One Pan Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole, served with brown rice, carrots and peas, is healthy, flavorful and involves almost no clean-up!
Healthy Chicken and Rice Casserole
One Pan Chicken Brown Rice Vegetable Casserole recipe will delight you with its ease and quick cleanup anytime you are tired of cooking! I spent a weekend retesting, reshooting and double checking every bit of this chicken and brown rice recipe!
Chicken thighs baked in brown rice with chicken stock, butter and carrots bake up into a fluffy chicken and rice bake. Right when you take it out of the oven you pour on some frozen peas and mix. The heat of the dish will warm them without making them mushy. Dinner is prepped in 10 minutes, an hour in the oven and you have a healthy easy meal people will fight over!
How to Make this Chicken and Rice Bake
To make this Chicken and Rice Casserole with brown rice and veggies, preheat oven to 375 degrees. The perfect size baking pan for this recipe is 13 inches by 9 inches. Scatter rice on the bottom of the pan. Layer chicken on top. Season the whole pan generously with salt and pepper. Remember this will be seasoning the whole dish, not just the chicken. Scatter the carrots between the chicken pieces. Scatter bits of the butter around the pan. (optional)
Pour the boiling hot stock on top gently. Wrap tightly with foil and cook for 60 minutes. 
Right when coming out of the oven, toss with frozen peas. Let sit for 3-4 minutes. Enjoy your Chicken and Rice Bake! 🙂 
Want dinner on the table in 30 minutes? If you swap the brown rice for white rice in this chicken and rice casserole, the meal will be done in 30. The meat won’t be quite as soft and tender, but it will still be delicious! 
CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE RECIPE NOTES (UPDATED) 7/12/2016:
Some of you had left me comments that the timing wasn’t working in this Chicken Brown Rice Vegetable Casserole recipe so I tested it once and it worked well but I did notice an extra 5 minutes didn’t hurt so I am updating it with the new time. Here is a not so fancy screenshot on my iPhone (excuse the not Pinworthy photo) of my original remake the way we do it every week (no edits, 375 degrees, exactly 60 minutes) and it was definitely a tender rice bake, not soupy: 
Then I decided to test this baked chicken and rice recipe a couple of more times because with 3 of you saying the same thing I knew there was a disconnect between what I was seeing/tasting and what you all were experiencing and I knew it was more than a five-minute difference.
Adjusting the Chicken and Rice Bake Cooking time
Here is what I came up with…
- I use 3-4 ounce skinless thighs (this time in July 2016 I used 4-ounce bone-in skinless thighs). I realized this may have been the biggest issue that may have presented itself. When I went to the store and bought some more chicken I got some of the normal chicken thighs that were on sale, both bone-in and boneless. The boneless ones were almost 6 ounces each, bone in was closer to 7.
- The larger boneless thigh (6 ounces each) batch took 1:30 minutes to cook. The bone in (7-ounce thighs) batch took 1:45 (I think this may be where most of the discrepancy was)
- Second, I noticed that between my normal chicken and the larger thighs that they seemed slightly frozen in the middle. I don’t know if anyone else’s chicken was like this, but that may also add to the timing issues. If they are at all frozen it just means it will take even longer since the colder the chicken is it will just make the boiling stock get cold quickly which will also add to the cooking time.
- I know no one mentioned this but I think it’s worth mentioning if you peel back the foil to take a peek during cooking you are letting all the steam out which will make the cooking time go way up.
- This is totally not meant to insinuate anything but I would also just test the temp of your oven. I have a thermometer that lives in there so I know my oven is pretty spot on but you never know.
- Final note: The biggest difference in your cooking time will be the temperature of your chicken and the temperature of your water. If your chicken is fully defrosted and you use boiling hot water/stock and you wrap tightly with foil, you should have a fully cooked, non soupy meal in 65 minutes.
If you guys have any other notes, I am happy to answer in any way I can. I didn’t realize how much larger the chicken in the store would be! My apologies to those who had fails, I wish I could deliver you a tray of this Chicken and Rice Casserole cooked through, I made four trays of it in the last three days determined to get to the bottom of this… (Thank goodness this dish freezes well!).
Ingredients
- 6 4 ounce boneless skinless chicken thighs** (Please read the recipe notes: you can also use bone in, but don't leave skin on, it will get oily)
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice
- 3 cups chicken stock (boiling hot)
- 2 tablespoons butter (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 lbs sliced carrots
- 1 bag (12 oz.) frozen peas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Scatter rice on the bottom of the pan.
- Layer chicken on top.
- Season the whole pan generously with salt and pepper.
- Remember this will be seasoning the whole dish, not just the chicken.
- Scatter the carrots between the chicken pieces.
- Scatter bits of the butter around the pan. (optional)
- Pour the boiling hot stock on top gently.
- Wrap tightly with foil.
- Cook for 65 minutes (If your chicken pieces are larger please refer to the notes for updated cooking times).
- Right when coming out of the oven, toss with frozen peas.
- Let sit for 3-4 minutes.
- Enjoy 🙂
Notes
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Psssst… want to hear a little secret? This One Pan Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe is one of 10 in my FREE e-book 5-10-30: 5 Cuisines, 10 Full Meals and 30 Total Ingredients that is a bonus for email subscribers only! It includes shopping lists that set you up for two weeks of weeknight dinners with no ingredient waste and tips for cooking and alternate ingredient options. If you haven’t subscribed for updates you may want to now and get the e-cookbook FREE!
Can I use boneless and skinless chicken breasts in this recipe? My family doesn’t like dark chicken meat.
Are you open to white rice? The brown rice will take so long to cook if you use chicken breast it will get super dried out. If you use white rice you could cook for 20-25 minutes. The other down side with the brown rice/white meat combo is that if you try to peel back the foil halfway through and add the chicken you lose all the steam the rice is using to cook and your rice will not come out great.
If I didn’t thaw my chicken breast all the way or put them in frozen do you think that would help them not overcook? I can’t use white rice, have to use brown. This is just a thought, what do you think?
That would definitely be something I would try. But my only hesitation is, is it skinless boneless? If it is, I worry the top may overcook while the inside isn’t quite done and the amount of it above the level of the rice may dry a bit. If It were me I would probably do it, but yes with brown rice definitely.
My rice was so hard! What did I do wrong??
Did you cover it tightly and not open it at all for the full hour? If you want to email me directly you can at [email protected], would love to help you troubleshoot.
I also had to bake for close to an hour and a half, but after that amount of time it had set up perfectly… The rice was cooked, the carrots were just the right degree of soft and the chicken was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Next time, I think I’ll only use 1 pound of carrots though. After accounting for shrinkage of the chicken thighs, I feel like I’ve got way more carrots than I need to go with everything else. Good call on just throwing in the frozen peas at the end…you’re right that they “cooked” just from the residual heat. Very tasty meal, end it felt good to make something that was super easy, but didn’t use processes convenience foods. I’ll definitely make this again!
Beth,
Thank you for coming back to update the saga of the cooking time for this recipe. I am glad you enjoyed it even if the cooking time was also longer for you than I had put in the recipe. I bought all the ingredients today and am baking tomorrow to confirm. I have never cooked it for so long but I am at a loss for why it is taking everyone else so much longer to bake through. Will report back 🙂
Okay, I retested the recipe and updated it with some reasons I think the timing may not have worked. Sorry for the confusion :/
This sounded like my kind of meal. I followed the recipe exactly and used boiling hot stock. Rice, however, didn’t get done. So disappointing. Taste was good, but texture wise didn’t cut it.
Okay, I am going to make it again and keep exact time on my cooking, I usually set the timer on the oven for an hour and I have never had an issue. I will also test the temp in my oven. I am really at a loss for how it isn’t cooking through in that time. I’ll make it this week again and report back. I am so sorry it failed for you!
I followed the recipe to a T and unfortunately the rice was like soup. I’m so disappointed:-( just ate the chicken and carrots.
Hey Jess, would love to know more about what happened? Could you email me so I could maybe troubleshoot with you? I make the dish on a weekly basis, so I am not sure where it could’ve failed you. Did you put boiling water in the pan with the rice? My email is: Contact @ dinnerthendessert.com
Okay, I retested the recipe and updated it with some reasons I think the timing may not have worked. Sorry for the confusion :/
I have to second the timing issue. I’m sitting here waiting at over 1-1/2 hour and the rice is still not done. I followed everything exactly as written. So disappointing.
Hmm, I am so sorry to hear it. I make this dish so often and have never had a problem with it. I did make it again this Sunday after the first commenter had that issue and I think I realized where my mistake was in the recipe. You have to start with boiling stock. I am so sorry for the error in the recipe, I corrected it now (I realize it is too late for your current dinner though). My sincere apologies, I try really hard to make sure I don’t have any errors in the recipes and I totally failed on this one.
I wonder if it could be the difference in the ovens. Maybe the temps/ovens are off a little??
Do you use instant brown rice?
I use regular brown rice, which is why it takes an hour to cook. If you use instant I would cut the cooking time in half. The only thing to note is that the hour for the chicken makes it pretty tender so at a half hour it may not be so pull apart tender. Still delicious though!
In the oven now. Looks good.
Awesome!
Gonna make this for dinner tonight. Will let you all know how it turns out.
Wonderful!! I hope you love it 🙂
I tried this last night…delicious!!!Easy and healthy. The only thing I will mention, is that it did take 1 hour and 40 minutes for the dish to be done. The rice took that long to absorb the liquid. I had plenty of time, so it wasn’t a bother, and the chicken was so tender!
Wow! Well first I am SO glad you liked it! I bet the chicken was tender with that long in the oven! I wonder why the rice cooked for so long.
this looks amazing, I so want to try this. So you don’t cook the rice first? You just spread the uncooked rice grains in the bottom?
Yes! Spread the uncooked rice on the bottom! That is one of the best parts of the dish 🙂 Just remember I used brown rice, so the cook time is longer than normal rice.
Hey ! Do you cook the frozen peas first then add it on the plate ?
Frozen peas are so easy, I either defrost them in the microwave or even just add them straight on top when it comes out of the oven and mix. They thaw in a minute or two as the rest of the dish cools down.
Hi Sabrina! I love this recipe! I too play with the seasonings, I like to grow what I eat so whatever needs to be picked is what I use. You are spot-on too about the marrow in the nones. The dish would not be the same without the bones 🙂 Have a great weekend, with a smile from Tampa Fl – Carlyn 🙂
Thanks Carlyn! I love cooking with what I grow too! My only problem is keeping my herbs and veggies alive! With clients and kids and the hubby and the blog my poor plants get the short end of the stick!
This is my kind of cooking! LOL, I’m a huge fan of easy cooking and time savers.
me too!
You had me at one pan! I love to cook but I hate when I spend more time cleaning up than actually cooking.
Me too!
I’m making this tonight, but I am not seeing the oven temperature and also wondering what size pan? Is it a 13 x 9 pan at 350 degrees? Thanks!
Yikes, I thought I had it in the instructions, and I am probably too late to help you tonight. It is a 13×9 and the temp is 375
Sabrina- I prefer cheicken breasts. How do you think using breasts in place of their ha would alter the cooking time? Thanks!
So, that was supposed to read chicken breasts in place of thighs!
Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! I think the breasts would dry out to be honest, with such a long cooking time on the rice I wouldn’t make brown rice with the chicken breasts. You could do white rice and chicken breasts probably with no ill effects though since it would cook for so much less time? 30-40 minutes for reference.
This sounds great. I love that you used brown rice. That’s one of my faves.
This recipe looks delicious, I especially love that it is a one pan wonder! Looking forward to your upcoming e-book!
Fingers crossed it is coming out this Monday! Final touches are in progress now. 🙂
That looks so yummy. I may have to make that for my family to enjoy.
This is right up my alley. Looks so good to have tonight!
Looks delicious! Big fan of baked chicken!
This looks delicious! I love casseroles, they make quick easy meals. I would stick with the brown rice, better for you then white rice.
I always do, but sometimes an hour is too long for someone to commit to. The flavor of the brown rice is just so delicious though and the texture is so soft.
I’m always looking for yummy recipes that I can get on the table easily! This looks like something everyone in my family would love!!!!
Glad to help!
Yum! I used to make something like this but it had cream of chicken soup in it and wasn’t nearly as healthy or pretty as yours!
Yep, this dish is pretty guilt free. But it tastes creamy from the chicken cooking in the liquid with the rice.
I always prefer baking my chicken. To me, it just gets a lot more flavor.
Yes! Especially if you do bone in. That delicious marrow flavors the whole dish!
My husbands favorite is chicken and rice. White rice with cream of mushroom soup. Not the healthiest of all options. I am going to try this with the skinless boneless thighs and brown rice. I think he’ll really like it – kiddo too!
wonderful! I hope you love it!
Looks yummy! I will pass on this recipe to my friend who cloves to cook chicken. Thanks for sharing this.
First off, that looks not only delicious, but pretty! 🙂 And I am all about easy… especially love one pot meals! Will be making this soon!
Thank you! I hope you love it!
Sabrina I’m bookmarking this beauty for when school starts up again. I struggle to find easy, healthy dishes that don’t take forever to make! This looks great.
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it! It really is so incredibly simple but the flavors work so well together. Also, you can experiment with seasonings. Sometimes I add diced garlic, sometimes rosemary or some lemon zest and juice. It is just such an easy dish to play around with and alter with any extra ingredients you would like to throw in.
I love one pan meals. They are quite possibly my favorite. This looks super delicious.
I’m on a brown rice kick lately! I’ll have to try this dish, looks amazing
Looks like a great recipe. We eat quite a bit of chicken here so always looking for new ideas on how to make it.
One pan definitely sounds fast and easy! I would definitely swap out the brown for white, thanks for letting us know there is a difference in cooking time when doing that! 🙂
No problem 🙂
This looks so easy and perfect for a mid week meal! I love that there is pretty much NO clean up… I always find it takes me longer to clean the kitchen than to cook dinner :p
Same here!
This looks so perfect for busy weeknights, and a meal that the kids can enjoy too!
WOW! Something that I think my entire family will love! FINALLY! 😀
Yay! Best compliment ever! I love when one dish works for everyone.
One pan is music to my ears! Haha. Thanks for sharing!
Haha me too!
wow. this looks really delicious and seems super easy too! thanks for the recipe, now i want to try it!
yes! I am all for crazy complicated recipes as I am sure you have seen, but easy one pot meals are always welcome in our rotation!
Reminds me of what my mom liked to cook back home in Jamaica
Wow, I will take that as a huge compliment!
Wow, that’s a one dish meal? Looks so yummy – I’d love it for a weeknight dinner.
Yep! All in one baking pan!
What a simple and delicious recipe. I love it when you can put it all in one pan.
Thanks!
After a weekend of indulgence and splurges, I could use some classic comfort food in my life. This dish looks perfect!
Me too! So much food to come down from!
Oh nice! This would satisfy the whole family. Having it all in one pan makes it much easier on me too!
Easy was definitely the name of the game with this dish!
So easy and it looks delicious!! What a great dinner idea – thanks so much for sharing!
This is so simple and i think I have a majority of the ingredients at home here to make it. I must make it soon!
That is one of my favorite things about this dish, I normally have everything on hand for it!
Has anyone tried it with boneless skinless chicken breasts
My concern is that the breasts will dry out because the cooking time for the rice. You might be better off making this with white rice and reducing the cook time to 30-40 minutes.
Aside from the peas (I’m like a preschooler when it comes to peas!) it looks like a great dish. Thanks for sharing!
No problem!
I love one pan recipes. I can’t wait to try this one.
I hope you love it!
What type of brown rice? Do you use instant rice?
Plain organic long grain brown rice 🙂
This is so perfect for me. Absolutely perfect! I have three kids, a day job, and a blog, so there are days when I just don’t have the time to make something super involved. This is great because I can just layer it all in and get back to it. Thanks!
Yes! It is all in one!
I absolutely love this. Anytime I can make a full meal in one pan, I’m sold. This looks delicious AND easy. That’s a double sale, lady. =D
Haha, nice! I’ll take double sold!
This looks yummy. I am a big fan of casseroles they make for a quick and easy meal on Fridays.
Yes! by the end of the week if I even have to look at my stove or kitchen it gives me a moment of sadness, haha.