Smothered Chicken and Rice recipe – seriously delicious! Everyone cleaned their plate and asked for seconds! That never happens at our house!!! Chicken and rice baked in cream of chicken soup, milk, cheddar, mozzarella and bacon. Ready to bake in a snap and on the table in 30 minutes. We make this at least once a month!! SO GOOD!!
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Pin This RecipeThis Smothered Chicken and Rice was a HUGE hit in our house. It was so good that we ate this for dinner two nights in a row!! Chicken and Rice smothered in cream of chicken soup, milk, cheddar, mozzarella and BACON – how could this not be good?!?!?!
This was super easy to make. It literally took 5 minutes to assemble and it was ready for the oven. Whip up some green beans and biscuits while the Smothered Chicken and Rice is baking and dinner will be on the table in about 30 minutes. You seriously can’t beat that!
This casserole uses 2 cups of cooked rice. You can make the rice ahead of time and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake this casserole. Use your favorite rice – minute rice, long-grain rice, brown rice, a pre-made bag of rice. Just make sure to use one that you and your family enjoy!!
This has quickly become a favorite in our house. It has already been requested for dinner again this weekend! Can’t wait!! We love to serve this with biscuits and green beans. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this casserole:
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Ruby Slipper Buttermilk Biscuits – recipe from the Ruby Slipper/Ruby Sunshine restaurant. These are the BEST biscuits and super easy…
Ranch Style Green Beans
Ranch Style Green Beans Recipe – THE BEST green beans ever! Only 4 ingredients and ready in 20 minutes –…
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The BEST Green Beans Recipe – these are the most delicious green beans you will ever eat. We got the…
Smothered Chicken & Rice
Ingredients:
- 1½ lbs boneless skinless chicken tenders
- ½ tsp seasoned salt
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 (10.5-oz) can Cream of Chicken soup
- 1¼ cups milk
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 slices bacon cooked and chopped
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Spread cooked rice in bottom of prepared pan. Top with chicken tenders. Sprinkle chicken with seasoned salt.
- Mix together cream of chicken soup and milk. Pour over chicken.
- Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and top chicken with shredded cheeses. Sprinkle cooked bacon on top of the cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Steph
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This was great! I seasoned the rice with salt & pepper and a little Cajun seasoning, cut two large chicken breast into strips. Poured soup mixed with milk over just as it said. I cooked it an extra 5 min to make sure chicken was done. Otherwise did it exactly like the recipe. It was perfect and delicious!
The chicken was so tender!
I made this for myself and my mom. We both loved it. I think next time I’ll add some chicken broth to the rice while it’s cooking as I thought the rice was a little plain but overall it was delicious and simple.
I was wondering if the casserole could be put together, frozen, then cooked for a meal later? Thank you, Love me some Plain Chicken!!
sure
Can u freeze after it’s cooked?
Sure
I just finished making this. I used a bag of frozen pulled chicken that I defrosted the day before. I mixed all ingredients together instead of layering and added broccoli, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Made this last night and it was so good! I marinated breast in some broth and garlic for a few hours. Then cut them up and simmered them in the broth til cooked. Doubled the recipe but forgot the bacon. Still delish! Like a risotto. Also added steamed broccoli. Only note would be to stir it all together rather than layering. The sauce didn’t go all the way through and the rice stuck to the pan. I stirred it up and put it back in with the additional cheese on top. Yum!!
Can you use boneless skinless chicken thighs?
I just made this – but made a few additions to the recipe. It turned out fantastic, so I thought I would post. I stirred in a can of chopped green chilis to the rice mixture. I included some sliced green onions when I added the cheese and bacon to the top. This gave a little southwest flavor to the dish that my family really enjoyed!
I make this recipe alot. I put half can Rotell in it and season the rise delicious. Thank you
Can I use Basamati Rice? And also if the rice is already cooked and then it goes in the oven to bake, doesn’t that overcook the rice?
You can use any cooked rice that you prefer.
Does the meat need to be pre-cooked
Yes I made this recipe. I added breasts instead of tenders . My family loves it and wants it more often now. I’m so glad I found yer recipe I was getting burned out always eating same food…. I’ve ran outta ideas already and then came you…. I can’t wait to get more of yer recipe ideas…..I know my family sure can’t wait lol
My crew really enjoyed this. I used cut up chicken breasts, added some Italian seasoning and Mrs. Dash’s Garlic & Herb seasoning to the chicken mixture. My husband said the leftovers were even great on day 2 ( I made 2 recipes, each in a seperate 13 x 9)
What seasoning do you use for the chicken?
My family tried this tonight. Yummy. I think it would be even better(if that’s possible) if there were veggies in it.
Hi Rita! I added frozen cauliflower to it and it was AMAZING! My picky husband had 3 helpings!
Sorry, second question….Does this reheat well?…using it for lunches for about 3 days….Best way to reheat?…
We just heated it up in the microwave. Husband said it was even better as leftovers.
Hi…I want to try this over the weekend…can I use whole uncooked breasts as opposed to stripes?
Thanks
You can but it will take longer to cook.
I cut my chicken up into bite size pieces..and it came out great
Do you cook the chicken first??
no
I did notcook the chicken first, but I did cut mine into bite size pieces
I made this for dinner tonite and my kids loved it!!! Will Def be making it again but will be tweaking seasonings and also the mixture that goes over the chicken because it wasn’t as smothered as I’d like it to be!!! All in all it was delicious tho!!
Do you cook the soup first or add to milk right out of the can?
do not make the soup – just use it straight from the can.
I marinated the chicken in chicken broth and garlic for a couple of hours to help give the chicken some flavor and keep it moist while baking. Great recipe, easy to follow and no crazy ingredients that cost a million dollars!
Can you make this with already cooked chicken?
I haven’t tried it with cooked chicken, but I’m sure it would be fine. If you try it, let us know how it turned out.
Loved this recipe, perfect for a weeknight. I used Minute Rice and the precooked bacon meant for the microwave, and it was super easy to put together and pretty quick to make that way. I made it exactly as the recipe says except using 2 cups of rice based on the uncooked amount (so whatever that yielded cooked) and served with steamed asparagus. Kids and husband liked it too, so we’ll definitely be having this again.
this is awesome i needed to know if minute rice was do-able ! thank you very much ! making tonight cannot wait (:
The recipe uses 2 cups of any type of cooked rice. Minute rice will work fine. Cook 1 cup in 1 cup of water to get 2 cups cooked rice.
This looks yummy!! I wonder if this would be good with a packet of dry ranch dressing dip mix mixed into the soup?
sounds good to me!
I saw this last night and I’m cooking it right at this moment.
I am too!! Excited to see how it turns out!
My milk mix sat on top of the chicken while it baked. Not sure what I did wrong.
Did you mix the soup and milk together as the directions stated?
I had this same issue but I’m wondering if is because I didn’t use a true 9×13 its a tad bit narrower but a 2qt dish. My chicken didn’t cook all the way thru either but I think that may be due to dish. I will try again with correct dish size
Did you ever try to add broccoli?
Very good! I would just double the rice next time. I used two cups cooked rice, but it was soupy and I even baked it about 5 minutes longer.
Wonderful! We really enjoy this meal. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Have you ever made the dish without cooking rice 1st?
NO, I have not used uncooked rice in this dish.
how about swapping the cream of chicken soup for cream of mushroom ?
Any cream of soup will work just fine. Enjoy!
Such a simple, yet amazingly delicious meal! This was a win for every taste bud in my house. Thank you for sharing.
This quick and easy dinner was delicious and very filling. It’s also easy on the budget which is an added bonus! I loved it as is, but I think that next time I want to try adding some garlic pepper seasoning to the sauce mixture for even more flavor. I served it with some steamed broccoli to round out the meal.
How far in advance can you make this? I’ve made this one time and we loved it. I want to make it for a friend having surgery but want to make it ahead. Thank you for any advice!
Wondering if this would work with frozen breaded chicken tenders?
Wondering if this would work with breaded raw chicken tenders?
I added some carrots, celery, and diced onion to layer over my chicken, I'll let you know how it turns out. My family loves "Pot Pie" style dishes, and it's a sneaky way to get in a few veggies!
can you cut chicken breasts into tenders? Do you cook the chicken first and then bake? Or does it cook fully while baking? Don't want to put raw meat on top of the rice and get anyone sick. Thank you!
You can cut the breasts into strips
Do NOT cook the chicken beforehand – it bakes with the rice.
I was wondering about the uncooked chicken.but I went with it lol
I’m glad y’all asked about using uncooked chicken because I wasn’t sure either! I’m cooking this tonight
Did you use white rice?
I was just sitting here thinking what to make for my picky kids as they hardly eat anything without cheese..I got excited when I realized I have all these ingredients in my kitchen and deep freezer so no trips to the store! Yay gonna give it a try tonight. Thanks for posting! I’ll circle back and tell you if it makes it in their bellies or the wall LOL!
I believe that you have to grill the chicken first? The grocerystores here dont really sell chicken tenders ^^;
You can use boneless chicken breasts and cut them into strips if you can’t find the chicken tenderloins. Do not cook the chicken first. It bakes in the casserole
I have some boneless skinless chicken thighs I was thinking of using. Any suggestions on this? Modifications to cook time? They are pretty thin. Thinking I could just trim the fat off.
Did you make this using the thighs? Did the recipe turn out?
Could I use quinoa instead of rice???
I think quinoa would be a great swap for the rice! I like to add some "riced" cauliflower to the rice just to include some veggies.
Did you use the quinoa, and can it be cooked quinoa?
I make this often my kids love it. I also do it using pork chops precook the pork then add it to rice mixture. I also add sauteed onions and celery for a little extra flavor. And for the topping I put a little french fried onions then cheese and bacon. It’s a BIG HIT at my house.
Does the rice need to be hot or can it be cold?
Either is fine. It will warm up when the casserole is baked.
I added Bell peppers, worked out great !!!