Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice (No Cream Soup)

Name: Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 2 cups long-grain white rice (uncooked); 1 can beef consommé (10.5 ounces); 1 can French onion soup (10.5 ounces); ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon dried oregano; ½ teaspoon black pepper (freshly cracked); ½ teaspoon salt; 1½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons, cut into thin pats); fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)

Sometimes you just need a cozy one-dish dinner with a few simple pantry ingredients and, believe it or not, a whole stick of butter. Trust me on this. It’s exactly what your family needs on busy nights when prep time is short and everyone’s hungry!

Baked chicken thighs on seasoned rice garnished with parsley on a white plate beside striped napkin.

What You’ll Need

2 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 can (10.5 ounces) beef consommé
1 can (10.5 ounces) French onion soup
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into thin pats or slices
Fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)

Labeled ingredients for chicken and rice bake including raw chicken thighs, canned soups, butter, rice, parsley, and spices.

Equipment You’ll Need

A 9×13 inch baking dish is perfect for this recipe. I like it because it holds the right amount of liquid to evenly coat and cook the rice. Other sizes might not cook the rice properly.

Instructions

Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Then spray the baking dish with nonstick spray or lightly grease it with butter.

Add the rice

Pour the rice into the baking dish.

Uncooked white rice spread evenly across the bottom of a white oval baking dish.

The rice should form a thin layer that covers the bottom of the dish.

Pour in the liquid

Next, pull the two cans from the pantry and pour the soup and consommé over the rice.

Campbell's French onion and beef consommé soups being poured over raw rice in a white oval baking dish.

Gently stir the liquid so the rice is covered and the liquids are evenly distributed.

Season & arrange the chicken

Season both sides of the chicken before adding it to the rice and soup mixture.

Seasoned raw chicken thighs on parchment beside the same thighs arranged in a white baking dish with marinade.

Save This Post

I'll send you a link so you can find it later.

You'll join my email list which you will love. And if you don't, unsubscribe in one click. ❤️

This is where the right pan size matters: if you use anything smaller, the liquids will overflow as soon as you put the dish on the stove.

Add the butter

Now for the star of the show—the whole stick of butter! It balances the broth’s richness and adds creaminess. So don’t skip out on this step.

Pats of butter placed over raw seasoned chicken thighs in dark marinade inside a white baking dish.

Add the pats of butter evenly over the chicken so they melt and coat everything in the dish.

Cover and bake

Grab some foil and tightly cover the dish. Then bake at 425°F for 1 hour.

Uncover and finish

To finish baking, remove the foil and then bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Baked chicken thighs resting on caramelized onion rice in a white oval dish, garnished with fresh parsley.

The chicken is done when it’s lightly golden, and the internal temperature is 165°F. The rice will look brown and maybe crispy on top, and that’s ok. The rice soaks up all that rich broth, and you have one less step to get dinner on the table!

Rest and serve

Take the dish out of the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes so the liquids simmer down a little and the rice can continue absorbing that flavor. Garnish with the chopped fresh parsley and serve.

Herb-seasoned baked chicken thighs nestled in seasoned rice with parsley garnish in a white casserole dish.

Storage Instructions

To store leftovers, put them in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. To reheat, microwave individual portions for about 1 1/2-2 minutes, or cover the whole dish and warm in the oven for 15-20 minutes (at 350°F). You may need to add a little water or chicken stock to restore moisture to the rice.

You can also make and freeze this meal. It’s perfect for meal prep. I like to make two side by side, eat one that evening, and freeze the other for another time. For a freezer-meal-friendly version, bake it per the instructions, then let it cool to room temperature. When you’re ready to add it to the menu, thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Questions and Troubleshooting

Can I use chicken breasts instead?

Yes! I love using chicken breasts in this recipe because they sit in a little bed of rice and soup, so they cook with less chance of drying out (not to mention the butter on top!). You can also use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, and don’t forget to remove the cover for a few extra minutes to really crisp up the skin.

What about using other kinds of rice?

For this recipe, I highly recommend sticking to long-grain white rice or jasmine rice. Avoid using minute rice because it will just turn into mush. Brown rice doesn’t work well because it takes much longer to cook and needs much more liquid.

Can I add any veggies to this dish?

Please do, then it’s truly a one-dish dinner! I like to add sliced mushrooms and/or peas…you add them right on top of the rice before you pour in the liquids.

The rice didn’t cook all the way, and there’s extra liquid. What did I do wrong?

The key is using the right-size dish. The liquid-to-rice ratio helps ensure the rice cooks properly. Next time, try a different dish, or if that is all you have, cover the dish longer to make sure the rice cooks all the way through, and cook it a few minutes longer in 5-minute increments. Alternatively, if you end up with super mushy rice, check your pan size and reduce the cooking time by about 10 minutes. You can’t really hurt this dish by checking it after most of the cooking time to make sure the rice is where you want it.

Can I halve this recipe? What about doubling it?

To keep the rice-to-liquid ratio, I recommend making this recipe as-is and dividing it afterward if you want only half. So, make the whole recipe and then eat half right away and freeze the other half for another day. You have to open two whole cans of soup anyway, so you might as well get an extra meal out of it! And if you want to double, I suggest doing what I mentioned before to make an extra meal. Make the originally portioned recipe side by side so you end up with two full dishes.

More easy one-dish chicken dinners

Herb-seasoned baked chicken thighs nestled over rice in a white casserole dish with blue-handled serving spoon.

Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice

A dump-and-bake chicken and rice casserole with beef consommé, French onion soup, and a whole stick of butter — no cream soup needed. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

No ratings yet

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1 15

Rest Time: 10

Total Time: 1 35

Servings: servings

Calories: 685kcal

Author: Katie Shaw

Equipment

9×13-inch baking dish
Aluminum foil

Ingredients

2 cups long-grain white rice uncooked
1 can beef consommé 10.5 ounces
1 can French onion soup 10.5 ounces
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked
½ teaspoon salt
1½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 stick unsalted butter 8 tablespoons, cut into thin pats
fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 425°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Add the rice. Spread the uncooked rice evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Pour in the liquid. Pour the beef consommé and French onion soup over the rice, stirring gently so the rice is fully submerged and evenly distributed.
Season the chicken. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with the garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Arrange the chicken. Place the seasoned thighs in a single layer directly on top of the rice and soup mixture.
Add the butter. Distribute the butter pats evenly over the chicken and any exposed rice.
Cover and bake. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 425°F for 1 hour.
Uncover and finish. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F and the top is lightly golden.
Rest and serve. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes, then garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Notes

Use standard long-grain white rice or jasmine rice — not minute/instant rice (it turns to mush) or brown rice. If the liquid isn’t fully absorbed after baking, re-cover with foil and extend the bake in 5-minute increments. Bone-in, skin-on thighs or chicken breasts also work; if using skin-on thighs, add 5 minutes to the uncovered bake to crisp the skin. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 1½ to 2 minutes with a small splash of broth or water, or covered in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. To freeze: bake completely, cool to room temperature, wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake covered at 350°F for 30 minutes until heated through.