Tender, juicy, chicken thighs seasoned with a light blend of herbs are baked to perfection over brown rice in this chicken and brown rice casserole that’s easy to make, easier to clean up, and the perfect busy weeknight recipe!
If you’re sick and tired of time spent in the kitchen, this one is for you!
Not only is it a delicious, comforting meal but it’s also all made in one dish for minimal effort!
Layered with brown rice, bone-in chicken thighs and easy frozen vegetables, this chicken casserole is prepped in just 15 minutes.
Sit back and relax as it bakes together and then enjoy it served as-is or with a simple Italian chopped salad. Either way, it’s the perfect dinner recipe for busy nights.
⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe ⭐
Easy to Make – This recipe is made from simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
Minimal Clean Up – The chicken casserole is cooked entirely in one pan making it so that you don’t have a ton of dishes after the meal.
Make Ahead – You can make this chicken and brown rice casserole ahead of time and simply reheat it when you need it.
Versatile – Switch up the seasonings or vegetables for what you have on hand and give this easy casserole a whole new flavor.
Allergy Friendly – This casserole is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
This chicken casserole recipe is so simple that you really only need four ingredients to make it!
Chicken thighs – Bone-in chicken thighs work best for this casserole as the juice they release helps flavor the dish. Opt for skin on if you like a little bit of crispiness to your chicken. You can even use chicken legs for this recipe.
Seasonings: A simple blend of oregano, paprika, garlic, onion, and parsley are all you need. Season the dish with salt and pepper to taste.
Brown rice: Brown rice will take longer to cook than white rice which is perfect for bone-in chicken. Opting for brown will also give you a chewier texture in the dish.
Chicken broth: Any broth you have on hand will work be it homemade or store-bought.
📌 Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with quantities and step-by-step instructions!
🔁 Variations
As mentioned, this casserole is great for busy nights because it’s so easy to alter the flavors. Choose any of the following to swap or add in to switch it up.
Red pepper flakes if you like a bit of heat in your dish.
Swap the mixed vegetables for chopped broccoli, green beans, or cauliflower.
Add in sundried tomatoes for a salty twist.
Top the casserole with parmesan or shredded cheese for a comforting twist.
Vary your chicken: Though the casserole calls for chicken thighs, know that chicken legs can be used instead.
Make it a low sodium casserole: Opt for no-salt-added chicken broth and reduce or eliminate the added salt for a more healthy casserole option. If you like, you can increase the other seasonings to boost the flavor.
🥣 How to Make
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 375F and place the brown rice into the bottom of a greased casserole dish.
STEP 2: Mix the seasonings together and sprinkle half over the rice.
STEP 3: Place the chicken thighs on top and sprinkle the remaining seasoning over top.
STEP 4: Pour the boiling broth around the chicken. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and seal it tightly.
STEP 5: Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes before adding the vegetables and shifting the chicken to mix them with the rice.
STEP 6: Place in the oven uncovered and bake for another 15 minutes or until thighs are cooked through.
⭐ Pro Tips ⭐
Making It Ahead Of Time
If you plan to make this chicken and brown rice casserole ahead of time, use the tips below:
- Do not cook the casserole fully. This way there is still a bit of liquid left for when you reheat it which will keep the chicken juicy.
- If you do cook it fully, you may need to add some extra broth to the dish when reheating it to bring back its texture.
- Store the pre-cooked casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- Reheat the casserole covered in the oven until the chicken is fully cooked and heated through.
📝 Recipe FAQs
Yes! Casseroles are perfect for freezing. Make sure to freeze it in an oven-safe container (disposable tin containers are perfect) so that you can pop it right into the oven to reheat it. If you know you’ll be freezing the chicken casserole, do not fully cook it all the way. This way when it recooked it stays juicy.
Brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice and requires more liquid. If the recipe calls for white rice and you use brown rice, you may need to add extra liquid to the dish. Also, know that the chicken will cook long before the rice does. This is okay with chicken thighs but may dry out chicken breasts. On the opposite, if you use white rice when a recipe calls for brown rice the rice will cook before the chicken does so you may need to accommodate for that.
So long as the casserole has enough liquid on the rice and is heated high enough for a long enough period, the rice will cook along with the meat and there is no reason to cook it ahead of time.
Yes. To make the casserole low sodium friendly, opt for no salt added chicken broth (aka unsalted chicken broth) and reduce or remove the salt. To boost the flavor of the low salt version you can slight increase the amount of the other seasonings if you like.
Related Casserole Recipes To Try
If you tried this Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole or any other recipe on my site, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing about your results and thoughts!
📖 Recipe
Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw brown rice
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs
- 3 ¼ cups chicken broth heated to boiling
- 1 12 ounce package peas and carrots, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the rice into the bottom of the casserole dish.
- In a small bowl, mix the seasonings. Sprinkle half of the seasoning blend over the rice.
- Place the chicken thighs into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the remaining seasoning blend.
- Carefully pour the boiling chicken broth around the chicken.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil, sealing tightly.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and add the vegetables, shifting the chicken to mix the peas and carrots into the rice.
- Place the casserole back into the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the chicken thighs are cooked through.
Notes
Baking time is based on large chicken thighs. Smaller chicken thighs will require less time. Chicken legs can be used instead of the chicken thighs. If you use chicken breasts, know that they won’t take as long to cook.
Brett says
Wow these recipes look great and they are actual pictures that are realistic! I hate following a recipe with no pictures or something that look like it’s from a magazine. I love to see the finished product. I’m going to have to try some of these!
Shelly Peterson says
This looks like a great recipe to make for my family.
Mary says
This was delicious! Made in a Dutch oven, so no foil. Also never uncovered because the rice was still crisp. the herbs gave the chicken a beautiful color. Also diced my own veggies: carrots, celery, zucchini. Everyone loved it!
Chrysa says
I love to hear that!! The Dutch oven was a great idea. I’m so happy that everyone loved it!