No-Peek Smothered Chicken & Rice
I make A LOT of easy dinners around here, but Iโm pretty sure this might be one of the easiest dinners I have ever made. Iโm not kidding when I tell you this took me about 10 minutes to put together, and somehow what comes out of the oven tastes like you spent all afternoon making it.
You guys already know I love a goodย dump-and-bake dinnerโthrow everything in the pan, put it in the oven, and let dinner basically make itself. Some of my most viral recipes are exactly that, like my Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice, Stick of Butter Beef and Rice, and French Onion Chicken and Rice Casserole. If you love those easy dinners, THIS ONE needs to be next on your list.
This is basically the classicย no-peek chicken and rice, but I gave it the ultimate smothered chicken upgrade! Not long ago I did a partnership with Campbellโs using their Smothered Chicken Cooking Sauce, and before I ever agreed to the partnership, I tried it. I could NOT get over how freaking good it was. And just to be clear,ย this recipe is not sponsored. I genuinely liked that sauce so much that afterward I started thinking,ย Okayโฆwhat else can I make with this stuff?
Well, THIS. I combined the Campbellโs Smothered Chicken Cooking Sauce with Campbellโs Cream of Chicken with Herbs, chicken stock, long-grain rice, chicken tenderloins, Parmesan, and Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Then I gave the top of the chicken aย very light mist of extra-light olive oil spray, covered the whole thing SUPER tightly, and let the oven do its thing.
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And when I say no-peek, I meanย NO PEEKING! What happens underneath that foil is basically magic.
The very top of the rice gets just the tiniest bit toasted and almost crispy, while underneath it is creamy, soft, perfectly cooked rice with all of that smothered chicken flavor soaked into every bite. And that little mist of olive oil helps the Parmesan and onion soup topping on the chicken get that beautiful browned finish.
This is the kind of dinner you make when you absolutely do not feel like cooking but still want everybody at the table thinking you did something special.
Why Youโll Love This Recipe
- Aboutย 10 minutes of prep
- Everything goes intoย one 9ร13 baking dish
- No cooking the rice beforehand
- No browning the chicken
- No standing over the stove
- Barely any cleanup
- Creamy, savory, ridiculously flavorful chicken and rice
- Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner
And most importantly: you put it in the oven and leave it alone!
Lightly spray aย 9ร13-inch baking dishย with nonstick cooking spray. Add the uncooked long-grain rice directly into the baking dish.
Pour in the Campbellโs Smothered Chicken Cooking Sauce & Campbellโs Cream of Chicken with Herbs.
Pour in the chicken stock and mix it all together. Top it with the chicken tenderloins.
It is going to look thick. The mixture should almost remind you of a loose oatmeal consistency. You may think it needs more liquid. DONโT ADD IT!
Sprinkle over Tonys creole seasoning, Larry’s seasoning, grated parmesan cheese, and Lipton onion soup mix.
Hereโs the little step that helps that topping come out SO GOOD. I usedย Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil Spray and give theย tops of the chicken a very light mist.
Cover the baking dishย VERY, VERY TIGHTLY with aluminum foil. NO PEEKING!
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More Delicious Chicken & Rice Recipes!
Melissaโs Tips!
- Use long-grain white rice.ย This recipe and the liquid amounts are based on uncooked long-grain rice.
- Donโt panic when you see the mixture before baking.ย Itโs supposed to be thick and creamy, almost like loose oatmeal.
- Donโt add extra liquid.ย Trust it!
- Cover that pan VERY tightly.ย We need all that steam trapped inside to cook the rice.
- Leave it completely undisturbed.ย No stirring, checking, or lifting the foil during baking.
- No peeking!ย I mean it!
- Use only a light mist of olive oil spray.ย Youโre not trying to saturate the chicken. Itโs just enough to help that topping brown.
- Watch the extra seasoning.ย There is already plenty of flavor from the sauces, Lipton Onion Soup Mix, and Parmesan. Seasoning the chicken is completely optional.
- Want to cut back on sodium?ย Skip any additional seasoning on the chicken and replace the 1 cup of low-sodium chicken stock withย 1 cup of plain water.
- I used chicken tenderloins because theyโre perfect for this cooking time and make this recipe incredibly easy.
๐ค Common Questions
No! Add theย 2 cups of long-grain rice completely uncooked. It cooks right in the baking dish with the sauces and liquid.
Itโs supposed to! It should look almost like loose oatmeal before you add the chicken. Donโt keep pouring in extra liquid because you think it looks wrong. Once everything is tightly covered, the rice cooks in all that liquid and trapped steam.
Skip the additional seasoning on the chicken altogether. You donโt need extra salt or seasoned salt because youโre already getting so much flavor. If youโd like to cut back even further, replace theย 1 cup of low-sodium chicken stock with 1 cup of plain water.
No-Peek Smothered Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF and lightly spray a 9ร13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add the uncooked long-grain rice, Campbellโs Smothered Chicken Cooking Sauce, Campbellโs Cream of Chicken with Herbs, and chicken stock directly to the baking dish. Mix until well combined. The mixture should be thick and creamy, similar to loose oatmeal.
- Arrange the chicken tenderloins directly on top of the rice mixture. Do not stir them into the rice.
- If desired, very lightly season the chicken with a tiny pinch of Tony Chachereโs, Lawryโs, or your preferred seasoning. This is completely optional.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the chicken, allowing a little to fall onto the rice.
- Sprinkle the entire packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix evenly over the chicken.
- Give the tops of the chicken a very light mist of Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil Spray to help the topping brown as it bakes.
- Cover the baking dish VERY tightly with aluminum foil, making sure it is sealed well around the edges.
- Bake covered at 350ยฐF for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Leave the dish completely undisturbed during bakingโdo not remove the foil or peek!
- Remove from the oven and carefully uncover. Make sure the chicken has reached 165ยฐF internally and the rice is tender.
- Spoon the creamy rice onto plates, top with the smothered chicken, and serve!
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Nutrition
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Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up toย 3โ4 days. When reheating, add a tiny splash of chicken stock or water if the rice has thickened up in the refrigerator. Cover and microwave until everything is heated through.
