No Peek Chicken and Rice Recipe - Meatloaf and Melodrama (2024)

No Peek Chicken and Rice recipe is chicken breasts and rice baked together in a creamy sauce in one pan. Easy comfort food made with simple ingredients that the whole family will enjoy. This easy chicken recipe is a family favorite perfect for busy weeknights, and even picky kids love it!

If you're looking for easy chicken recipes, you've come to the right place! This easy one pan no peek chicken and rice recipe is absolutely delicious and super simple.

I'll go so far as to say this easy recipe is life changing. Why? For one thing, my whole family -- even my picky eaters and picky husband love it.

And, our favorite comfort food is seriously easy to make. Just mix the ingredients together, and bake! One pan, easy clean-up and budget friendly.

I usually serve peas or green beans or broccoli on the side. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal! I'll walk you through the step by step instructions, and you can find the printable recipe card below.

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients for this creamy chicken and rice recipe. You can get them in your grocery store or online.

• Boneless chicken breasts-- use boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Jasmine rice-- or any long grain white rice. Uncle Ben's long grain rice is fine here. Just don't use par boiled rice, or minute rice as it may overcook.
• Butter -- original recipe calls for margarine
• Can of cream of chicken soup
• Cream of celery soup
• Cancream of mushroom soup or cream of onion
• Water or chicken broth to help the rice cook
• Seasonings -- dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper (optional, to taste)

I just love old recipes, but like many old fashioned chicken and rice recipes, grandma's recipe is very basic. I added seasoning to this easy meal for extra flavor to please our modern palates.

Note: The original recipe calls for 3 different canned soups, which makes this casserole super creamy. It also works with just 2 cans of soup, but it won't be as creamy.

How to Make One Pan No Peek Chicken and Rice Casserole

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees f. Many old recipes list the oven temperature as just "medium heat" or "medium-high heat," but we can interpret this as 350 degrees.

Then, spray a casserole dish or baking dish with cooking spray, like Pam. Next, rinse your rice, and drain it. Then, melt butter in the microwave.

Mix the rice and about half of the butter and water (or broth) with the cream soups in the baking dish.

Spread the rice mixture evenly in the dish. Then, place chicken on top of the rice mixture.

Next, season chicken, and pour the remaining melted butter over the chicken and rice.

This picture shows how the dish looks with just 2 cans of soup. If you use 3 cans, the liquid level in the rice mixture will be closer to the top of the casserole dish.

Now, cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. This step is necessary to allow steam to build up and cook the rice. No peeking! Place the casserole in the preheated oven.

And yes, it's safe to cook raw rice and raw chicken together!

Cooking Time

Cook the chicken and rice casserole for 30 minutes covered. Then, carefully remove the foil -- The steam will be hot, so use oven mitts!

Bake the casserole for another 30 minutes uncovered, for a total of 1 hour baking time. Use a meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165 degrees.

You may have to cook chicken and rice a little longer depending upon your oven.

Let the dish rest for a few minutes after baking. The rice will absorb extra liquid as it cools down. If you like, you can shred the chicken or cut smaller chicken pieces before serving.

Doesn't it look delicious?! The creamy chicken, steamy rice, and simple flavor profile make this the perfect comfort food meal!

How to Store and Reheat

Store any leftover chicken and rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it'll keep for 3-4 days. For longer storage, you can freeze it.

Reheat individual portions in the microwave. For larger portions, you can reheat the chicken and rice in the oven. Though, you may want to add a bit more liquid to the dish, so that it doesn't dry out.

Cooking Tips

It's necessary to cover the dish with aluminum foil when baking. I see a lot of chicken and rice bake recipes call for leaving the dish covered for a full hour. This one doesn't, and removing the foil at the 30 minute mark allows the chicken to brown and the liquid to reduce.

If you prefer, you can leave it covered for a full hour or 1 hour 15 minutes.

Use chicken pieces about the same size for even cooking.

Variations

There are a few simple ways to customize this yummy comfort food to your liking. Instead of chicken breasts, you can cook chicken thighs or chicken tenders.

For cheese lovers, sprinkle on some of your favorite shredded cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking the chicken and rice.

Give your meal a pop of green with broccoli or frozen peas. Add the veggies to the chicken and rice during the last 30 minutes of baking, or after you uncover the dish.

I usually use cream of chicken and celery since some of don't like mushroom soup for this recipe, but you can use whatever type of soup you like best. Cream of onion soup also gives a great flavor. You can also use dry onion soup mix like Lipton Onion Soup mix.

You can also make chicken and rice dishes in the Instant Pot! Check out these delicious recipes: Instant Pot chicken and rice and Instant Pot teriyaki chicken and rice.

FAQ

Recipe

This no peek chicken recipe is one of the best chicken main dishes I've found in my grandmother's old cookbook! Seriously, this super easy dinner recipe is one of my favorite recipes for hearty comfort food, and a great way to treat yourself after a long day.

For more budget friendly old-fashioned chicken recipes, slow cooker recipes, and simple recipe ideas, like my Crack Chicken Casserole, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter and follow on social media!

Recipe published in 2022 and updated in 2023.