No Peek Chicken Casserole

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.

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!

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

Long grain white rice

A cup and a half of regular long cooking white rice, uncooked. Instant rice turns to mush under the foil, and brown rice needs more time and more liquid.

Two cans of cream of chicken soup

Two cans whisked with two cups of water. The soup seasons the rice and the water cooks it. Both cans are needed for a cup and a half of rice.

Chicken breasts

Four large breasts, or six smaller ones, laid on the rice. Large breasts take the full two hours. Smaller ones are usually done closer to ninety minutes.

Onion soup mix

One packet sprinkled over the top is the only seasoning besides salt and pepper. It flavors the chicken as the steam carries it down into the rice.

Step by Step, With the Details

Rice in the dish

Spread the dry rice in an even layer across a greased thirteen by nine. Even matters. A thick corner stays crunchy.

Half the soup, then wait

Whisk the soup and water together and spoon half of it over the rice. Let it stand four or five minutes so the rice starts to absorb it.

Chicken on top

Lay the breasts on the rice in a single layer without overlapping. Season the rest of the soup mixture with salt and pepper and spoon it over the chicken.

Onion soup mix, then foil

Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix over everything and cover the dish tightly with foil, crimped at the edges. The seal is the whole method.

An hour and a half to two hours at 350

Do not lift the foil. At ninety minutes, check the thickest breast with a thermometer through the foil. It needs to read 165.

The rest with the foil off

Take the foil off and let the dish sit fifteen to twenty five minutes. The rice soaks up the last of the liquid and turns creamy. Serve the rice spooned over the chicken.

Why the Rest Matters as Much as the Bake

When the foil comes off, the rice still looks loose and soupy. That is normal. Twenty minutes on the counter is when it thickens into the creamy rice in the photos.

Cut into it right away and it eats like chicken soup over rice. Wait, and it eats like a casserole.

Which Rice Works

Long grain white rice is what the recipe is built on. Converted rice like Uncle Ben’s works the same way. Jasmine works and comes out a little softer.

Brown rice needs an extra half cup of water and about forty five more minutes. Instant rice does not work at all. It is cooked to mush long before the chicken is done.

Easy Variations

Chicken thighs

Boneless thighs in place of breasts. They are more forgiving if the bake runs long and they have more flavor. Same time.

Cream of mushroom

One can of cream of mushroom in place of one can of cream of chicken. Sliced mushrooms over the rice are good too.

Vegetables

A cup of frozen peas or mixed vegetables stirred into the rice during the rest, after the foil comes off. They warm through in the hot rice.

Cheese

A cup of shredded cheddar over the chicken for the last ten minutes, foil off. Not traditional and not at all unwelcome.

Making It Ahead

Assemble the whole dish in the morning, cover it with the foil, and refrigerate. Bake it straight from the fridge and add fifteen minutes.

Do not let it sit assembled overnight. The rice absorbs the soup unevenly and some of it stays hard.

Leftovers, Reheating and Freezing

In the refrigerator

Leftovers keep covered for three to four days. The rice firms up when cold, which is normal.

Reheating

A serving in the microwave with a splash of broth or water, covered, for two minutes. It comes back creamy.

Freezing

It freezes well in portions for up to two months. Thaw overnight and reheat the same way with a little liquid.

Questions I Get About This Recipe

Why is my rice still crunchy?

The foil was not sealed tight, or someone peeked. Steam escaped, and the rice on top never got enough moisture. Crimp the foil hard and do not open it.

Can I use frozen chicken?

Thaw it first. Frozen breasts release extra water and take too long to reach a safe temperature under the foil.

Can I use bone-in chicken?

Yes. Bone-in thighs or breasts work and add flavor. Give them an extra thirty minutes and check the temperature at the bone.

Can I halve it?

Yes, in an eight by eight dish with two breasts, one can of soup, and a cup of water. Same bake time, since the chicken is the same size.

Can I add more liquid for creamier rice?

An extra half cup of water makes it looser, more like a risotto. Any more than that and the chicken ends up boiled instead of baked.

More Easy Chicken Dinners

• Angel Chicken Rice Casserole
• Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
• Chicken Tetrazzini
• Crockpot BBQ Chicken