This easy Amish chicken and rice casserole is a simple, one-pan meal perfect for busy weeknights or Sunday lunch. Made with tender chicken, rice, and a creamy soup mixture, it's flavorful and comforting. Prep takes just minutes, and the casserole can be assembled ahead and baked later for a stress-free meal.
This classic Amish dish is versatile, hearty, and satisfying. Bake it low and slow for a cozy family dinner, or add cheese and veggies to make it extra special. It's a timeless, kid-approved recipe that's sure to become a favorite at your table.
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How to Make Amish Chicken and Rice
- Preheat the Oven:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Prepare the Baking Dish:
- Heavily butter a 9x13" baking dish.
- Add Rice and Chicken:
- Spread 1 cup of raw rice evenly into the buttered baking dish.
- Lay the 6 pieces of raw chicken thighs on top of the rice.
- Prepare the Soup Mixture:
- In a bowl, whisk together cream of mushroom soup, water (or chicken broth), and minced garlic cloves (optional).
- Pour the Soup Mixture:
- Pour the soup mixture over the chicken and rice in the baking dish.
- Add Soup Mix and Paprika:
- Sprinkle 1 packet of Lipton onion soup mix evenly over the top.
- Optionally, sprinkle ½ tsp. paprika on top.
- Cover and Bake:
- Cover the baking dish with foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Uncover and Bake More:
- Remove the cover (foil) and bake for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.
- Rest and Serve:
- Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork.
- Serve and enjoy!
Chicken and Rice Bake with Cream of Mushroom Soup
I like to make this chicken and rice recipe with cream of mushroom soup. But it's also good with cream of chicken soup or you could even use cream of celery. You can use whichever you prefer or have on hand.
And in case you were thinking that the Amish make all their food from scratch, they also take shortcuts and use store-bought canned goods. But if you'd rather not use store-bought cream soup, you can easily make homemade cream of mushroom soup.
Variations
Not only is this oven-baked chicken and rice dish easy to make, but it's also easily adaptable. So make it however your family likes it.
We already addressed the fact that you can use any kind of cream soup. But what about some other variations?
Chicken:
Can I use different kinds of chicken for this dish?
Yes, you certainly can. Some people like to use bone-in chicken thighs or legs, and that's perfectly great. I just prefer to not have to deal with bones when I'm eating a casserole.
Chicken breast works great too, although I recommend using thick breasts so they don't dry out too much by the time the rice is finished baking.
I love chicken breast and use it in many chicken recipes, but for this recipe, I typically use boneless thighs.
Rice:
What kind of rice should I use? We eat lots of rice, so I buy 20 lb. bags of basmati rice because it's our favorite. But you can use plain white rice, Jasmine, or basmati rice.
Can I use brown rice? I don't recommend using brown rice or minute rice, as both of those would require different cooking times.
Cheese:
Maybe your family loves cheesy dishes. Feel free to uncover and sprinkle a layer of cheese over the top when it's almost finished baking.
Veggies:
I'd like to make this a complete one-dish meal, can I add veggies to this one-pan Amish chicken and rice dinner?
Yes, that is another option. Broccoli goes great with chicken and rice. Just scatter some fresh or frozen florets over the rice along with the chicken.
Chopped kale or spinach would be great. And you could always add sliced mushrooms as well.
Herbs and Seasonings:
Feel free to replace the garlic cloves with approximately a teaspoon of garlic powder.
For an extra depth of flavor, add fresh herbs to the dish before serving. Chopped fresh thyme, basil, rosemary, or parsley would all be great additions.
This classic chicken and rice dish gets most of its seasoning flavor from the onion soup mix. But that's not something I keep stocked in my pantry all the time. So what if I want to make this recipe, and I don't have any onion soup mix? You can easily add a mixture of seasonings to create your own flavor profile.
Water, Chicken Broth, or Milk:
This simple Amish chicken recipe uses water. However, adding some chicken broth would also add a greater depth of flavor. You can add chicken bouillon to the water, or use a mixture of water, broth, and milk.
Grandma's Chicken and Rice
This is a traditional, old-fashioned chicken and rice casserole that may very well be something like your grandma made. It's one of those classic recipes that stands the test of time.
For many of us, this dish could be considered comfort food. What is comfort food? Comfort food is often foods that are high in carbs and tend to be associated with our childhood or home cooking.
Dinner doesn't get any easier than this Amish chicken and rice casserole. It's a quick meal to put together that requires only one pan and a few simple ingredients.
This easy chicken and rice bake is a kid-approved, amazingly delicious, and comforting dish that's perfect for any day of the week. It requires only a few minutes of hands-on time. You could even prepare it the night before, place it in the refrigerator overnight, and pop it into the oven when it's close to dinnertime.
It's also a great dish for Sunday lunch since you can bake it at a lower temperature for two hours. Place it into the oven before you leave for church, and lunch will be ready when you get home.
I hope you enjoy this Amish chicken and rice casserole. If you try this recipe, I would love it if you left me a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
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📖 Recipe Card
Amish Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 c. raw rice
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 ½ lb.)
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 c. water (or chicken broth)
- 1 - 2 minced garlic cloves (optional)
- 1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
- ½ tsp. paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Spread the raw rice into a heavily buttered 9x13" baking dish.1 c. raw rice
- Lay the pieces of raw chicken on top of the rice.6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 ½ lb.)
- In a bowl, whisk together the cream soup, water, and minced garlic. And pour this mixture over top of the chicken.1 can cream of mushroom soup, 2 c. water (or chicken broth), 1 - 2 minced garlic cloves (optional)
- Sprinkle the packet of soup mix over the top. And then sprinkle with paprika.1 packet Lipton onion soup mix, ½ tsp. paprika (optional)
- Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
- Refrigerate and reheat any leftovers.
Tiffany Rowan
I absolutely love this recipe. I forgot I had it saved in a favorite folder and I looked and looked for a baked chicken & rice recipe. Completely forgetting this recipe, I reluctantly made another. I remembered as I was putting the other in the oven. I was so upset with myself, I felt like I had cheated on this one. I’ve made this one before, following the recipe and instructions, and it was delicious. I highly recommend. From someone who has made others, this is the best.
Anna
Thank you so much for that great feedback!
Beth Rotz
Can I substitute chicken breasts for thighs?
Anna
Yes, I addressed that in the "Variations" section within the post.
Laurel
Just made this for my family, and all but my pickiest (who will only eat like 3 things) really enjoyed it! We just followed the recipe exactly but next time, they want me to add broccoli and cheese and something crunchy on top, maybe cornflakes or French fried onions or something. The rice especially was so flavorful as written!! Thank you for another dish I can add to my toolbox!!
Anna
Thank you for taking the time to leave a positive review! Really appreciate it! Glad you enjoyed it. But yes, feel free to make it your own. Broccoli would be great in there!
Wilbur
You have no clue about Amish do you?
Anna
Excuse me! I was Amish for the first 22 years of my life. Not sure how you can know more about the Amish than actually being Amish?? Were you Amish?
Anna
Easy and delicious!
Virginia Rohrbaugh
Good afternoon Anna I want to make this recipe tonight for dinner but I have a very big family. My question is I want to do 3 cups of rice and 6 cups of chicken broth and put my chicken thighs on top with all the rest of the ingredients how long do I cook it in the oven with 3 cups of rice and I was going to triple your recipe and use three cans of cream of mushroom soup. Could you help me out with this please
Anna
Are you baking it in three 9x13" pans or something equivalent, or will you be going deep in one large dish? Obviously if you are going very deep, it will take longer to heat in the middle. I would probably recommend spreading it rather than going very deep and then the baking time should be close to the same. I would allow a little longer, but at least check it around the same time. Good luck!
rhetta gavi
great
Anna
Thank you!
Michelle
Hi Anna, I’m brand new to your site & this dish caught my eye & has my taste buds working over-time!
I do have a question tho, do you think I could use smoked paprika in place of plain paprika in this dish? I love the smoked variety, but have found it doesn’t always blend well with other seasonings. I would be dismayed to put together this wonderful sounding casserole, then ruin it by changing that 1 thing…
Thank you so much, in advance!
Anna
I don't see any problem with that. I also like the smoked paprika and I use it interchangeably in many dishes.
~Chrissie O.
Hi, Anna!! This recipe is a family favorite (though we use cream/celery if I'm not making my own cream base - which I do frequently when my daughter is visiting, as she's dairy-free)!!! I haven't tried it at the lower temp, but your cooking times for us, as well as water ratio have *always* been on point!!
Question for you: I had a similar dish a while ago at a Plain schoolhouse fundraiser, only it was like this: Chicken on the bottom, stuffing mix on top, and maybe the cream soup with water/milk poured over it??? Is that a recipe with which you're familiar? It was a potluck, so no good way to find the gal who brought it, and I suppose I could play with it and figure it out. But, if it were another classic staple, boy would I sure appreciate a post about it!!! 🙂
Thank you so much; I love getting the notifications that I've got another post to read. I've mentioned in my comments, before, that all of my neighbors are Plain, and I've truly appreciated the bit of insight you've shared. I feel it helps me be more respectful when interacting with them, which is frequently.
Yours very sincerely, ~Chrissie
Anna
I'm glad that you're enjoying my posts!! I do have a recipe for the chicken with stuffing on top, and I was thinking about posting it soon. Maybe I'll put a rush on it for you. 🙂