Crack Chicken and Rice Casserole

Make dinner simple with this cheesy Crack Chicken and Rice Casserole! Loaded with carrots, green pepper, onion, and pantry staples like Rice-A-Roni and cream soup. Perfect for busy weeknights.

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This post was last updated 6/2025.

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Shopping list:

• chicken rice a roni (plus ingredients listed on box)
• carrots
• bell pepper
• onion
• cream of chicken soup
• sour cream
• cooked chicken breast
• black pepper
• sharp cheddar cheese

Growing up in Minnesota, we often referred to them as hotdish. This term is still popular here in the midwest and means a dish baked in one pan, served hot. Makes complete sense to me. Let's just keep it simple, right? I'll share some of my favorite hotdish and casserole recipes below, but for now, let's chat about today's recipe.

The name of this recipe is very fitting. Once you take a bite, you'll want more and more.

I invited a friend of mine over for dinner, she loved it and took leftovers home with her. I also brought leftovers to work, and my co-worker went crazy and wanted to go home and make it for her family right away.

I'm not usually a fan of using cream soups and boxed meals, but sometimes, for comfort foods sake, you just have to use them.

This recipe takes less than an hour from start to finish, making it totally doable for a weeknight dinner, especially if you use leftover rotisserie chicken. The leftovers are just as good too making it great for lunch throughout the week!

It's so easy to make it different, but still the same simple recipe. We also love trying different flavors of rice a roni instead of chicken. Our current favorite is rice pilaf flavor and pepper jack cheese! I love that this recipe is affordable too! We buy our rotisserie chicken at Sam's Club, and use it for different recipes all the time.

If you love a good, comfort food casserole, check out my Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole or Minnesota Wild Rice Hotdish!

Need to use up some extra chicken breast? Try these Chicken and Broccoli Bites or Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas!

Keep scrolling for the full printable recipe 💙

Recipe tips and substitution ideas:

• You can use any flavor of Rice-A-Roni instead of chicken. Get creative with what you have on hand. Feel free to add any fresh or frozen vegetables you enjoy. We love mixing in garlic, crushed red pepper, or fresh herbs for extra flavor. Our favorite combo is using rice pilaf with pepper jack cheese for a little kick. You can also use your favorite variety of cream soup or swap in a homemade version if you prefer.  diced turkey, ham, ground chicken or ground beef works great too!

• If you'd rather skip the boxed rice mix, simply cook white rice or brown rice in chicken broth and use 3 cups of cooked rice in place of the mix.

• This recipe is freezer friendly and can be prepped ahead of time. When ready to bake, remove it from the freezer and cook as directed, adding 20–30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

• For the carrots, I sliced mine very thin and they cooked perfectly with the listed times. However, some testers found their carrots weren’t quite done, so they recommend adding them during the last 10 minutes of baking instead of just the last five.

• I recommend using freshly shredded cheese for the best melt and flavor.

Our favorite kitchen equipment and supplies used with this recipe:

• Pyrex Basics 3 Quart Glass Oblong Baking Dish
• Cambom Rotary Cheese Grater and Vegetable Slicer
• Epicurean Kitchen Series Cutting Board

Yield 6 servings

Author Hot Eats and Cool Reads

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

50 Min

Total time

1 Hour

Crack Chicken and Rice Casserole

This easy Crack Chicken and Rice Casserole is a delicious, budget-friendly dinner made with rotisserie chicken, Rice-A-Roni, vegetables, and cream of chicken soup. A comforting and satisfying family favorite!

Ingredients

• 1 - 6.9 ounce box chicken rice a roni or any boxed rice and pasta mix (plus ingredients listed on box)
• 1 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 1 - 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Cook the rice a roni according to package directions, adding the carrots, bell pepper and onion in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
3. When the rice is cooked through, stir in the cream soup, sour cream, chicken breast and black pepper. Remove from heat.
4. Spread the rice mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Cover evenly with cheese.
5. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes then serve!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

450.32

Fat

23.42 g

Sat. Fat

11.20 g

Carbs

36.33 g

Fiber

2.22 g

Net carbs

29.53 g

Sugar

4.50 g

Protein

24.90 g

Sodium

1027.20 mg

Cholesterol

95.50 mg

Hot Eats and Cool Reads is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you try from this blog/website. You may not always have the same results I do due to variations in ingredients, humidity, altitude, cooking temperatures, typos, errors, omissions, or individual cooking abilities. 

You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful. I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual's dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual.

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