Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Ranch Chicken and Rice Casserole
Creamy rice tucked around tender chicken is an easy dinner to look forward to. The ranch seasoning gives each spoonful a familiar savory flavor, and the soft rice is especially comforting.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 6 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Casseroles · Rice dishes
A few quick notes
1. Whisk in the dish
Combine the rice with broth, ranch seasoning and sour cream until smooth before putting the chicken on top of it.
2. Seal the foil tightly
Wrap the dish tightly before baking. If the rice needs longer, reseal the foil before returning the casserole to the oven.
3. Check the rice
Taste a little rice for tenderness at the end. Crunchy grains need the extra five to ten minutes described in the directions.
Get to know the ingredients
Uncooked rice
Use uncooked long-grain white rice for the main directions. It cooks in the seasoned liquid beneath the chicken during baking.
Boneless breasts
Rotate the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the liquid after arranging them on top, coating their surfaces before covering the dish.
Sour cream
Whisk the sour cream into the broth and ranch seasoning thoroughly. A smooth mixture spreads the creamy seasoning through the rice.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 6 steps completeMake room for Ranch Chicken and Rice Casserole
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Stir the rice
Stir the rice before serving. Leave the breasts whole or cut the chicken up and mix it into the creamy rice.
A little more help as you go
Jasmine rice behaves differently
Jasmine rice can cook about ten minutes sooner. If you shorten the cooking time, still check that the chicken reaches 165F with a thermometer.
For a less salty broth
If you're sensitive to salt, you can use low-sodium chicken broth in the casserole.
A few questions you might have
Should the rice be fluffy and separate?
The intended texture is soft and creamy. Give it a stir after baking to bring the rice and liquid together.
Can I put pepper on the chicken?
Pepper is optional. Add it over the coated chicken breasts before wrapping the baking dish tightly with the foil.
Do I need to cook the chicken before assembling?
The chicken breasts go directly onto the rice mixture, are coated in its liquid, then bake with the covered casserole.
Where should the oven rack go?
Move the rack to the middle position before preheating. The casserole bakes in a greased nine-by-thirteen-inch baking dish.
What if the rice is still crunchy?
Wrap the dish tightly again and return it to the oven for another five to ten minutes, then check the rice.
Any more cooking tips?
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.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: saltandlavender.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.