This ranch chicken and rice casserole recipe has only 5 ingredients and is incredibly easy to make! The rice is so creamy and comforting.
Try my Easy One Pot Chicken and Noodles for another quick family meal on busy weeknights.
A lot of these types of chicken casseroles use "cream of" soups. I don't cook with it too often... not because I'm on some health crusade, but because I just don't love it, and there's plenty of other recipes out there that use it. This one's for you if you want to try a slightly different method of making chicken and rice casserole. It took me a couple of tries to get it right (I originally started with too much liquid), but I like the way this recipe turned out!
The combination of the sour cream and ranch seasoning gives this dish a fabulous slightly tangy ranch flavor and soft and creamy rice. I just love this rice. I could make a meal of the rice alone.
Prep time is minimal - it takes me about 5 minutes. Pop it in the oven and you can take care of other business while it cooks. Perfect for busy weeknights. Casseroles are definitely not the prettiest dishes, but they're easy to throw together and tasty. I tried my best on the photos. 😛
This recipe is fairly similar to my Instant Pot Chicken and Rice - give that a try if you've got an electric pressure cooker.
How to make this chicken and rice casserole
Grease a 9x13 baking dish then add the rice, chicken broth, ranch seasoning, and sour cream to the baking dish. Whisk it all together until it's well combined. You then place the chicken on top and give it a stir until it's coated in the sauce. Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and then bake in a 350F oven for 55 minutes. Super easy, right? Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below.
What kind of rice to use in chicken and rice casserole?
I tested this with long-grain white rice and jasmine rice. The long-grain white rice takes an extra 10 minutes or so to cook. I have not tested this with brown rice because it turns it into a different recipe due to the difference in cooking time and liquid requirements.
Recipe notes & tips:
- I tested this casserole in a 9x13 metal baking dish (pictured in the photos). If you use a glass baking dish, you may want to reduce the oven's heat by 25F and cook it for a little longer than the recipe suggests. If you're using a different size than 9x13, cook time may also vary/it may not work as well.
- This is one of those recipes where you can gauge how your specific baking dish and ingredients work and adjust the recipe timing as needed if it's not perfect the first time around.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if sensitive to salt.
- Can't get ranch seasoning packets? Try making your own homemade ranch seasoning or try using bottled ranch dressing.
Other comforting chicken recipes you'll love:
- Easy Chicken Stew
- Crockpot Chicken and Gravy
- Cream of Mushroom Soup Chicken Bake
- Easy Ranch Chicken
- Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
I hope you will enjoy this chicken and rice casserole!
Questions? Made this recipe? Leave me a comment below. And, as always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram so I can see your creations. 🙂
Ranch Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- 1 (1 oz.) packet ranch seasoning I used Hidden Valley
- 8 ounces sour cream I used full-fat
- 4 large chicken breasts boneless/skinless
- Pepper optional, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and move the rack to the middle position. Grease a 9x13" baking dish (I used Pam spray).
- Add the rice, broth, ranch seasoning, and sour cream to the baking dish. Whisk it all together until smooth.
- Place the chicken breasts on top and rotate them so they're coated in the liquid. If you want, add some pepper on the top of each chicken breast.
- Tightly wrap the baking dish with foil and place it in the oven.
- Bake for 55 minutes. Ovens and baking dishes vary, so it may take a bit more or less time for the rice to cook through. Simply re-seal it and add it back to the oven for another 5-10 minutes if the rice is still a bit crunchy.
- Give the rice a stir prior to serving. You can either serve the chicken as-is or cut it up and mix it in the rice. The rice is meant to be soft and creamy.
Notes
- Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat. If you cut up/shred the chicken and stir it together, it can definitely make more than 4 portions (like if you're feeding kids or serving something else with it). I use around 2 pounds of chicken.
- I also tested this recipe with jasmine rice, and I found it took 10 minutes less than the long-grain white rice, so keep that in mind. If you're cooking this recipe for 45 minutes or less, I suggest using an instant read thermometer to ensure the chicken is cooked to 165F. I found after 55 minutes, the chicken was more than plenty cooked.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if sensitive to salt.
- You can use a "cream of" soup in place of the sour cream, but I haven't tested it.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Ben says
I used to make a similar recipe but it didn’t have sour cream, however I lost that recipe so I thought I’d try this one. This is WAY better! This has to be one of my new favorite go-to dinners (wish I would have tried this recipe sooner)!! Thank you for sharing, it is delicious!
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that, Ben!! 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Sarah says
I’m going to try this for dinner tonight, I’m going to try it with cream of chicken instead! I bet it will still be good, I’ll let you know 🙂
Natasha says
Enjoy! 🙂
Betsy Walker says
Sooooo delicious. I made this after a failed chicken and rice casserole recipe a few weeks ago. I'm so happy I tried this one. My husband and I ate the entire dish. The rice was creamy, the chicken was tender, and the entire meal was flavorful. We will definitely make this again.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you gave this one a chance!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Chrissy says
I made this and I followed the directions closely. It said if I used a glass pan to turn down the heat and cook a little longer. I turned it to 340 F and I cooked for 1 hour and 5 min. Rice was very crunchy, chicken was done. I pulled the rice out, added 1/4 cup more milk and microwaved the rice in a glass dish with a lid for 4 minutes on 50 % power. Still crunchy.
Natasha says
Hmmmm did you use the same variety as I did? That's annoying. 🙁 I guess tweak it for next time if you liked the general flavor and want to attempt it again.
Michele Delong says
I have not yet tried this recipe but I plan to. Ok have a question though...if using bottles ranch dressing, how much do you use?
Michele
Natasha says
Hi Michele! I haven't tested, so I can't say for sure. My first instinct is to use about 1/2 cup or so to get enough flavor, but that is just a guess.
maball says
Tasty, took longer to cook the rice. May need a little color as it was all monotone, but tasted good and my son liked it.
Natasha says
Yes, this isn't the prettiest dish! I'm glad it tasted good, though! 🙂
Olivia says
My boyfriend is from the Midwest and grew up on casseroles. I've never made one, but this seemed like an easy place to start. He loved it! I used a rice blend with white, brown, and wild rice. I didn't alter anything else in the recipe and it took about 45-50 minutes to cook. Casseroles might be an addition to our dinner rotation now!!
Natasha says
I didn't grow up on them either! I'm so glad it was boyfriend approved. 🙂 Yes, they're comforting and warm and simple... I certainly like that aspect of them. Thanks for taking the time to write a comment.
Sian says
Hi, wanting to give this a try but what could I use as an alternative to Ranch Seasoning as I am not able to get hold of this in the UK? Could I use Ranch dressing sauce in a bottle instead?
Thank you
Natasha says
Hi! I just added a link in the post to a homemade ranch seasoning if you'd like to give it a try, but yes, I think bottled ranch should be fine. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Shelby says
This was a winner! I made mine in a glass dish so I cooked it for a little of an hour and the chicken was a tad dry but still delicious. The rice was definitely the best part!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it!! I love the rice too. 🙂
JoAnn says
I made this last night and it was a hit. Quick and easy to put together and great flavor. This will definitely be a repeat. Thanks!
Natasha says
So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. ♥️
Brandyn says
Hi! I’d like to try this with brow rice (this is all we have currently, I can’t find white rice )
Can you give me instructions on how to use the brown as far as cooking times and liquid difference.?
Thanks in advance !
Natasha says
Hi Brandyn, like I explain in the post, I can't speculate without testing, unfortunately. Like it's a different recipe. Brown rice will take more liquid and longer. As much as I don't like sending you to another blog, I'd probably Google "brown rice and chicken casserole" and find a tried and tested recipe - I really don't want you guessing and wasting ingredients. 🙁
Stacy says
Can Greek yogurt be used instead of sour cream!
Natasha says
Hi! Haven’t tested it, but you could give it a try.
Linda says
Can I brown the chicken first.
Natasha says
Sure! Just be mindful it doesn’t overcook... that would be my only issue with that.