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Pioneer Woman Chicken Rice Bake

Pioneer Woman chicken rice bake is a set-and-forget one dish chicken bake with golden roasted chicken pieces embedded in fluffy, deeply savory rice. The rice absorbs all the pan drippings for a French onion soup color and herb-flecked look.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

whole chicken, cut into pieces
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces Use 3–4 pounds bone-in chicken parts if preferred.
cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
cream of celery soup
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of celery soup
long-grain white rice
  • 1.5 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
water or chicken broth
  • 1.5 cup water or chicken broth
onion soup mix
  • 1 envelope (1 oz) onion soup mix
seasonings
  • 0.25 salt To taste.
  • 0.25 pepper To taste.
  • 0.25 garlic powder To taste.
  • 0.25 paprika To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and mix
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a large 9x13 baking dish so it’s ready for assembly.
  2. Whisk together all three soups, the uncooked long-grain white rice, and the water or chicken broth in the prepared baking dish until combined.
  3. Sprinkle half of the onion soup mix into the rice and stir so the flavor is evenly distributed.
Add chicken and bake
  1. Season the chicken pieces generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika, then nestle them skin-side up into the rice.
  2. Sprinkle the remaining onion soup mix over the chicken for a browned, savory top.
  3. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350°F for 1 hour until the rice is tender around the edges.
  4. Remove the foil and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350°F until the chicken is golden and the rice has absorbed all visible liquid, with a crisped chicken-skin look above the rice surface.

Notes

For best rice texture, use bone-in chicken parts so the skin caramelizes and the drippings flavor the rice as it bakes. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 4 days; freeze in a sealed container up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat covered. For a lighter swap, replace half of the soup with the same amount of low-sodium chicken broth and add extra paprika for flavor balance.