Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Tender, juicy chicken and fluffy rice baked together in a rich, creamy, cheesy sauce until everything melds into a golden, bubbling, deeply satisfying one-dish dinner. A classic, comforting family meal that is effortless to put together and tastes like it took all day.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1.5 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 0.5 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 0.5 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 0.5 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

STEPS

1. Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a large 9×13-inch baking dish generously with butter or cooking spray.
2. Season the chicken: In a large bowl, toss the chicken pieces with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika until evenly coated on all sides.
3. Sear the chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and sear for 2–3 minutes per side until golden brown on the outside — it does not need to be cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Searing builds a flavorful crust and seals in the juices before the chicken finishes cooking in the oven.
4. Cook the aromatics: In the same skillet over medium heat, add the diced onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
5. Build the sauce: In a large bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, whole milk, Worcestershire sauce, and dried thyme until smooth and well combined. Stir in the cooked onion and garlic.
6. Assemble: Spread the uncooked rice evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the rice, making sure it is completely submerged — the rice will cook directly in the sauce as the dish bakes. Arrange the seared chicken pieces evenly over the top. Scatter 1.5 cups of the shredded cheddar and all of the Monterey Jack evenly over the chicken.
7. Bake covered: Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes until the rice is nearly cooked through and has absorbed most of the liquid.
8. Uncover and finish: Remove the foil and scatter the remaining 0.5 cups of shredded cheddar over the top. Return to the oven uncovered and bake for a further 15–20 minutes until the cheese is deeply golden and bubbling and the chicken is cooked through to 165°F (74°C).
9. Rest and serve: Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving — the sauce thickens and the rice finishes absorbing the remaining liquid. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve hot straight from the dish.

NOTES Tips: Keeping the rice completely submerged under the sauce before going into the oven is critical — any exposed rice on the surface will not cook through properly and will remain hard and crunchy. Searing the chicken before baking is not optional if you want the best result — it adds enormous flavor and keeps the chicken juicy throughout the long bake. Covering the dish tightly with foil for the first stage of baking traps the steam needed to cook the rice — do not skip this step or lift the foil early. The double cream soup base makes the sauce incredibly thick, rich, and flavorful with almost no effort — do not substitute with a thinner liquid. Freshly shredded cheese melts far better than pre-shredded. This casserole keeps refrigerated for up to 4 days and reheats beautifully covered with foil in a 325°F oven for 20 minutes with a splash of broth stirred in to loosen the sauce.