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
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: 440 Total Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 50mg Sodium: 3409mg Carbohydrates: 69g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 2g Protein: 25g
vanessa
June 17, 2018 at 5:59 pmthis 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
June 18, 2018 at 2:42 pmI am so very glad you liked it! That makes me so happy!
Joanne
October 15, 2018 at 12:34 pmSays 6 servings but recipe only uses 5 chicken breasts.
Emily Hill
October 15, 2018 at 12:37 pmMost 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
October 25, 2018 at 8:31 amcould I use boneless pork chops?
Emily Hill
October 25, 2018 at 3:50 pmI’ve heard others suggesting this and saying it turns out really yummy! I’m just not sure the cook time on it. Sorry!
Jen
November 25, 2018 at 10:02 pmDo you cook the rice prior to baking ?
Emily Hill
November 26, 2018 at 10:28 amNope! It will cook while baking due to all the liquid! That’s why it takes only one pan!
April Drumheller
December 6, 2018 at 10:26 amWhen you used thin chicken, did you still cook it for the full time 1 hour 45min
Emily Hill
December 6, 2018 at 8:39 pmI 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!
Marcy
March 18, 2019 at 5:49 amDid you still bake the full hour and 45 minutes, or did you reduce the cooking time?
Alyssa
September 5, 2018 at 2:44 pmSuper easy, and makes a great dish to take to a new mom!
Emily Hill
September 5, 2018 at 3:44 pmI didn’t think about it being a great dish for taking to families. You’re so right!
Grandma
October 19, 2018 at 11:34 amI’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
October 19, 2018 at 2:28 pmI’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
January 2, 2019 at 9:53 amI 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
January 2, 2019 at 11:31 amYou could try it that way. I prefer cooking and then freezing leftovers in single-serving portions but do whatever is easiest for you!
Chris
September 5, 2018 at 2:57 pmCan’t beat chicken & rice and your version looks absolutely delicious!!
Emily Hill
September 5, 2018 at 3:28 pmIt’s delicious AND easy!
Heidy
September 5, 2018 at 3:06 pmI 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
September 5, 2018 at 3:36 pmI hope you like it! We thought it was so good!
Diana
September 5, 2018 at 3:38 pmLove this casserole made with organic cream soups. Really easy and flavorful!
Emily Hill
September 5, 2018 at 3:45 pmSo easy and so flavorful. Definitely a keeper!
Morgan
September 5, 2018 at 3:41 pmI bet it’s hard not to peek when you know it’s going to be so delicious. Looks great!
Emily Hill
September 5, 2018 at 3:44 pmEspecially when it makes the entire house smell good!
Julie
September 6, 2018 at 9:59 amSuch a beautiful fall infused dish!
Emily Hill
September 6, 2018 at 4:16 pmThank you! It’s delicious too!
Kim - Today's Creative Life
September 7, 2018 at 10:29 amThis is one of my favorite comfort foods!
Emily Hill
September 7, 2018 at 1:11 pmI love hot, one-pan chicken dishes like this in winter!
Anna
September 7, 2018 at 11:23 amThe name of this dish makes me giggle! So fun! This chicken is bound to be a hit!
Emily Hill
September 7, 2018 at 1:11 pmSometimes you need that little reminder not to peek!
mary
September 20, 2018 at 8:43 amAnyone notice the sodium per serving????????? Amount Per Serving:CALORIES: 440……. SODIUM: 3409mg
Emily Hill
September 20, 2018 at 12:43 pmYes, 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.
Jaclyn
September 25, 2018 at 12:51 pmI 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
September 25, 2018 at 8:39 pmThis 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
October 12, 2018 at 12:58 pmI’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
October 12, 2018 at 5:55 pmSomeone 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
October 13, 2018 at 2:14 pmThank 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
October 13, 2018 at 9:02 pmYou 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
October 19, 2018 at 1:18 pmI 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
October 19, 2018 at 2:29 pmI’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
October 16, 2018 at 6:33 pmI’ve made it with Uncle Ben’s and used the flavor packet! It was delicious!
Emily Hill
October 16, 2018 at 9:01 pmGood to know there are other options for the boxed rice. Thank you!
Fallon
October 2, 2018 at 9:08 amI 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
October 2, 2018 at 1:58 pmI’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
October 2, 2018 at 11:25 amCould I do cream of cheese or cream of chicken in place of the cream of celery? Sounds so good!
Emily Hill
October 2, 2018 at 1:58 pmI 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
October 5, 2018 at 7:00 amCan I use just plain brown rice?
Emily Hill
October 5, 2018 at 11:10 amI 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
October 7, 2018 at 8:35 amDo you think this recipe would work in a crock pot?
Emily Hill
October 7, 2018 at 9:22 amI haven’t tried it that way. Perhaps do a little research to see if you can find slow cooker recipes with similar ingredients?
Sandra
October 12, 2018 at 3:25 pmI would also like to know if it can be use in the crock pot. Can dirt rice work?
Emily Hill
October 12, 2018 at 5:56 pmI 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
October 7, 2018 at 9:21 amOnions 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
October 7, 2018 at 9:23 amYou 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
October 7, 2018 at 9:34 amDidn’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
October 7, 2018 at 9:55 amSeasoned panko would be good I think! Let me know how it goes!
Marnielou
October 9, 2018 at 11:51 amYou 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
October 9, 2018 at 3:25 pmThis is genius!
Sharon Rustad
October 16, 2018 at 6:30 pmMaybe you could try crunched up potato chips, corn flakes with butter drizzled over it.
Emily Hill
October 16, 2018 at 9:00 pmThose are both great suggestions!
Suzanne
October 7, 2018 at 9:58 amIt’s fine without it. I made this the other day without and it was delicious.
Emily Hill
October 7, 2018 at 10:01 amGood to know. Thank you for the comment!
Hailee Schaaf
October 8, 2018 at 1:23 pmgood substitute for the onion soup mix might be a cornflake and butter mixture. ❤
Emily Hill
October 8, 2018 at 3:06 pmThat’s a great idea!
KeKe
October 11, 2018 at 5:39 amTry Lipton Vegetable soup mix, maybe.
Emily Hill
October 11, 2018 at 9:45 amThat could be yummy!
Pj
October 20, 2018 at 3:39 pmNo one likes onion in my house either and no one detected it at all
Sue
October 9, 2018 at 7:58 amHow could I make this low carb, diabetic friendly?
Emily Hill
October 9, 2018 at 8:01 amI’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?
Jo
October 9, 2018 at 1:30 pmPossibly parmesan cheese in place of onion soup mix
Emily Hill
October 9, 2018 at 3:25 pmThat sounds yummy!
Tisa
October 9, 2018 at 1:35 pmIs it ok to use frozen chicken?
Emily Hill
October 9, 2018 at 3:25 pmI have never tried frozen chicken. I imagine you could but I assume it will take longer to cook.
Patti
April 24, 2019 at 2:08 pmTo 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
April 28, 2019 at 8:47 amThat’s a really great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Lauren
October 10, 2018 at 12:35 pmIf 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
October 10, 2018 at 3:35 pmI really don’t know since I’ve never halved it. Perhaps check around an hour?
zoe
October 10, 2018 at 3:09 pmI’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
October 10, 2018 at 3:35 pmWish I could tell you. I’ve never halved the recipe. I would for sure check around an hour.
KeKe
October 11, 2018 at 5:38 amDo you think the cooking time would change much if I used boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Emily Hill
October 11, 2018 at 9:46 amI 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
October 13, 2018 at 7:07 pmI 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
October 13, 2018 at 9:01 pmSorry 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
October 14, 2018 at 3:03 pmHow much cauliflower rice would be equivalent? Would love to try with that. Do you thaw and cook before putting in recipe?
Thanks!
Emily Hill
October 15, 2018 at 8:46 amI 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
October 14, 2018 at 3:06 pmIt’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
October 15, 2018 at 8:47 amI only now saw your comment. I hope it worked out!
R Kinonen
October 15, 2018 at 3:39 pmI 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
October 15, 2018 at 3:42 pmThe 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
October 16, 2018 at 8:41 amThoughts on subbing a can of Cheddar Cheese soup for the cream of mushroom?
Emily Hill
October 16, 2018 at 9:46 amI know someone else suggested it but I’m not sure how it turned out. I think it could be good!
Denise
October 16, 2018 at 1:13 pmIf I make this using chicken tenders instead of whole breasts, any idea what the cook time would be?
Emily Hill
October 16, 2018 at 2:28 pmI 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
October 16, 2018 at 8:31 pmCan you change this recipe to be gluten free? Sounds so yummy if possible. I have celiac disease
Emily Hill
October 16, 2018 at 9:01 pmI’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
October 17, 2018 at 6:32 pmSuper 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
October 17, 2018 at 9:04 pmOh 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
March 23, 2019 at 6:22 amI 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
March 24, 2019 at 9:43 pmNot 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
October 18, 2018 at 1:16 pmYou 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
October 18, 2018 at 1:32 pmI 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
October 19, 2018 at 10:54 pmI 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
October 20, 2018 at 10:15 amYou’re right! I totally forgot I had an older recipe somewhere. Sorry!
Laurie Becker
October 18, 2018 at 1:28 pmWondering if anyone has tried plain wild rice instead of the boxed?
Emily Hill
October 18, 2018 at 1:31 pmI 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
October 18, 2018 at 9:06 pmI 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
October 18, 2018 at 9:38 pmYay! 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
October 20, 2018 at 2:35 pmJust out of curiosity, when cookie rice in the oven, why is it necessary to add the cream of soup?
Emily Hill
October 21, 2018 at 5:11 pmFor this recipe, it’s part of the overall creaminess.
PJ
October 20, 2018 at 3:37 pmMy 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
October 21, 2018 at 5:13 pmSorry it was salty but I’m glad the family still enjoyed it! I love that you’re going to try it again. :)
Nicolette
October 20, 2018 at 3:54 pmHas anyone ever added broccoli florets to this? Sounds good!
Emily Hill
October 21, 2018 at 5:14 pmI’ve heard a few others mention trying it but I haven’t yet. I think I will next time. It sounds so good!
Danielle
October 22, 2018 at 3:05 pmI was about to ask that same question! I’m trying it now with broccoli florets! Hopefully it turns out!
Emily Hill
October 22, 2018 at 3:09 pmPlease let me know! I’d love to try it next time!
Julie McWhirter
October 21, 2018 at 3:45 pmIt 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
October 22, 2018 at 7:11 pmI 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.
October 22, 2018 at 7:54 amI 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
October 22, 2018 at 12:05 pmI 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
October 22, 2018 at 3:12 pmHas 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
October 22, 2018 at 3:16 pmI wish I could help! Maybe someone else has tried it and will be able to answer your question. So sorry!
Angela Curry
October 22, 2018 at 4:19 pmI 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
October 22, 2018 at 6:07 pmOh my! I am drooling over your tweaks! That sounds delish!!!
Angela Curry
October 22, 2018 at 6:26 pmIt was very good! I am very happy I found your site I will be using more of your recipes, thank you again.
Emily Hill
October 22, 2018 at 7:08 pmYou’ve made my day. Thank you!
Cari
November 5, 2018 at 10:52 amHow large/thick should chicken breasts be?
Emily Hill
November 5, 2018 at 4:28 pmThey 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
October 24, 2018 at 1:31 pmI’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
October 24, 2018 at 8:34 pmSo 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
October 22, 2018 at 9:01 pmCan you post the nutrition? I need to know how much sodium is in it. Thanks
Emily Hill
October 22, 2018 at 9:05 pmIt’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
October 24, 2018 at 9:27 amAnother 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
October 24, 2018 at 10:23 amThat’s a fabulous idea! I need to make my own creamed soups!
Ash- Blaize-Fiero
October 24, 2018 at 6:18 pmMaking 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
October 24, 2018 at 8:34 pmI hope it turned out! I bet cream of broccoli would be so yummy in this!
Naomi
October 28, 2018 at 3:10 pmCan 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
October 29, 2018 at 11:04 amI’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
February 25, 2019 at 4:48 pmDid 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
October 29, 2018 at 9:23 pmI have a question about it. Can you use any kind of rice like risotto rice in the recipe?
Emily Hill
October 29, 2018 at 9:56 pmI’m not sure about risotto rice but I know others have tried plain white or brown rice and it’s worked!
Tabatha
October 30, 2018 at 2:24 pmCould I use a cast iron pan in the oven?
Emily Hill
October 30, 2018 at 5:39 pmI 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
November 4, 2018 at 5:59 pmThis 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
November 4, 2018 at 9:34 pmI 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
November 4, 2018 at 8:05 pmI 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
November 4, 2018 at 9:35 pmSo 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
November 5, 2018 at 3:31 pmHi! 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
November 5, 2018 at 4:29 pmIf 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
November 7, 2018 at 9:39 pmWish 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
November 7, 2018 at 9:46 pmMost 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
November 8, 2018 at 1:08 pmDo you add the rice seasoning pack to the rice please?
Emily Hill
November 8, 2018 at 7:46 pmYes! You add the rice seasoning to the dish. :)
Shsron
November 9, 2018 at 9:47 amCan I use boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Emily Hill
November 9, 2018 at 9:05 pmFor sure! But I’m not sure how it changes the cook time. Sorry!
Marta
November 10, 2018 at 5:00 pmI 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
November 10, 2018 at 6:42 pmYay! I love the tweaks you made–they sound delish!
Jenna
November 10, 2018 at 6:08 pmI 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
November 10, 2018 at 6:43 pmI will probably have to try these tweaks next time. Sounds yummy!
Amber
November 12, 2018 at 8:08 pmCan you tell me how big a serving size is for nutritional purposes? Is it 1 cup or something else?
Emily Hill
November 12, 2018 at 8:54 pmI 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
November 25, 2018 at 9:11 pmHi! 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
November 26, 2018 at 10:28 amI 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
November 27, 2018 at 1:43 pmMaking this tonight! Such an affordable dish for a college student!! I can’t wait!
Emily Hill
November 27, 2018 at 6:28 pmI hope you like it! You’ll have leftovers for days! :)
Stroke Waiting to Happen
December 2, 2018 at 12:25 pm3409mg 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
December 3, 2018 at 7:58 amYep. 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
June 5, 2019 at 2:49 pmWhy 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
December 6, 2018 at 8:49 pmI 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
December 6, 2018 at 8:52 pmI really want to try adding broccoli next time I make it!
R Beyer
December 18, 2018 at 4:39 pmI 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
December 18, 2018 at 10:02 pmThose tweaks sound perfect! Glad you liked it!
Bill
December 29, 2018 at 9:33 amI’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
December 29, 2018 at 12:29 pmYay! Glad you like it! Corn sounds like a delicious addition. I’ve heard other people try broccoli too. Yum!
Bill
December 29, 2018 at 8:04 pmIt 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
December 31, 2018 at 12:24 pmI bet the corn was a nice addition to the texture. I’ll have to try that!
Erin
January 2, 2019 at 9:12 amCan you do this in a slow cooker?
Emily Hill
January 2, 2019 at 11:32 amI 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
January 8, 2019 at 3:46 pmI have it in the oven now. I can’t wait to taste it.
Emily Hill
January 8, 2019 at 9:28 pmI hope you like it!
Ginny Doty
January 13, 2019 at 9:01 amwould 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
January 14, 2019 at 7:47 amYou 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
January 27, 2019 at 10:47 amThis 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
January 28, 2019 at 8:39 amThe leftovers are the best! I love your idea of using some Cajun seasoning. I bet it was so flavorful. YUM!
Emily
February 13, 2019 at 2:55 pmCould this be made in a pressure cooker? If so how long would you cook it for?
Emily Hill
February 15, 2019 at 10:20 amI really don’t know. I do know it can be made in a slow cooker, though. Sorry!
Carolyn I Stenvall
February 17, 2019 at 3:17 amMade 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
February 17, 2019 at 4:19 pmYay! So glad you liked it!!
Scott
March 16, 2019 at 10:14 amI 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
March 16, 2019 at 8:41 pmThanks for trying something else! Glad it worked!
Jenny
March 18, 2019 at 4:34 pmMy 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
March 18, 2019 at 4:32 pmI 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
March 18, 2019 at 6:23 pmI bet it would be great with bone-in thighs and I’d for sure cut the cooking time a bit.
Sarah
March 31, 2019 at 3:45 pmSo 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
April 1, 2019 at 9:03 pmI bet it will be totally fine. I hope it works out!
Laura A
April 9, 2019 at 3:46 pmUsed cream of poblano soup and brown rice that I had on hand! Still delicious! Definitely an easy new family favorite!
Emily Hill
April 10, 2019 at 10:09 pmOh my gosh! That sounds SO good!
Kelly
May 9, 2019 at 8:13 amDo 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
May 9, 2019 at 5:50 pmI’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
May 22, 2019 at 7:21 pmI have plain wild rice (not the box stuff). Would that change the cooking time?
Emily Hill
May 23, 2019 at 8:05 amNope! The cooking time should be the same!
Carrie Dennis
June 8, 2019 at 12:35 pmCan you cook this in a crock ppt
Emily Hill
June 9, 2019 at 9:34 pmHere’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!