This meal will become one of your favorites!
Some of the best things in life are simple. Our Chicken & Rice Casserole is no different. Made with whole, clean ingredients, this skinny recipe offers the simple, comforting flavors of traditional chicken and rice, but without any extra fat and calories. Sure to be a hit in your house, our savory Chicken & Rice Casserole pairs beautifully with most of our fresh salad recipes. Which one will yo try?
Chicken dishes can be bland, but this one is anything but. Not only does it make a great meal for entertaining or hosting a get-together at your home, it is a great take-along dish if you are attending an event. Worried a chicken and rice casserole might be a little too predictable as a pitch-in dish? Don’t be. This is one of most delicious casseroles and it is packed with health ingredients. Chicken meals do not need to be boring or predictable. When you combine these healthy ingredients and kick the recipe up with rice, anyone who eats it will feel satisfied.
Chicken and rice is a great healthy combination and always tastes delicious. If you want to prepare something that is easy and nutritious, give our chicken and rice casserole a try.
You might also like some of our other casserole dishes. Try one of these Skinny Ms. Casserole Favorites!
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 - 2 1/2 pounds chicken bone-in, skinless
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper ground
- 2 egg whites slightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Rice
- 1 yellow onion small, diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup Basmati brown rice uncooked
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth low-sodium
- 14.5 ounces canned tomatoes diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste no-sugar added
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Add egg whites to a medium mixing bowl. Combine in a separate mixing bowl or gallon size zip lock bag, flour, ½ teaspoon black pepper and cayenne pepper. One at a time, dip chicken into egg whites and allow excess to drip off.
- Next, coat both sides of chicken pieces in flour mixture. Heat oil on medium heat until a small amount of flour dropped in sizzles…indicating oil is hot enough. Add chicken and lightly brown on both sides. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In the same skillet, sauté onion, garlic and bell pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. Add all ingredients, except chicken, to a 9” x 13” casserole dish, stir to combine. Place chicken in the rice mixture, loosely cover with foil and bake approximately 60 minutes or until rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid.
Nutrition Information
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I've had mine in the oven for over an hour and the rice seems still hard. I'm using a Dutch oven, as I don't have a casserole dish. How much longer would you suggest it to cook (in the Dutch oven)? Also, what hardness does brown rice tropically have anyway? I haven't cooked brown rice before.
Crystal, Brown rice does have a slight crunch compared to white rice. However, the crunch isn't hard…just firmer that white rice. Keep us posted on the results. Thanksa1
Hi if you use brown rice…it takes about 45 minutes to cook…I would cook it a bit before putting it in this casserole. However, if you use brown basmati…as this recipe calls for it cooks much faster..about 12-15 min…so you would not have to cook it at all….There is a difference.
It turned out fine! I did however, purchase a glass casserole dish for future cooking. I'm just not used to the brown rice, but it softened up a bit. I just finished up my last bit of white rice that I had on another meal. No more!
Is there any particular reason that you use bone-in chicken versus boneless?
The bones impart some flavor, but you can use boneless as well.
Does this freeze well prior to cooking? Would you thaw first or cook frozen?
I've never tried freezing first, so I can't say for certain. However, if you do freeze first, allow to thaw in the fridge overnight before cooking.
Living in San Antonio, TX with its fabulous Hispanic culture, I learned to fry my rice before adding the liquid ingredients which gives the rice a headstart on cooking. In this recipe, saute the rice with the onion and garlic, and bell pepper. Continue with the recipe as directed.
Marcine, WOW…thank you so much for the tip. I’ll make another version of this recipe, using your tip of course. 🙂
Can’t wait, giving this a try tomorrow =) Sounds wonderful!!
Debbie, It really is. 🙂
Yummy. Made this tonight. I served it with a leafy green salad with homemade apple cider honey vinegarette.
How do you freeze this and reheat it? Does reheating dry out the chicken and rice?
Cheryl, I don’t usually freeze the uncooked chicken with the rice. I would suggest making the entire recipe ahead of time, cool to room temp, then freeze. Allow to defrost in the fridge. Before reheating, around 375 degrees, add a little more liquid (about 1/3 cup), either water or broth, cover with foil and reheat until hot.