if you use 3x 4.3oz boxes of Rice A Roni Long Grain & Wild Rice Mix, and increase to 1.5 soup cans of water.
Emily Hill
Thanks for trying something else! Glad it worked!
Jenny
My store did not have the same rice as the recipe either. I used 2 boxes of Uncle Ben’s long grain and wild rice. It worked great!
Jenny
I made this tonight and it was delish! I would really like to try this with large bone in thighs. Have you tried it with other cuts of chicken? I’m thinking it would only need about an hour, maybe and hour and fifteen minutes,with thighs. Overall great recipe and family approved!
Emily Hill
I bet it would be great with bone-in thighs and I’d for sure cut the cooking time a bit.
Sarah
So I made this tonight but just realized after 30 mins in the oven I forgot to cover it, took it out and covered and it’s back in now, I’m hoping it still turns out ok
Emily Hill
I bet it will be totally fine. I hope it works out!
Laura A
Used cream of poblano soup and brown rice that I had on hand! Still delicious! Definitely an easy new family favorite!
Emily Hill
Oh my gosh! That sounds SO good!
Kelly
Do you think this is something that could be made ahead of time and then put in the oven later in the day? Or would this mess up the rice?
Emily Hill
I’ve never tried so I’m not sure. I don’t know that the rice would have issues since the soups are so thick, but I can’t be certain. Sorry!
Shannon
I have plain wild rice (not the box stuff). Would that change the cooking time?
Emily Hill
Nope! The cooking time should be the same!
Carrie Dennis
Can you cook this in a crock ppt
Emily Hill
Here’s what another gal did: “I layered it in just like the casserole shows and cooked it on high for a couple of hours. I actually didn’t even stir the rice wit the soup. Dumped in the rice mix, stirred the canned soups and garlic powder for the next layer, set the chicken on top, poured two can of water on that, then topped with onion soup. I think putting the rice in ‘dry’ might keep it from getting too soggy? I steamed some frozen veggies on top for the last half hour. I’m not sure but I think it took four hours altogether. Delicious and so easy.” Hope that helps!
Marla
I accidentally bought microwave rice. Will it work with the recipe?
Emily Hill
I’m not sure. I’ve never tried it. The rice may cook faster so it could turn out a little mushier. But I think it’s worth a try!
Danielle
Do you think adding sliced mushrooms at the start would work, or would they cook too fast being in so long?
Emily Hill
That’s a great question! I’ve never tried it so I’m not very helpful. They could get pretty soft. Maybe see if there’s a similar recipe that includes mushrooms? Wish I could help!
Judy
ONE-PAN NO PEEK CHICKEN & RICE
I just finished eating a hearty (and filling!) serving of your ONE-PAN NO PEEK CHICKEN & RICE. It was absolutely amazing. My only change was I swapped out the cream of mushroom and celery soups with cream of chicken. Absolutely loved it! I’ll be having leftovers for dinner tomorrow night.
Emily Hill
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! I want to try substitute cream of chicken next time too. It sounds delish!
Elle
Made this recipe yesterday. My husband was a huge fan! Glad I stumbled across your page a few days ago…can’t wait to explore your other recipes. Thank you!
Emily Hill
Yay! I’m so glad he liked it! And welcome to Half-Scratched–glad you’re here. :)
Maggie
Looked through the comments. Bless your heart for answering the same question so many times!
Emily Hill
Thank you! I try!
Treena Martin
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I used plain rice, everything else as started in the recipe except I only used 2 skinless and boneless breasts cut in half and two skinless and boneless thighs. It was not too salty probably because I didn’t have spice packets from the rice.
Emily Hill
That’s a great way to cut down on the saltiness of this dish. Love it!
Alyssa Nocks
Emily, I couldn’t find the Zatarain’s brand of the rice; I bought Rice a Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice. Additionally, I only bought one box on accident. Will this still work? What do you suggest I do?
Thanks in advance!
Emily Hill
I think if you combine the Rice-a-Roni with a similar amount of plain white rice and follow the rest of the directions, it should work!
Cheyenne
I accidentally grabbed Rice A Roni brand and had it all mixed before realizing…Will it still work?
Emily Hill
Yes! It should still work!
Kaili
I could only find uncle bens wild rice will that work the same???
Emily Hill
It should!
Katlynn
I made this recipe but I added chopped fresh broccoli to have a veggie and I used cream of chicken instead of cream of celery since that’s what I had in my pantry!
Emily Hill
Those sound like delicious tweaks!
Kenneth E Williams
I’m trying the no peek chicken, but with port cutlets instead. I will let you know how it turned out, hope I don’t overcook it.
Mary
Very salty!!!! I would cut most of the Onion Soup Mix. Maybe to 3/4 of one pack. But very delicious!!!! Will fix again.
Emily Hill
Yes! You can totally cut out one of the packs of onion soup mix. You can also use plain white or brown rice to cut down on the saltiness.
Kristen
Way waay too salty. But otherwise it turned out. The chicken was cooked, but not dry, and rice was cooked thoroughly. Next time, I might use only one seasoning packet from the rice mix, use low sodium cans of soup (as suggested by the author), and sub french fried onions for the packets of soup mix. If you don’t dial back some of those things, I think you’ll be a bit shocked.
Emily Hill
It is pretty salty. I’ve mentioned easy ways to cut down on the sodium including using only one seasoning packet or even using plain white or brown rice. Low-sodium soups and french fried onions are also great options!
Hippy
I made this last night for my adult children and it was a smash hit!!!! We all loved it and polished off the entire baking dish. I made it with one change, I used cream of chicken in place of the cream of mushroom. (daughter doesn’t care for mushrooms) This recipe has become my new favorite chicken dish. It’s so easy to make, smells delicious while cooking and tastes like no other.
Thank you for posting this recipe. I have already printed a few more from your site and will continue to peruse to find more.
Emily Hill
Yay! I’m so glad everyone liked it! Cream of chicken is a great substitute if you don’t like mushrooms. :)
Crys
Can sharp cheddar cheese be added to this recipe? I’ve made this before and it was a hit! The chicken cut like butter! Making it again just craving a cheesy twist lol
Emily Hill
I’ve never tried that but I bet it would add a nice bit of zing! Or even sharp white cheddar!
Deana Sanders
Made this tonight! Absolutely the amazing. My husband is a huge thin chicken breast man so I used those. I had rice a roni at home so I used that instead. Also, I love using chicken broth instead of water to give it a great boost of flavor. I used my copper oven safe pan and cut the cooking time to 90 minutes. Thank you. New recipes are usually a nightmare to make my husband try but he LOVED it!!!
Emily Hill
So glad you liked it!!
Sarah
Tried this recipe and unfortunately the result tasted soooo salty that I just couldn’t bring myself to eat it. (Others did enjoy it, however.) BUT, the flavor *was* awesome so I decided to give it one more try with a super reduced sodium version, and it came out delicious! I used:
1. The heart-healthy versions of Campbell’s cream of mushroom and celery soup (reduces 725mg to 314mg per serving)
2. A 16oz bag of plain wild rice (eliminates 1010 mg per serving from the Zatarain’s mixes)
3. About 3/4 of one Lipton onion soup packet (reduces 813mg to 305mg per serving)
And it was still extremely flavorful and delicious!! Thanks for an easy and yummy recipe!
Emily Hill
These are GREAT tweaks for cutting down the sodium–thank you!
Kosty
I’m making this tomorrow but couldn’t find the Zatarains Rice, so using Uncle Bens Long Grain & Wild Rice 2 boxes, how much water should I use. It says if you are making two boxex use 4 1/4 cups water. So is that what I should use. Also do I use the flavor packs or no, I don’t wan’t it to come out to salty.
Thanks can’t wait to try this
Emily Hill
The only water you’ll add is as listed in the recipe: 1 1/4 can water, (soup can). The cream soups help cook the rice so you’ll be fine. If you add more, it will come out far too watery. And Uncle Ben’s will work just fine! If you’re worried about saltiness, just use one flavor packet. Hope that helps!
Megan
Can you use frozen chicken breasts or should you defrost them first?
Emily Hill
I haven’t tried it with frozen yet. The only worry I have is it will most likely extend the cook time and the rice my dry out, but I don’t know for sure. Sorry!
Shar holt
Can I assemble this and refrigerate til the next day
Emily Hill
I have never tried doing it that way so I can’t answer that. Sorry!
David
Tried this recipe last night and it turned out great – super easy to prepare and it tasted wonderful!
After reading some of the reviews about saltiness, I decided to go with a modified variation of the original recipe that another commenter had posted – three boxes of Uncle Ben’s with only two packs of seasoning, one can each of Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken, and Cream of Celery soup (regular versions – not low salt), two soup cans of water, no garlic powder, and only one packet of the Lipton soup supplemented with a modest sprinkle of French-fried onions. I used four thick and generously-sized chicken breasts so I increased the bake time to two hours.
Using this method the breasts were cooked nicely all the way through and the rice had a wonderful moist consistency – perfect! I’m glad I made the variations because after tasting mine I would agree that the extra packet of rice seasoning, the extra packet of Lipton soup, and the garlic powder would have really upped the salt content. I felt the version I made was very flavorful, so I don’t think cutting back on the listed ingredients made it bland in any way!
Definitely going to add this dish to my rotation of “favorite recipes” – and even my “picky eater“ of a son would agree!
Emily Hill
Yay! I love these tweaks and will totally try them next time we make it!
Ashley
Do you think this would freeze good before cooking? I’m pregnant and it’s currently just my husband and I. I was going to prepare as written then just split between 2 pans. Then when ready to use thaw and bake as instructed.
Emily Hill
I honestly don’t know. I think it would take a long time to thaw, probably overnight. It might be better to make it and bake it and then freeze it. Then you could just reheat in the oven.
David
So just a quick update on this – I made this recipe again and this time I added all three packets of the Uncle Ben’s seasoning. In my opinion, the flavor was much better the first time around with only two packets of the seasoning – more of the “wild rice” flavor comes through rather than just a bunch of seasoning! Hope that helps anyone who might be thinking of giving this a try!
Emily Hill
So glad you tweaked it and liked it!
Sarah
I am excited to try this recipe, but am hoping to eat it as leftovers over a couple of days. Does the rice get soggy or does it hold up fairly well?
Emily Hill
The leftovers are great! I never had issues with soggy rice.
Abby
Can you make this ahead of time and cook it later?
Emily Hill
I haven’t tried that. You may be able to make it the night before and refrigerate overnight. I prefer to bake and then reheat.
Carly
Instead of cream of celery, I used cream of chicken. I don’t care for onion soup mix, so I crushed up some Cheddar Jack cheez-its (that’s the only crunchy thing I had that I even remotely thought would work). I used 2 boxes of Rice-a-Roni wild rice (they’re 4.3oz each) and two large chicken breasts cut in half. I also added onion powder. I cooked at 350° for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Next time I’ll cook a little less time probably because the chicken was a little drier than I would have liked. Otherwise, it was absolutely FANTASTIC!!! I am so glad I found this recipe. I’ll definitely make it again (and again and again)!
Emily Hill
Yay! And I love the ingenious use of the Cheez-Its!
April
Made this tonight. Definitely tasty, but salt overload. I love love love salt but this was almost unbearable. I used tenderloins instead of full breasts. Cooked for 75 min. One hour would have been sufficient. It was minutes away from being dry. Next time with used reduced sodium soups if possible .
Emily Hill
For sure try low-sodium soup and cut back on the onion soup mix. You can even leave it off entirely and use those french fried onions as a topping. Plain white or brown rice also helps!
Kristina
I am making for the first time tonight. Due to the grocery store issue, I could only find regular long grain rice. How much would I use for the recipe?
Emily Hill
One box has about one cup dry rice, so I would use one cup!