This no-peek chicken and rice casserole only has 5 ingredients.
It’s my go-to recipe when I’m looking for a super simple meal that I can whip up in less than 10 minutes.
From there, the oven does all the magic!
Best of all, the whole family loves my no-peek chicken. Even our picky eaters.
It’s a one-pan recipe that is simple to make and even easier to clean up.
All you’ll need are Uncle Ben’s long grain wild rice, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can cream of celery soup, 1 1/2 cans of water, and 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
It’s as easy as it gets! It’s appropriately called no-peek chicken for good reason. You just fix it and forget it!
No-Peek Chicken and Rice Casserole
This no-fuss chicken dinner recipe is perfect on those busy weeknights when you’re in a hurry.
It’s a simple combo of condensed soups, long-grain rice, and tender chicken.
Combine the rice, soups, and water in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Mix well. Arrange the chicken on top.
Season with salt and pepper. Pop it in the oven and you’re good to go!
This creamy chicken and rice dinner is the perfect comfort food, without the guilt!
You can feed your entire family in record time. Plus, the leftovers are divine.
Why Is It Called No-Peek Chicken?
Once you put the aluminum foil over the casserole, there’s literally no peeking with this recipe!
Although tempting, it’s important that this meal bake in its own juices. The steam will cook the rice and chicken to perfection. It keeps the chicken juicy and tender.
Tips & Tricks
- Speed up your meal with chicken tenders! The smaller pieces of chicken will make for a shorter baking time. Cut the cooking time by 20 to 30 minutes if you decide to go this route.
- Mix it up with different types of soup. Try cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom. Or simply double up on the cream of celery.
- Lower the salt with reduced sodium soup. I promise it will taste just as good!
- Get creative with rice choices. You can even mix wild rice and white rice. Uncle Ben’s has many to choose from!
- Use thinner chicken slices if in a rush. They’ll cook for just one hour!
- Cheese makes everything better! If you’d like to make this a cheesy casserole, take the aluminum foil off during the last 5 minutes. Add 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese on top. Then cook until melted.
How to Store Your Chicken and Rice Casserole
You can store this no-peek chicken rice casserole for 3-4 days in the fridge. Just be sure it’s in an air-tight container.
Or, it can also be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. You can freeze it in smaller portions for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
When you’re ready to your frozen no-peek chicken, just pull it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
Then reheat it in the oven at 350 degrees F until the chicken is heated all the way through.
More Chicken Dishes You’ll Enjoy
Chicken Piccata
Coca Cola Chicken
Ritz Cracker Chicken
Applebee’s Fiesta Lime Chicken
Melt in Your Mouth Chicken
I have a similar recipe, it is called “One Dish Chicken and Rice Bake” We use cream of chicken soup and it is scrumptious, so I know that this would be also. Going to try it with the wild rice.
yes! I’ve been searching endlessly hoping to find a specific casserole my mother always made. Your description sounds spot on! ahhh I’m so happy 😊
Hi, I wrote down the recipe and cannot wait to try it. My husband will love it. I enjoy your recipes. Always great!! Keep sending them. Your’re the best and they are so easy to follow. Thank you loads. Joyce
Instead of water, I use white cooking wine. I also sprinkle a packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix on top of the chicken and with these two additions it is absolutely delicious.
I also use Lipton Onion Soup Mix and I sprinkle it on the chicken like you did and then on the rice and mix it in. It gives the rice a great flavor. I love this recipe.
Do you use plain rice or the Uncle Ben’s when adding the Lipton onion soup?
We used 1 can of cream of chicken and Lipton onion soup mix cooked for 1 hour and it was perfect. We also used chicken tenders instead of chicken breast
I made this recipe but used cream of broccoli instead of cream of celery it was delicious.
This is basically the first recipe I gave my son in his early 20s. He called and said I’m tired of take out and need to impress a girl. He’s nearly 43 now and still makes this! 🙂
Followed the recipe to the T, only thing I would caution is the amount of water added or the soups in general. Had my timer for 1 hr and 30 minutes, and the liquid is still plenty on the pan. Now, Im adding 5-10 min increments on the cooking time to see what works.
Hi Christine, that is a great tip, especially since all ovens are different!
I love this recipe. Super simple for a single male – I make this all the time!!
Hi Ed!
It’s a winner for sure. So happy you like it 🙂
Do you use the seasoning packets that come with the wild rice?
Hi Suzanne, yes, you use the seasoning packets in the boxes of rice!
What do you do with the seasoning packet that comes inside the Uncle Bens rice?
Hi Jan, you can mix the seasoning packet in when you pour the rice into the dish.
I love this recipe! Can it be done with steak? What would the timing be?
Hi Deb! I’ve never tried this with steak before but I think it could work!
Here’s what I would do:
1. Swap the chicken for 2 pounds of beef tips. Keep everything else the same if you like the flavor of the sauce and rice.
2. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
3. Cook for 2 hours, then check on the meat and rice.
4. If needed, add a splash of extra water (or beef broth) and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until the meat is tender and the rice is cooked.
Let me know if you try it! I’d love to hear how it comes out
Could I use chicken legs with this recipe???
Hi Lillian, yes, for sure! You can use whatever cut of chicken you like.
I don’t use uncle bens rice, how much rice would I use?
Hi Kori!
Instead of Uncle Ben’s, use 2 cups uncooked long grain white rice and 2 cups water/broth 🙂
Thanks, I was wondering the same thing! Good to know I can use what rice I have on hand. Maybe I’ll use a packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, like some ppl have said they use, but I’ll have to do a DIY version, as I don’t have any on hand at the moment. Thanks again!
Would it be okay to use minute rice?
I wouldn’t use Minute rice in this recipe, Barbara. It cooks so quickly, and this recipe requires you to bake the rice for 90 minutes. Minute rice will cook quickly and then become soggy and mushy in that length of time.
Do we we use the seasoning packet?
Yes, ma’am! You’ll add it in at step 2! 🙂
Hi Kim
I tried the recipe for the first time with white rice.
I otherwise followed the recipe and baked @ 350 degrees for 1 and a half hours.
The rice was way over cooked and somewhat mushy.
I will try again using the wild rice to see how it turns out.
Hi, Mike!
Sorry this one didn’t work out for you the first time around. But yes, it should do better with wild rice. White rice cooks quite a bit faster than wild rice (45 mins. to an hour instead of 90 mins.). So if you want to make it again with white rice, just adjust your cooking time accordingly. 🙂
I made this recipe (and I’ve made several others from your enewsletter) and it came out great! We will definitely try this one again. I am the chef in this home and I love trying the recipes you come up with. We haven’t had a bad one yet!
Yay!
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes, David!