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sliced chicken thigh in a bed of rice with broccoli in a wooden bowl.
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5 from 8 votes

Grandma Georgia's Chicken and Rice Casserole

Did your grandma make you Chicken and Rice Casserole? It was one of my Grandma Georgia's signature dishes. She called it "Chicken Continental." It called for Minute Rice and canned soup. I've updated the recipe to be completely from scratch, with a homemade sauce and regular white rice (which is more nutritious.) It's still really easy, and a great old fashioned recipe for when you feel like you need a warm hug from your dinner!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 671kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

  • 1 pound bone in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 thighs)
  • 1 pound chicken drumsticks (about 3 drumsticks)

Flour mixture to go on chicken. Save the remainder!

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley or use 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Fry the chicken

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter

For the white sauce

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion chopped finely
  • 3/4 cup celery finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon garlic smashed and minced (about 4-5 cloves, or from a jar)
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Chicken Bone Broth
  • 1/2 cup of the remaining seasoned flour mixture
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup water to add to onions
  • 1 and 3/4 cup water to add to rice in casserole dish
  • 1 and 3/4 cup white long grain rice rinsed until the water runs clear
  • parsley chopped, to garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the edges of a large 9x13 inch casserole dish and set aside.
  • Chop the veggies: Finely dice 1 medium onion, in smaller pieces than you normally do. Dice 3/4 cup celery, don't be afraid to chop up some celery leaves too, they have great flavor. (I chop from the end of the full head of celery, I don't bother with individual stalks.) Smash and mince 1 tablespoon garlic (or, use the garlic from a jar if you are feeling lazy). Set aside.
  • Make the flour mixture: In a medium bowl, add 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon seasoning salt, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Stir together.
  • Trim any excess skin off of the edges of the chicken thighs, if there is a lot hanging off.
    Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, being sure to coat each piece top and bottom and all over. DO NOT discard the remaining seasoned flour!
  • Sear the chicken: Heat a high-sided 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and swirl to coat. Add the chicken in a single layer; do not crowd the pan. Leave 1-2 inches of space in between pieces. Do it in two batches if your pan is small. Let the chicken sear over medium high heat for about 2 minutes, until well-browned. We are not cooking it all the way, just browning the edges.
  • Use tongs to flip each piece of chicken. Once the chicken is flipped, add 2 tablespoon butter and swirl around the edges of the chicken, lowering the heat a little if necessary to avoid burning the butter. After 1-2 minutes of searing the second side, when it is nice and browned, remove the chicken to the same plate from before.
  • Make the white sauce: Leave any drippings in the pan. Lower the heat to medium. Add 6 tablespoons butter. Add the diced onion and celery and saute for about 4 minutes until soft. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and cook for another 1 minute.
  • Measure the remaining seasoned flour mixture (that you have leftover from dredging the chicken). Add more flour as necessary to make sure it comes to about 1/2 cup. Slowly sprinkle the flour over the onions, stirring as you go.
  • Add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Zoup! Culinary Concentrate™ Chicken Bone Broth to the onions and stir it in.
  • Stirring constantly, gradually add 1 cup milk, whisking constantly to break up the flour. Do not add more liquid until the last bit has been incorporated.
  • Slowly pour 1 cup water into the onions, stirring constantly to make sure it combines with the sauce; you don't want lumps. Once it is incorporated, cook the mixture over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.
  • Rinse 1 and 3/4 cup white rice in a strainer under running water. Rinse until the water runs clear, at least 30-60 seconds (this makes your rice less gummy.) Add the rice to the greased 9x13 inch casserole dish. Add 1 and 3/4 cup water to the rice in the dish.
  • Add the white sauce mixture to the rice and water in the pan, and stir.
  • Place the chicken on top of the rice mixture. It will sink down a bit, that's okay. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, this is very important! Sometimes I even wrap the foil around the bottom of the dish just to make sure I have a good seal.
  • Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. At this point, turn the oven up to 400 degrees and bake for another 20-30 minutes.
    When the chicken is nice and brown, and the rice looks bubbly and thick on top, it's done. The edges of the pan should be very brown. The liquid will not look completely absorbed. To be 100% sure the rice is cooked, you can nab a spoonful from the center and taste it to see if it's nice and soft. If not, leave it in another 10 minutes. The chicken should be above 165 degrees. The top of the casserole will still look a little liquidy. The casserole will settle as it rests and continue absorbing some of the sauce, but it is meant to be a little saucy, it won't look as dry as rice you've cooked with water. The rice should be soft and the pan should be jiggly but not sloshy when you shake it.
  • Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes. Serve right away, sprinkled with chopped parsley as a garnish. I love this Easy Roasted Broccoli Recipe as a side dish with this meal!

Nutrition

Calories: 671kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Potassium: 458mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 699IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 2mg