Enjoy a delicious comfort meal with Cheesy Chicken and Rice that is also gluten-free too. It pairs chicken breast with rice, cream of chicken, chicken broth, and cheese to make a great warm, comfort meal.
This is a comfort meal that I grew up on as a kid. I’d imagine my mom probably saw the recipe on the back of a Campbell’s Soup can and adapted it to one that we know and love.
Since then, I have now adapted it to a gluten-free recipe for my family but we still love this Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole. It’s a comfort meal that reminds me of evenings at home with my mom as a kid.
How do you make Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole gluten-free?
The main ingredient that will need to be swapped out is the cream of chicken soup. I typically pick up the gluten-free cream of chicken soup at Walmart, but you can go with your favorite variety.
If you prefer a homemade version, this gluten-free cream of chicken soup is perfect. It can even be made with dairy-free ingredients too.
Tips for making Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole:
This is the perfect meal to add veggies into. For instance, you can easily add mixed vegetables right into the casserole or broccoli too. We used to do this all the time when our kids were little.
As my kids have grown, they each have their own taste and don’t necessarily agree on vegetables. I’ve now started to add the vegetables as a side dish instead of mixed in.
I have one child that hates green vegetables and another that loves them and doesn’t care for anything but green vegetables…so we are in a vegetable dilemma.
If you have a mutual vegetable that you love, add it right into this dish and you’ll easily have a one-dish dinner.
I suggest checking in on this after about 30 minutes to stir up the rice. The key will be that all the rice is under the liquid in the dish. The rice cooks quickly, so if you see that some of it look dry when you check on it, just mix it in and it will be cooked by the time the dish is done.
The rice is a great creamy flavor that is so delicious, the rice is actually my favorite part of this meal.
Now, are you ready for a wonderful fall comfort food? It’s time to eat up with this Creamy Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole!
Cheesy Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 3 Medium Sized Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- 2 Cups Minute Rice White or Brown
- 1 14.5 oz Can of Chicken Broth
- 1 10.5 oz Can of Cream of Chicken or Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Condensed
- 2 Cups of Water Divided
- 1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese or Colby Jack Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400*.
- Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- Place chicken on the bottom of the dish.
- Pour the rice over the chicken along with the chicken broth and cream of chicken.
- Pour 1 1/2 cups water over the entire dish and stir up the cream of chicken into the rice.
- Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered.
- Check on it after about 30 minutes and stir up the rice if needed so that it all gets under the liquid. Add additional 1/2 cup water at this point, if the rice isn't under enough liquid.
- Remove from oven and add cheese.
- Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese melts.
- Remove and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Can you do this with frozen chicken breast or does it have to be thawed??
Typically I thaw it out slightly. If you are doing it the freezer version way, so you have it frozen and then are putting it in the oven…I usually let it thaw out just a bit (maybe 1-2 hours) before putting it in. If you put it in completely frozen it will still work you just may have to leave it in a bit longer.
I made this recipe last week. Added broccoli instead of mixed veggies and the family loved it so much they have already requested it again tonight!! I don’t mind one bit because it is extremely easy to make!! Thanks for sharing.
Great idea on broccoli! I’m so glad you all liked it!
I made this and followed the instructions and it is very soupy.
I’ve never had it come out soupy, did you use the cream condensed soup?
Can you use normal rice like basmati??? Would you need to add more liquid??
I haven’t tried it with that type of rice, so you’d likely need to cook it longer or add more water. It would be some testing when you cook it. I’d likely start out with the same amount of water and then check on it and cook it a bit longer if needed to be sure the rice is cooked.
This recipe was delicious. Finally something all 3 kids ate without at least 1 complaining. I couldn’t find the gluten free condensed chicken soup at my regular grocery store so I was planning on making the homemade version. While shopping I found a pre made McCormick chicken gravy in a box about the size of a can of soup and it was gluten free. It felt like it was going to be thick so I decided to try and use that as a substitute.. I followed the recipe for the remaining ingredients. It worked great. Just thought I’d let everybody know that’s an option and it works.
That’s a great idea, I didn’t know they had that!! Thank you for sharing!
I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it! I read the other comments and also decided to try the McCormick chicken gravy in a box as a substitute for condensed chicken soup and it turned out amazing! Thanks!
Made this tonight and it was so good. I added carrots when I added the cheese to get a veggie in
Made this, verbatim from the recipe. It was very bland and lacked seasonings. It is in fact easy to make and kids would probably like it, but I’d recommend adding additional seasonings if you want adults to enjoy it.
There’s canned gluten free condensed cream of chicken soup?!?
Please share the brand name!
I use Great Value Gluten-Free from Walmart, there is also some at Sprouts and Target – https://www.target.com/p/pacific-foods-organic-gluten-free-condensed-cream-of-chicken-soup-10-5oz/-/A-79691716?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012732781&CPNG=PLA_Grocery%2BShopping_Local%7CGrocery_Ecomm_Food_Bev&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=c&location=9026490&targetid=pla-812299188630&ds_rl=1246978&gclid=Cj0KCQiA54KfBhCKARIsAJzSrdqhtkY2N0GVS_Pw39SiUZsEUuasQwN2lQltWuARJFpJz-gsvCuc6XAaAo-gEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Pacifica makes some gf cream soups