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Pioneer Woman Chicken Rice Bake

Pioneer Woman chicken rice bake is a set-and-forget one dish chicken bake with golden roasted chicken pieces nestled in deeply savory rice. The rice absorbs pan drippings as the chicken skin caramelizes, while the oven method keeps everything tender and evenly cooked.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 550
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken rice bake base
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces 3-4 pounds bone-in chicken parts
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of celery soup
  • 1.5 cup long-grain white rice uncooked
  • 1.5 cup water or chicken broth choose one
  • 1 envelope (1 oz) onion soup mix
  • 0.5 salt to taste
  • 0.25 pepper to taste
  • 0.25 garlic powder to taste
  • 0.25 paprika to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prepare and mix
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a large 9x13 baking dish to prevent sticking. Use the greased dish right away so the rice cooks evenly.
  2. Whisk together the three soups, long-grain white rice, and water or chicken broth in the prepared dish until combined. Stop when no dry rice streaks remain.
Season and assemble
  1. Sprinkle half of the onion soup mix into the rice and stir to distribute. Make sure the mixture looks evenly speckled.
  2. Season the chicken pieces generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Nestle the chicken skin-side up into the rice in a single layer as much as possible.
  3. Sprinkle the remaining onion soup mix over the chicken. Keep it on top so it toasts as the chicken roasts.
Bake
  1. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350°F for 1 hour. Look for bubbling around the edges of the dish.
  2. Remove the foil and bake 25-30 minutes until the chicken is golden and the rice has absorbed all liquid. You should see crisped, browned chicken skin and rice that looks fluffy rather than soupy.

Notes

Pro tip: for the best texture, keep the chicken skin-side up and avoid stirring during baking so the rice can absorb the drippings. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat covered in the oven or microwave until hot. Freezing: yes—freeze portions up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter swap, use low-sodium condensed soups and adjust added salt to taste.