Easy French Onion Chicken and Rice
This chicken and rice made with onion soup mix gives leftover chicken a new purpose in a creamy, cheesy casserole with a crispy onion topping.
With just ten minutes of prep, this creamy French onion chicken and rice casserole gives you a little breathing room before supper.
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Some evenings, deciding what to do with the chicken in the refrigerator takes more effort than actually cooking supper.
You’ve already served it once, and you’d rather turn it into something everyone wants to eat than set out the same leftovers again.
Making chicken and rice made with onion soup mix is a delicious answer to that problem! It’s warm and filling, with tender chicken, creamy rice, and melted cheese, all under a crisp topping of fried onions.
I like that it’s super easy to make, since leftover chicken (or a rotisserie chicken) gives you a head start.
If you have cooked rice on hand, that makes it even easier, but you can also cook up some Instant Pot white rice in minutes.
With roughly ten minutes of prep work, you can get dinner in the oven and still have time to clear the counter or help with homework.
Creamy French onion chicken and rice casserole is comforting, like a familiar church supper casserole, but it’s easy enough to make on a regular ol’ weekday.
More Tasty Recipes to Try:
- Instant Pot French Onion Chicken and Rice
- French Onion Soup Meatloaf
- Easy Chicken and Rice
- Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
How to Make Creamy French Onion Chicken and Rice Casserole
It’s really easy to make this hearty dish.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cooked Chicken
- Cooked White Rice
- Lipton Onion Soup Mix
- Cream of Chicken Soup
- French Onion Sour Cream Dip
- Milk
- Shredded Mozzarella or Gruyere Cheese
- Fried Onions
- Fresh Parsley
How to Make It:
Find the full printable recipe available below
Prepare the chicken and rice filling. First, you’ll combine cooked chicken, cooked rice, onion soup mix, cream of chicken soup, French onion sour cream dip, milk, some shredded cheese, and some fried onions.
Mix them all together.
Layer the casserole and bake. Then, you’ll spread the chicken mixture evenly into a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top.
Bake for about 20 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining 1⁄2 cup fried onions over the top of the casserole.
Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and melted and the onions are toasted to golden brown perfection.
Serve and enjoy. Then, you’ll remove the dish from the oven. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired, and serve warm.
Enjoy!
Notes and Adaptations:
- This recipe is perfect for leftover chicken, or you can pull meat off a rotisserie chicken if you don’t have leftovers. No cooked chicken on hand? Just cook up some boneless skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs), then chop or shred them.
- I always recommend shredding your own cheese from a block if you can, because it will melt much better than pre-packaged shredded cheese. Gruyere is commonly used in French onion soup, but it’s also a little pricier than mozzarella, so feel free to use either.
- Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated for up to 3-5 days.
- You can use homemade cream of chicken soup or canned condensed soup. You could also use cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup if you prefer.
- Since there is salt in the french onion soup mix, I recommend using low-sodium “cream of” soup (if you’re going the canned route).
Recommended Equipment:
French Onion Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken (cubed or shredded)
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 1 ounce packet Lipton onion soup mix
- 2 cups homemade cream of chicken soup (or 10.75-ounce can of low-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup)
- 1/2 cup French onion sour cream dip
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Gruyere cheese (divided)
- 1 cup fried onions (divided)
- Optional: chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked chicken, cooked rice, onion soup mix, cream of chicken soup, French onion sour cream dip, milk, 1 cup of shredded cheese, and 1⁄2 cup fried onions. Mix together.
- Spread the chicken mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese over the casserole.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining 1⁄2 cup fried onions over the top of the casserole and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and melted and the onions are toasted to golden brown.
- Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired, and serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- This is a great way to use up leftover chicken, or you can pull meat off a rotisserie chicken. If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, you can cook some boneless skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs), then chop or shred them.
- I always recommend shredding your own cheese from a block, if possible, as it melts better than packaged shreds.
- Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated for up to 3-5 days.
- You can use homemade cream of chicken soup, or you can use canned condensed soup. You could also substitute cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup if you prefer.
- Since there is salt in the french onion soup mix, I recommend using low-sodium “cream of” soup (if you’re going the canned route).
Equipment
Nutrition
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