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This single serving chicken and rice casserole is rich, creamy, and made from scratch. With tender chicken, mushrooms, and a homemade sauce, it’s a comforting one-dish meal you’ll want to make often.
Featured Comment
“I have made this dish quite a few times. It is one of the most delicious dishes I have tried. So easy to make.”
– Nicola
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Homemade Flavor Without Canned Soup: Made entirely from scratch using fresh ingredients, no condensed soups or pre-boxed mixes, just real chicken, real onions, real broth for rich, natural taste.
- Single Serving Size: Designed to feed one person, so you get fully fresh portions without leftovers.
- Creamy and Comforting: Tender chicken, creamy sauce, and perfectly cooked rice combine into a warm, satisfying one-dish meal.
- Easy to Scale Up: Double everything, bake in a larger dish, and enjoy the same flavor and texture for two or more servings.
I love this easy chicken and rice casserole because it’s made completely from scratch with simple ingredients that highlight real flavor.
Skipping canned soup makes such a difference, and the result is a creamy, classic comfort food that feels homemade in every bite. It’s the kind of meal I turn to when I want something warm and satisfying without a lot of fuss.
Consider serving your small chicken casserole with sautéed green beans, a small Italian chopped salad, small batch French bread rolls, and a glass of crisp white wine for a complete meal.
Ingredients
If you have ingredients leftover from this small chicken and rice casserole recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder for ways to use them.
- Chicken: Use a boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast. Thighs are juicier, but breasts work just as well – choose what you prefer. Extra chicken? Make our baked chicken thighs, chicken tikka masala for one, small batch chicken nuggets, or Tuscan chicken for one.
- Seasoning: A blend of salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning gives this dish great flavor. Italian seasoning typically includes basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemaryif you’re out, use any combination of these.
- Mushrooms: Sliced cremini or button mushrooms add depth. Not a fan? Leave them out. Leftover mushrooms? Use them in a small mushroom casserole or risotto for one.
- Chicken Broth: I prefer low-sodium chicken broth for better control over seasoning. Vegetable broth works too. Leftover broth? Use it in lasagna soup for one, a single serving of Spanish rice, or a small green bean casserole.
- Sour Cream: Greek yogurt is a good substitute if you want a lighter option.
- Heavy Cream: Adds richness to the sauce. For a lighter version, use whole milk or half-and-half, but the sauce won’t be as thick. Leftover cream? Try it in fettuccine Alfredo for one or mini French silk pie.
- Rice: Medium or long-grain white rice works best. Basmati is a great alternative with no change in cooking time.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How To Make Chicken And Rice Casserole
These photos and instructions show you how to make this small chicken casserole with rice. For exact ingredient amounts and full instructions, see the recipe below.
- Preheat and Brown the Chicken: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then brown it on both sides for 1-2 minutes. The chicken doesn’t need to be fully cooked, just browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté the Onions and Garlic: Add a little more olive oil and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the onions until translucent, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Cook the Mushrooms: Increase the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms. I don’t like to add extra oil—this helps them brown and release moisture. Stir occasionally and cook for 2 minutes.
- Make the Sauce: Pour in the chicken broth and stir. Remove the pan from heat, then mix in the sour cream, heavy cream, remaining salt, and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
- Assemble the Casserole: Add the uncooked rice to a 5×5-inch baking dish.
- Combine: Pour the cream mixture over the rice and stir gently. Place the chicken on top in a single layer.
- Bake: Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil, if there’s still too much liquid, bake uncovered for a few more minutes until it evaporates.
How To Make Chicken and Rice Casserole on the Stovetop
No oven? You can make this on the stovetop using a 10-inch skillet or sauté pan with a lid. Keep the heat low and let it simmer gently until the rice and chicken are fully cooked.
Expert Tips
- Adjusting Salt: The amount of salt needed depends on your broth. Taste the casserole before serving and adjust as needed.
- Time-Saving Tip: Save time by using 4-5 ounces of pre-cooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken or leftovers. After Thanksgiving, swap in leftover turkey for an easy variation.
- Add Vegetables: For a boost of greens, mix in 1/4 cup of steamed or blanched chopped broccoli before baking. This turns it into a delicious chicken and broccoli casserole.
- No Instant Rice: This recipe won’t work with Instant Rice or Minute Rice, as the liquid and cooking time won’t be right.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through.
Yes! Double the ingredients and use either:
Two 5×5-inch baking dishes
One 8×1½-inch round baking pan
One 6×8-inch baking dish
One 9×5-inch rectangular baking dish
If using a larger dish, the baking time stays the same since the mixture will spread out evenly.
Brown rice takes longer to cook and may need additional liquid and baking time. For best results, stick with white rice.
Yes. If using cooked chicken, skip the browning step and stir the chicken into the rice before baking.
RELATED: Easy Dinner Ideas For One
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve made this easy single serving chicken and rice casserole or any recipe from One Dish Kitchen, let me know what you think! Rate the recipe and share your experience in the comments below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Get a Quick Recipe Overview
Chicken and Rice Casserole For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (4-ounce) boneless skinless chicken thigh or chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt -divided
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil -divided
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 clove garlic -minced
- ¼ cup sliced mushrooms
- ⅓ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ cup long-grain white rice
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with ⅛ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper. Add to the pan and brown on both sides for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Note: The chicken does not need to be fully cooked, just browned.
- Add ½ tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook the onions for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Increase heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Note: No additional oil is added so the mushrooms brown and release moisture.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir. Remove from heat, then mix in the sour cream, heavy cream, remaining salt, and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
- Pour the rice into a 5×5-inch baking dish.
- Pour the cream mixture over the rice and stir gently. Place the browned chicken on top in a single layer.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil—if there's still too much liquid, bake uncovered for a few more minutes until it evaporates.
- Serve hot.
Notes
-
- Adjusting Salt: The amount of salt needed depends on your broth. Taste the casserole before serving and adjust as needed.
- Time-Saving Tip: Save time by using 4-5 ounces of pre-cooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken or leftovers. After Thanksgiving, swap in leftover turkey for an easy variation.
- Add Vegetables: For a boost of greens, mix in 1/4 cup of steamed or blanched chopped broccoli before baking. This turns it into a delicious chicken and broccoli casserole.
- No Instant Rice: This recipe won’t work with Instant Rice or Minute Rice, as the liquid and cooking time won’t be right.
Two 5×5-inch baking dishes
One 8×1½-inch round baking pan
One 6×8-inch baking dish
One 9×5-inch rectangular baking dish If using a larger dish, the baking time stays the same since the mixture will spread out evenly.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was super simple to make, I used 2 small cans of mushrooms drained. I also used a pint jar of home canned chicken (i browned as per recipe), and the broth from that. And I happen to have freeze dried heavy cream, so I made some of that up for the cream part. I had an onion, otherwise I would have used freeze dried, same with the sour cream. My future daughter in law and I enjoyed this for supper. Was very very good. Only thing I did extra/different was the extra mushrooms.
I have not found a recipe from One Dish Kitchen that I haven’t liked. Love this site. Thank you for doing this for those of us that hate to waste food.
I’m so happy to hear you and your future daughter-in-law enjoyed the casserole! I love how you made it work with what you had on hand — and those extra mushrooms sound like a wonderful addition. Thank you for your kind words and for being part of our community!
Made this last night. Delishious. I used a small drained tin of cut mushrooms as that was what was in the pantry. Worked great. Will be reheating the leftovers tonight.
loved it! I’m making time to cook again and this was a fun and easy recipe to follow too
I made this in my temporary kitchen tonight using a hot plate and toaster oven, and am feeling so accomplished! It’s simple to put together and bake, and cleanup was a breeze with my camp-like sink setup. The casserole’s flavors are spot on! Also, there’s plenty of leftovers which are perfect for soup tomorrow! Thanks!!
I have cooked rice instead of raw, how would I adjust the liquid levels, and how and when do I add it to the casserole? It seems like the whole thing is a no without raw rice but I figured I’d ask the recipe magician anyway. Have a lovely day.
You should be able to use cooked rice in this casserole, but I haven’t tested it myself. Here’s how I’d adjust it:
Reduce the broth to 3-4 tablespoons.
Reduce the cream to 1-2 tablespoons.
Follow the recipe with these changes and check the consistency. If it seems too dry, add a bit more broth or cream.
I would like to use brown rice instead of white in this recipe. What alterations to the recipe would I need to make? Also, i would like to reduce the dairy content and use coconut milk or cream instead.
It’s great to hear that you’re interested in adapting the Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe with brown rice and less dairy! If you’re considering using brown rice, please note that it typically requires more liquid and a longer cooking time than white rice. However, I haven’t tested this recipe with brown rice, so you might need to experiment a little. Generally, you could try increasing the liquid slightly and extending the cooking time. Keep an eye on it to make sure it cooks through and doesn’t dry out.
As for reducing the dairy, using coconut milk or cream is a wonderful idea to bring a new flavor profile to the dish. Coconut milk can be a direct substitute for regular milk or cream, but since it has a different fat content and flavor, you might want to adjust the quantity to your taste.
This is the perfect recipe. It’s even made with the juiciest cut of chicken.
This was quite delicious and easy. I added some frozen peas. Since I didn’t have sour cream, I used 1/4 cup of soft cream cheese mixed with 1.5 tbsp of milk and it worked like a charm. I even have enough for a snack later!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the casserole, Mary. Thank you so much for your feedback.
How do you modify for air fryer?
We have not tested this recipe using an air fryer.
I finally got round to making this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I definitely will be making this pretty regularly..
Wonderful flavour..
You had mentioned about adding broccoli to it.. I just added1/3cup of the frozen assorted veg you can buy (straight from the bag) & in with the mushrooms..
Also once I’d taken foil off I started over some chopped chives& green salad onion& forked it through.
Thanks once again for another fantastic recipe.. 😊🏴