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Pioneer Woman Chicken Rice Bake

Pioneer Woman chicken rice bake is an easy one-dish chicken and rice casserole baked until the rice is fluffy and deeply savory. Golden roasted chicken pieces nestle in rice that absorbs the pan drippings for a hearty comfort food casserole.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

chicken
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 3-4 pounds bone-in chicken parts)
soup mixture
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of celery soup
rice base
  • 1.5 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
  • 1.5 cup water or chicken broth
seasoning
  • 1 envelope (1 oz) onion soup mix
  • 0.25 tsp Salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder to taste
  • 0.5 tsp paprika to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep the baking dish
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F, then grease a large 9x13 baking dish so the rice and chicken release cleanly.
Mix the rice base
  1. Whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, long-grain white rice, and water or chicken broth in the prepared dish until combined and no dry rice pockets remain.
  2. Sprinkle in half of the onion soup mix and stir so the seasoning is evenly distributed through the rice.
Season and nestle the chicken
  1. Season the chicken pieces generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
  2. Nestle the seasoned chicken skin-side up into the rice mixture so the skin can caramelize as it bakes.
  3. Sprinkle the remaining onion soup mix over the chicken and rice for a deeper, French-onion-soup color as it bakes.
Bake until golden and absorbed
  1. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350°F for 1 hour until the rice is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed.
  2. Remove the foil and bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is golden and the rice has absorbed all liquid, with browned chicken skin visible above the rice surface.

Notes

For the best texture, let the bake rest 5-10 minutes after removing it from the oven so the rice finishes setting and the juices reabsorb. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 2 months. To make it a lighter option without changing the method, use low-sodium soups (and reduce added salt accordingly) if you want to control sodium.