Lemon Chicken Casserole Recipe

Looking for an easy recipe that's full of flavor, yet simple enough to enjoy any night of the week? Search no further! This lemon chicken casserole is the picture of summer comfort food. It's ideal both for quick midweek dinners and relaxing weekend meals.

No combination is as refreshing and satisfying for dinner as juicy chicken and tangy lemon. Add in some creamy, tender rice and you've got yourself a new favorite recipe that the whole family will enjoy.

Next time, try this easy recipe for Rotel Chicken Spaghetti - a simple and delicious!

Jump to:

• Irresistible Lemon Chicken and Rice Recipe
• Ingredients you’ll need
• Step-by-step instructions
• Essential tools for this recipe
• Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
• Deb’s tips for the perfect dish
• Creative variations to try
• How to store leftovers
• More recipes you’ll love
• Perfect pairings: what to serve with
• Creamy Lemon Chicken Rice Casserole Recipe

Irresistible Lemon Chicken and Rice Recipe

What makes this recipe irresistible (in my opinion! 🤔) is the tangy, creamy lemon sauce. The super flavorful rice, salty parmesan cheese and fresh lemons, parmesan. It's like the classic chicken rice casserole recipe, but with a modern spin!

This recipe works because it's easy and tasty. It's a delicious, comforting meal that will quickly become a family favorite!

Ingredients you’ll need

Please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact measurements. 

• Chicken thighs - you can use chicken legs or bone-in or boneless chicken breasts as well.
• all purpose flour
• This recipe uses ranch seasoning mix, but if you need to substitute with garlic salt, black pepper, onion powder and thyme.
• long-grain uncooked rice
• Cream of chicken soup - sour cream would be a great substitute for the cream soup. You could also use cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup.
• chicken broth
• Parmesan cheese
• Meyer lemons if you can find them!
• olive oil

Step-by-step instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. For the complete directions just scroll down to the bottom!

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray the baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine flour and 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Set aside. 
3. Heat skillet. Add olive oil and fry chicken skin side down until golden brown. Flip and lightly brown chicken on side two. 
4. Mix together sauce. Combine cream of chicken soup, chicken stock, remaining ranch seasoning, parmesan cheese and whisk. Add rice and stir again.
5. Pour sauce mixture into prepared casserole dish. Top with browned chicken. Lay lemon slices over the chicken and rice. Cover tightly with foil.
6. Bake 60 minutes or until rice is tender. Let stand, covered 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with minced green onions.

Essential tools for this recipe

• Large skillet
• 19"x13" baking dish (use glass or ceramic)

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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

• Look for lemons that are firm, brightly colored, and feel slightly heavier for their size. This means they're more fresh and juicy.
• Make sure you allow the oil in your skillet to get hot—it'll look very shiny and thin once it's heated properly. This will allow you to get a good sear on the chicken skin.
• Once you place your chicken in the hot oil, don't fiddle around with it! The best sear comes when you just let the chicken cook unbothered!

Creative variations to try

I love a good casserole, especially since they're so easy to adapt! Here are some variation ideas if you don't have a certain ingredient or need to make other changes.

Cream of chicken provides the best flavor to complement the lemon and herb flavors, but you can swap in cream of mushroom soup and it'll still taste amazing!!! If you do, add in a can of sliced mushrooms (drained). You'll thank me later!

If you don't have bone-in chicken thighs, you can use boneless thighs or chicken drumsticks. You could also swap in skinless chicken breasts or cut chicken tenders (tenderloins) into pieces. You may need to adjust the cooking time.

If you swap the white for brown rice, keep in mind it takes longer to cook and requires more liquid. This lemon chicken casserole recipe was developed to have the right amount of liquid to perfectly cook white rice.

How to store leftovers

Refrigerate—Place leftover chicken into an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store for 3-4 days.

Freeze—Store leftovers in freezer-proof containers, or in disposable aluminum foil baking pans. This casserole will keep for up to 3 months.

Reheat—If frozen, let the casserole thaw in the fridge, first. You can thaw smaller portions quickly using the defrost setting on your microwave. Then, use the microwave to heat until warm. Or, if you have a lot to heat up, put the casserole back in the oven until it is warmed through.

The great thing about recipes that keep well is that you can make a big batch and have a quick dinner already prepared for later in the week! If your casserole gets a little dry during storage, add a splash of extra chicken broth or milk while reheating.

More recipes you’ll love

• If you love that lemony flavor, be sure to try Creamy Lemon Pasta. This super simple meal is knock your socks off delicious! And start to finish only takes about 20 minutes.
• The Chicken Pierogi Casserole. It's so rich and cheesy!
• Fried onions and ranch seasoning really do make this the Ultimate Chicken Noodle Casserole. It's cheesy, gooey, and exactly what comfort food should be.
• Be sure to try this Crockpot Chicken and Gravy recipe soon! Serve over noodles or rice - it's really amazing!
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup combines fresh, tangy lemon with tender chunks of chicken and cute little Orzo noodles in a delicious broth. Move over chicken noodle soup, there's a new favorite soup in town!
• Pasta lovers go crazy for these recipes! The Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole and Million Dollar Chicken Casserole are packed with flavor, cheese, tender noodles. Put these in the "need to try" category ASAP!

Perfect pairings: what to serve with

There are a ton of ideas of what to serve with chicken casserole here!

• This is great with a crisp green salad or a Heirloom Tomato Salad pairs perfectly with the warm, creaminess of the lemon chicken casserole and adds the perfect bite of freshness.
• Easy Yeast Rolls are so delicious, super simple, and perfect for dipping into the lemony casserole sauce. No time for baking? Make these rolls from frozen bread dough instead.
• Pink Lemonade Cupcakes are the perfect finisher to a lemon-based dish, with just a pop of citrus and a whole-lotta sweet, cakey flavor.

What do you think? Yummy huh!!! If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!