Chicken and rice baked under foil until the steam has done all the work — five ingredients, one 13×9, and the only rule is in the name.
Three things that make no peek chicken work
The steam under the foil is the whole method, and these are the three places it goes right or wrong.
- Keep the foil sealed: The trapped steam is what cooks the rice, and every peek lets it out.
- Use long-cooking rice: It is the rice built to take the full 1 1/2 to 2 hour bake.
- Let it rest foil-off: 15 to 25 minutes on the counter and the rice turns creamy in the pan.
No peek chicken is absolutely the best easy chicken dinner made in the oven that you will ever come across – I 100% guarantee. Yes, I put that number at 100%!
The rice and chicken are baked until absolute perfection and it’s a hands off dinner. Meaning that once you combine the ingredients for this no peek chicken and rice, you’re all set to go!
Easy dinners like this are what make dinner time amazing on busy nights, true statement, right?
Five ingredients, one greased 13×9, and the oven does every bit of the work. The trade is simple: you give it two hands-off hours and you keep the foil on the whole time.
5 Ingredient No Peek Chicken
This recipe for no peek chicken is legit one of our son’s favorite dinners. And, what I really love is that if there are any leftovers, they actually get eaten.
You know how sometimes there are dinners that get made where the leftovers never actually get eaten because no one really loved it *that much to have it twice??
This no peek chicken casserole is NOT that recipe – our son asked if he could have leftovers for days after the no peek chicken recipe was long gone.
As a mom, that loves to cook .. there’s not much more satisfaction than that, is there?
You might be asking what is no peek chicken …. it is exactly that – once you put the foil over the casserole, there’s literally no peeking. The steam is how the chicken and the rice cook the dish so you do not want to peek – you might ruin the surprise!
Also, of note. I state 6 servings for this recipe.
If you’re using smaller chicken breasts, each person will get one chicken breast and rice.
If your chicken breasts are larger like the ones that I used when I photographed this recipe, just cut the chicken breasts into halves and serve them with rice.
Delicious any way that you decide to dish them up!
Why the foil actually matters:
The foil is not a suggestion, it is the cooking method. The steam trapped under it is what cooks the rice and keeps the chicken from drying out over that long bake.
Every lift of the corner lets that steam escape, and the rice pays the price. Seal it once, walk away, and let the dish do what it is named for.
No Peek Chicken and Rice Recipe ingredients:
- 1 1/2 c. long-cooking rice, uncooked
- 2 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
- 2 c water
- 4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts (or 6 smaller)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1.35 oz. onion soup mix
How to make No peek chicken with wild rice:
Spread uncooked rice evenly in a greased 13×9 baking dish
Mix soup and water together
Spoon half of soup mixture over rice and let stand for 4-5 minutes
Arrange chicken over rice and set aside
Add salt and pepper to remaining soup mixture and spoon over chicken
Sprinkle with dry soup mix
Cover with aluminum foil
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours
Check the thickest part of the chicken to make sure the chicken is at 165 degrees
Let the dish sit with foil off until rice soaks up liquid and is a creamy texture
Plan for about 15-25 minutes for the rice to thicken up.
The rice and liquid mixture is amazing drizzled over the chicken!
Serve with a lettuce salad to make this a full meal.
What I’ve learned making this:
Do not skip the 4 to 5 minute stand after the first half of the soup goes over the rice. That head start is when the rice begins drinking up the liquid.
The recipe calls for long-cooking rice, uncooked, and that is the rice to use. It is built to take the full bake without falling apart.
The rest at the end isn’t a delay, it’s part of the recipe. Foil off on the counter for 15 to 25 minutes, and the rice soaks up the liquid and turns creamy right in the pan.
How do I know when it is done?
Check the thickest part of the chicken with a meat thermometer and look for 165 degrees. The bake runs 1 1/2 to 2 hours, so let the thermometer make the call, not the clock.
This is the dinner our son asks about long after the pan is empty, and the leftovers never survive the week. For a five ingredient casserole, that is a pretty good legacy.
YUM!
No Peek Chicken and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c. long-cooking rice uncooked
- 2 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
- 2 c water
- 4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts or 6 smaller
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1.35 oz. onion soup mix
Instructions
- Spread uncooked rice evenly in a greased 13x9 baking dish
- Mix soup and water together
- Spoon half of soup mixture over rice and let stand for 4-5 minutes
- Arrange chicken over rice and set aside
- Add salt and pepper to remaining soup mixture and spoon over chicken
- Sprinkle with dry soup mix
- Cover with aluminum foil
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours
- Check the thickest part of the chicken to make sure the chicken is at 165 degrees
- Let the dish sit with foil off until rice soaks up liquid and is a creamy texture
Notes
The rice and liquid mixture is amazing drizzled over the chicken!