Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole: 1 Amazing Bake

Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole is the definition of cozy Sunday dinner, and I’m so excited to finally share my perfected version with you all. For those who don’t know me, I’m Jordan Bell, based right here in Asheville, NC. My own journey shedding nearly 80 pounds taught me one huge lesson: cleaning up your diet doesn’t mean you have to give up the food you love. My blog focuses on taking those rich, hearty Southern comfort foods—the kind that stick to your ribs—and making them lighter and cleaner without stripping away the soul.

When I started this process, I knew I couldn’t ditch the classics. This casserole, passed down by my Mamaw, was too important. It’s pure nostalgia in a baking dish. While my goal now is often lighter fare, sometimes you just need that creamy, savory hug that only a classic chicken and rice bake provides. I’ve tweaked her original just a tiny bit over the years to fit my lifestyle, but the core, satisfying flavor remains completely intact. Trust me, this is the easiest, creamiest Southern comfort food you’ll ever make, and it requires almost zero effort!

Why You Will Love This Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

I know why this recipe became my family’s go-to for potlucks and weeknights—it’s practically foolproof! It takes all the rich flavor of a classic Southern meal but asks for almost nothing in return from you. Seriously, if you can stir, you can make this. It’s the perfect meal when you’re craving something traditional but don’t have hours to spend simmering chicken or making a roux from scratch. It’s pure magic how much flavor comes out of so few steps.

• It’s incredibly fast to assemble; you’ll be shocked how little time it takes before it goes into the oven.
• The resulting texture is what everyone dreams of in a baked dish: creamy, tender, and deeply satisfying.
• Cleanup is a breeze because everything cooks right in that one baking dish!

Quick Preparation for Your Busy Week

When I say quick, I mean it! You are looking at maybe ten minutes of actual work here. You just cube the chicken, dump the cans, stir, and dot the top with butter. That’s it! There’s no sautéing, no chopping onions and celery until your eyes water, and no complicated layering. It’s perfect for those chaotic Tuesday nights when you need dinner on the table fast but want it to taste like you spent all afternoon cooking.

Deep Southern Comfort Flavor Profile

That signature creamy texture comes from the trio of condensed soups—cream of chicken, celery, and mushroom. They blend together beautifully while baking, creating a savory sauce that coats every grain of rice and every piece of chicken. It’s warm, it’s rich, and it just tastes like home. The instant rice soaks up all that glorious condensed soup goodness, giving you that perfect, soft bite every time.

Essential Ingredients for Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

When I first started making Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole, I remember thinking, “There’s no way three cans of soup can taste this good!” But that’s the secret to great Southern cooking, isn’t it? Using simple, pantry-staple items to create something truly spectacular. You really only need a handful of things to get this classic chicken and rice bake going. Don’t feel like you need to run out to specialty stores; everything here is easy to find at your local grocery store. Keep these items stocked, and you’ll always have a backup plan for a hearty dinner!

Ingredient	Amount
Chicken Breasts	3, cut into cubes
Water	2 cups
Instant White Rice	2 cups
Cream of Chicken Soup	1 (10.75 ounce) can
Cream of Celery Soup	1 (10.75 ounce) can
Cream of Mushroom Soup	1 (10.75 ounce) can
Salt and Ground Black Pepper	To taste
Butter	1/2 cup, sliced into pats

Ingredient Clarity and Preparation Notes

Let’s talk specifics because those details make all the difference in this casserole. First, the chicken: make sure it’s cut into roughly one-inch cubes. Uniformity helps everything cook evenly, especially since we aren’t pre-cooking the chicken at all. Second, and this is critical: you MUST use instant rice here. Regular long-grain rice won’t absorb the liquid correctly in the given baking time, and you’ll end up with hard grains floating in soup. Instant rice is designed to cook perfectly within that 75-minute window!

Finally, the butter pats on top are non-negotiable. They melt down slowly, creating those beautiful, slightly browned, flavorful pockets on the surface that seal in moisture. Don’t skip slicing them—it ensures even melting across the entire top of your chicken and rice bake.

Equipment Needed for This Bake

You don’t need any fancy gadgets for this comforting dish, which is part of why I love it so much! We’re sticking to basics here. You’ll need a good, sturdy mixing spoon or spatula for stirring everything together right in the pan. Of course, you need a sharp knife for cubing the chicken and slicing that butter. Most importantly, you need a standard 9×13 inch casserole dish—the bigger the better for even cooking!

Preparing Your Casserole Dish

Mamaw always just grabbed a stick of butter and rubbed the sides of the dish, but honestly, sometimes that leaves bare spots where the rice can stick and burn. I highly recommend greasing the bottom and sides generously with butter or cooking spray first. If you’re worried about a little bit of sticking, especially around the edges where the liquid gets thin, go ahead and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper before you grease it. It makes serving and cleanup so much less stressful afterwards!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

Alright, here is where the magic happens! Making Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole is so straightforward you’ll wonder why you haven’t been making it every week. We are going straight into the casserole dish here—no separate bowls needed for mixing, which saves time and dishes, which is always a win in my book. Just make sure you’ve preheated that oven to 400 degrees F (which is 200 degrees C) right before you start mixing, so it’s nice and hot when the dish is ready to go in.

Combining the Base of Your Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

First, make sure that 9×13 dish is greased well. Now, toss in your cubed raw chicken pieces. Next, add your two cups of water and the two cups of instant rice. This is the key part: you need to add all three cans of condensed soup—cream of chicken, celery, and mushroom—right on top of that. Don’t try to stir the soups first; just get everything in there. Now, grab your spoon and mix it all together really well right in the dish. Make sure that rice is submerged in the liquid as much as possible. Don’t forget to season it generously now with salt and pepper; seasoning before baking really lets those flavors penetrate everything.

The Baking Process and Checking Doneness

Once everything is mixed and seasoned, take your half-cup of butter and slice it into small pats—about 8 to 10 pieces—and arrange them evenly all over the top surface of the mixture. They will melt down and create that beautiful, slightly savory crust. Pop that dish into your preheated 400-degree oven. Now, the baking time is a little bit of a range: you’re looking for anywhere from 1 hour up to 75 minutes. You need to check it around the 60-minute mark. You’ll know it’s done when the rice is completely tender—it shouldn’t be crunchy at all—and the chicken has cooked through. If you see the edges starting to bubble nicely and the liquid looks mostly absorbed, you are golden.

Resting Time for Perfect Texture

This step is non-negotiable, even if you’re starving! Once you pull the hot casserole out of the oven, you absolutely must let it sit on the counter, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes before you even think about serving it. If you cut into it immediately, all that wonderful creamy liquid will rush out, and your casserole will look soupy instead of set. Resting allows the rice to finish absorbing the last bit of steam and moisture, setting the sauce perfectly so you get that beautiful, firm slice of comfort food every time.

Tips for Perfecting Your Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

Even though this recipe is designed to be easy, I’ve learned a few tricks over the years of making Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole for my family, especially as I started focusing on cleaner eating. These little adjustments ensure you get that perfect, non-soupy, deeply savory result every single time you pull it out of the oven. Don’t be afraid to taste and tweak; that’s what cooking is all about, even when following a classic recipe! You can see some of my other easy dinner ideas here.

Adjusting Seasoning for Your Taste

Because we are using three cans of condensed soup, which already have significant sodium, you have to be careful when adding extra salt. My biggest piece of advice is this: season lightly at the beginning, and then taste after it’s baked. Once the casserole has rested, take a small forkful and taste the sauce. If you feel it needs more salt, mix a little salt and pepper into a tiny bit of hot water to dissolve it, then drizzle that mixture over the top before serving. This prevents you from getting salty pockets in one area of your chicken and rice bake.

Achieving Ideal Rice Tenderness

The instant rice usually cooks perfectly within that 75-minute window, but ovens vary wildly! If you check at the 70-minute mark and the rice is still a little firm, don’t panic. Just add about a quarter cup of extra water or chicken broth directly into the dish—poke holes down to the bottom with your spoon so the liquid sinks in—and pop it back in for another 10 minutes. That little bit of extra steam usually does the trick to soften those grains right up without making the whole casserole watery. If you enjoy creamy dishes, you might also like my recipe for creamy chicken and rice soup.

Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole Storage and Leftovers

This casserole is truly even better the next day, which is a huge bonus when you’re cooking for a crowd! Leftovers are fantastic because the rice has more time to absorb all that creamy soup goodness. You’ll want to store it properly so it stays safe and delicious for those quick lunches or easy dinners later in the week. Make sure you let the dish cool down a bit before you cover it, though; putting a hot dish directly into the fridge can cause condensation that makes things soggy quickly.

Storing Leftover Chicken and Rice Bake Safely

The best way to save your Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole is to transfer the portions into smaller, airtight containers. If you have a lot left, you can cover the original baking dish tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap right down onto the surface of the casserole to minimize air exposure. It keeps well in the refrigerator for about three to four days. When you’re ready to reheat, I prefer adding a tiny splash of chicken broth or water to the portion before microwaving it. This wakes up the moisture and prevents the edges from drying out! For more easy weeknight meals, check out my posts on Medium.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

I get so many messages about tweaks and substitutions for this recipe, mainly because everyone wants their version to be as perfect as Mamaw’s! Here are the most common questions I hear about making this easy casserole.

Can I Use Cooked Chicken Instead of Raw in This Recipe?

Yes, you absolutely can use cooked chicken, but you have to adjust the timing significantly. Since the raw chicken needs about 60 to 75 minutes to fully cook through, if you use shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken breast, you only need to bake the casserole long enough for the rice to become tender, usually about 30 to 40 minutes. Just mix the cooked chicken in with the soups and rice, dot with butter, and watch it closely so it doesn’t dry out!

What Kind of Rice Works Best for This Easy Casserole?

You really need to stick with instant white rice for this recipe to work as intended. This is one area where you can’t really substitute without changing the entire cooking process. Regular long-grain rice requires much more liquid and a longer simmering time, and it won’t absorb the soup base correctly in the oven at 400 degrees. Instant rice is formulated to absorb that specific amount of liquid in that time frame, resulting in that tender, creamy chicken and rice bake texture we are looking for.

Another common question is about adding vegetables. While Mamaw kept hers simple, feel free to add a cup of frozen peas or mixed vegetables in with the rice mixture. They thaw and cook right along with everything else! If you are looking for other easy comfort food ideas, you might enjoy my tater tot casserole.

Nutritional Information Disclaimer for Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

Listen, I share my cleaner version of Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole based on my own family’s ingredients, but I’m not a nutritionist! The exact calorie and macro counts can change wildly depending on the brand of soup or the fat content of your chicken. Please know that the nutritional data provided here is just an estimate. For precise dietary needs, you should always calculate your own based on the exact products you use in your kitchen. You can find more general information on my Pinterest boards.

Share Your Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole Experience

Now it’s your turn to bring this classic comfort food to your own table! I truly hope this recipe brings your family as much joy and warmth as it brings mine. Did you try it with extra pepper or maybe add some frozen peas? I want to hear all about it! Please leave a rating below and drop a comment telling me how your version of Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole turned out!

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