No Peek Chicken
76 Comments
Posted: 09/24/24
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
The best comfort food dinner made in one pan! No Peek Chicken and Rice is a family favorite dinner recipe that’s easy to make. A creamy combination of rice, cream of mushroom and chicken soup, chicken broth with chicken breasts on top. Sprinkle the dish with Onion Soup Mix, cover and bake!
No peek chicken is a six-ingredient dinner that is so easy to make. Chicken and rice are always a comforting and cozy dinner, and this casserole is one of our all-time favorites.
You only need a few minutes to prep it, and then it goes in the oven. When it’s done you have a hearty dinner!
Why Is It Called No Peek Chicken?
This is an old-school chicken and rice bake that gets its name from the way it’s cooked.
All of the ingredients go into a baking dish, and then you cover it tightly with foil. This traps the steam while the casserole bakes, which cooks the meat and rice perfectly.
The “no peeking” part is a warning – if you lift the foil while it’s baking, all of the steam will escape! So, leave it alone while it’s in the oven, and you’re rewarded with an amazing dinner.
Why You’ll Love This No Peek Chicken Recipe
- You don’t have to precook anything – the sauce, rice, and chicken all go into the baking dish and cook together.
- The flavors are familiar and cozy plus all of the ingredients, except for the meat, are pantry ingredients.
- You can make it ahead and freeze it or keep it in the fridge, making it a great meal to take to friends and family.
No Peek Chicken Ingredients
- Long-grain white rice – Make sure it’s long grain or it will overcook and be mushy.
- Cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup – Grab low sodium if you can!
- Chicken broth – Grab low sodium if you can!
- Boneless chicken breasts
- Onion soup mix – Lipton is our go to brand.
Substitions
- Swap out chicken breasts for chicken thighs.
- Use brown rice instead of white rice, but bake a little longer as brown rice takes longer to cook.
- Use any cream of soup in replace of cream of mushroom soup i.e. cream of chicken, cream of broccoli etc.
- Instead of chicken broth use vegetable broth if preferred.
- Add 12 ounces of frozen vegetables to the casserole.
- After baking top with 1-2 cups of shredded cheese, place back in the oven until melted.
Products Needed
How to Make No Peek Chicken
- Mix: In a medium bowl, mix the rice, both kinds of soup, and chicken broth. Pour into a prepared baking dish.
- Layer: Place the chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture and sprinkle the onion soup mix over the top.
- Bake: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the casserole for one hour and 15 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
Serving Suggestions
Add some delicious side dishes to make hearty and filling dinner:
- While it’s baking, make some Glazed Carrots – you only need five ingredients!
- Use your air fryer for cooking delicious Asparagus or Broccoli.
- Add a side of easy Creamed Peas – they’re so simple to make.
- Dinner Rolls are always good!
Pro Tips!
- Remember, No Peeking! The key to this recipe is tightly covering the dish with foil. It locks in all of the steam, so there is enough moisture to cook the steam the rice and cook the meat. So, don’t lift the foil while it’s in the oven! Otherwise, the steam will escape.
- Rice Tip: Be sure to use long-grain white rice and not short grain. Short grain rice will end up overcooked and mushy. I haven’t tried brown rice, but it will take longer to cook, so be aware if you make this substitution.
- Make-Ahead Tip: You can assemble this dish up to a day in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. If it goes into the oven cold, you will need to bake it a little longer.
- Freezing Tip: You can also freeze it for up to a month! Assemble and then wrap the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and foil. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before baking.
- Storing Leftovers: The leftovers are fantastic! Once it’s cooled, store them in an airtight container, and they will keep well for a few days.
Can I Make No Peek Chicken With Frozen Chicken?
Yes, you can use frozen chicken in this recipe. I would recommend smaller chicken breasts that thaw quickly or even chicken tenders since they are smaller and will cook through quicker. Make sure to check the internal temperature of your chicken to make sure it’s done. It should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit in thickest part of the breast.
Can You Use Brown Rice in No Peek Chicken?
If you are going to use brown rice you will need to bake it longer as brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice. Make sure to watch the liquid level in your casserole if it gets dry add a little more water. Brown rice can soak it up quicker than white rice.
Make Ahead Tips
You can assemble this casserole up to a day before baking. Store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Remove from the refrigerator, preheat oven and bake when ready to enjoy.
How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheat in the microwave on a microwave safe plate in 30 second increments stirring in between each increments. You can also reheat in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
I hope you give this classic baked chicken and rice casserole a try – it’s always a family favorite! I’ve made it countless times and always have the ingredients on hand because it’s so easy to toss together during the week. Enjoy!
More Easy Casserole Recipes
- Lasagna Casserole has all the flavors of lasagna but easier to make! It’s a great freezer-meal to make-ahead for an easy dinner.
- My Haystack Casserole is a favorite family recipe made with rice and taco meat. It’s topped with cheese sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and olives and served with tortilla chips.
- Chicken Alfredo Bake with Roasted Red Peppers is a cozy pasta bake perfect for when you’re craving a hearty pasta dinner!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
No Peek Chicken and Rice
Creamy rice mixture on bottom topped with chicken breasts and seasoned with onion soup mix for a one pan dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 10.5 ounces can cream of mushroom soup (1 can)
- 10.5 ounces can cream of chicken soup (1 can)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 ounces package Lipton onion soup mix (1 package)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the white rice, cream of mushroom and chicken soup and chicken broth. Mix until combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Place chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture. Sprinkle the onion soup mix on top of the casserole evenly. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place in a preheated oven.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tips
Remember, No Peeking! The key to this recipe is tightly covering the dish with foil. It locks in all of the steam, so there is enough moisture to cook the steam the rice and cook the meat. So, don’t lift the foil while it’s in the oven! Otherwise, the steam will escape.
Rice Tip: Be sure to use long-grain white rice and not short grain. Short grain rice will end up overcooked and mushy. I haven’t tried brown rice, but it will take longer to cook, so be aware if you make this substitution.
Make-Ahead Tip: You can assemble this dish up to a day in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. If it goes into the oven cold, you will need to bake it a little longer.
Freezing Tip: You can also freeze it for up to a month! Assemble and then wrap the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and foil. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before baking.
Storing Leftovers: The leftovers are fantastic! Once it’s cooled, store them in an airtight container, and they will keep well for a few days.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 603kcal (30%), Carbohydrates: 88g (29%), Protein: 37g (74%), Fat: 10g (15%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Cholesterol: 82mg (27%), Sodium: 1971mg (86%), Potassium: 753mg (22%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 1g (1%), Vitamin A: 169IU (3%), Vitamin C: 6mg (7%), Calcium: 59mg (6%), Iron: 3mg (17%)
Jill says
All in all, it was okay. Pretty bland. I think the onion soup mix should be mixed in with the rice as well. Definitely need lots more seasonings!
Sarah Hill says
Definitely feel free to add more seasonings! Our family tends to like more in our recipes as well so I adjust accordingly 🙂
Barbara Crerar says
I made this tonight. I did have to cut the recipe in half as it would’ve been too much. So easy and so delicious. Everyone enjoyed it
Sarah Hill says
I’m glad it turned out so well and everyone enjoyed it!
Gina says
Should I be using instant rice or regular rice for this recipe? I’ve seen this recipe on Pinterest several times and most say instant rice. Thank you.
Sarah Hill says
This recipe uses regular rice. If you were to use brown rice, you’d have to cook even longer since that takes longer to fully cook. Hope this helps!
Puck says
Family members are wimps when it comes to mushroom. Just substitute the cream of chicken for the mushroom and double up. Works the same and comes out delish. Thanks for the recipe. One of our staples.
Sarah Hill says
So glad this is a hit in your family! Thanks so much for commenting and rating this recipe!
Tina Garrett says
Has anyone added shredded cheese to this?
Sarah Hill says
I’m not sure if anyone has but I wouldn’t think it would hurt it!
Jennifer Massey says
We don’t care for mushroom, but so we substituted cream of celery. We also used chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. We baked this for 1 1/2 hours. This meal was absolutely delicious. We will keep this our regular rotation. Husband says, “This is fire?”
Sarah Hill says
Those sound like great alternatives! Happy it was a family hit! Thanks so much for commenting and rating this recipe!
David Moyneur says
Cooked it twice now and love it. Also great leftovers for work👍
Sarah Hill says
We’re so glad you love it!
Keri Brammeier says
Could I use minute white rice?
Tom A. says
I have always added fresh chopped carrots and frozen green peas to mine. I also add an extra can of soup, golden mushroom. I also add an extra cup of stock. I use brown rice, so it takes longer, so you need more liquid. Also add a good bit of pepper and check for salt
Sarah Hill says
Great to know these added options! Thanks for commenting and rating this recipe!
Donna says
Can you use bone in skin on chicken breasts
Julie Evink says
I’m sorry I’ve never tried that. I’ve done chicken legs so I would think it would work as long as they cook through.
Debbie A. says
I haven’t had this casserole in years…one of mom’s favorite! It turned out perfectly, rice was nice and tender. I used legs and thighs, added chopped onions and celery, pepper and garlic powder. Thank you so much, my husband gave it thumbs up!
…
Courtney says
Thank you!
Kathy says
Try substituting orange juice for the water. That is how my Mom always made it
Courtney says
Really??
Diana Reyes says
Easy and delicious. I made it with boneless thighs( breasts are to dry) and it was amazing.
Courtney says
Yum! We enjoy the thighs as well!
Debra Slotman says
This is very good but I couldn’t get my rice to cook.
Courtney says
The key to this recipe is tightly covering the dish with foil. It locks in all of the steam, so there is enough moisture to cook the steam the rice and cook the meat. So, don’t lift the foil while it’s in the oven! Otherwise, the steam will escape.
Camden Rusincovitch says
I really enjoy that I can just pop this no peek chicken into the oven. It’s so great for nights when I’m trying to clean up a bit of the kitchen before dinner, lol
Courtney says
So easy & so delicious!
Trina says
I’ve had this in the oven for 1.5 hours and the rice is still crunchy … what an I doing wrong???
Nick says
Mine too. It seems like I didn’t add enough liquid
Diana Reyes says
You have to have the foil on tight. If you lift the foil the steam goes out. All ovens are different so I cooked mine 20 minutes longer before I checked it. My oven seems to cook a little slower so I always cook things longer.
Courtney says
Thank you for helping!