Baked Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole

This Baked Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole is a wholesome casserole meal with juicy chicken thighs, nutritious brown rice, and vegetables – cooked in a mixture of chicken broth and seasoning.

Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole in a baking dish

Enjoy this hearty chicken casserole as is for easy midweek family dinners or with a side of garlic bread or salad.

Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole in baking dish

Recipe Notes:

Double the recipe if you have space in your oven for two casserole dishes and make two large family meals; one for serving immediately and one to freeze for times when you have no time or energy to put a meal together.

Serve this casserole as is or alongside homemade dinner rolls or a light green salad.

Use a low-sodium chicken broth if you want better control over how salty your dish is once cooked. You can always increase the salt content with table salt if needed.

Always use a food thermometer to test the chicken for doneness if unsure. The internal temperature should read 165F for food safety but make sure that the thermometer does not touch the bone.

The baking time of this recipe is based on the use of large chicken thighs. You can use smaller-sized chicken thighs, but then you’ll need to reduce the cooking time.

What variations can I make to this recipe?

1. While I’ve used brown rice, you can also use a wild rice blend or long-grain white rice. Just keep in mind that the wild rice blend and the long-grain white rice will cook faster than the brown rice, so you may need to adjust your baking time.

2. Vegetable broth can be used instead of chicken broth.

3. Add chicken drumsticks to this dish for a bit of variety. While chicken breasts could also be used in this recipe, this cut of meat typically cooks faster and can dry out.

4. Leave the skin on your chicken pieces or remove it – whichever you prefer.

5. Consider adding some cream of chicken soup in addition to the chicken broth for a creamier consistency and flavor.

Can I make this casserole in advance?

Yes, you can! It’s a super convenient recipe that can be assembled the night before and popped into the oven to bake just before serving. Once all the ingredients have been assembled, cover and seal the dish well and place it in the refrigerator.

Only add the boiling chicken broth just before cooking. Remember to add a few minutes to your cooking time as the casserole will be cold coming directly from the fridge to the oven.

How should I store this baked chicken and casserole?

Once completely cool, you can store the chicken and rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

This chicken and rice casserole can also be stored in the freezer once cooled either in an airtight container or in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.

To reheat, thaw frozen chicken and rice in the refrigerator overnight and then heat it up on the stovetop or in the oven. If you reheat in the oven, consider covering the dish with aluminum foil to prevent the rice and chicken from drying out.

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Baked Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the rice into the bottom of the casserole dish.
In a small bowl, mix the seasonings. Sprinkle half of the seasoning blend over the rice.
Place the chicken thighs into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the remaining seasoning blend.
Carefully pour the boiling chicken broth around the chicken.
Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil, sealing tightly.
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and add the vegetables, shifting the chicken to mix the peas and carrots into the rice.
Place the casserole back into the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the chicken thighs are cooked through.