Chicken and Rice Casserole

June 2021. Memphis summer, 62 years old, and the heat wraps around Orange Mound like a wet blanket that nobody asked for but everybody wears because that is the deal you make when you live in the South. The smoker calls louder in summer — something about the heat amplifying the smoke, the way humidity amplifies everything in Memphis — and I answer, because answering is what pitmasters do.

Charlie in Nashville, thriving in the way Charlie thrives — quietly, competently, with the determination of a Johnson woman and the grace of something uniquely hers.

Ribs this week — spare ribs, dry-rubbed, five hours at 225, no foil, no rush. The Memphis way. The bark cracked when I bit into it, and the flavor was layered: smoke first, then spice, then the sweetness of the pork, each layer arriving on its own schedule, patient as a sermon. Rosetta ate two ribs and said nothing negative, which is a standing ovation from the toughest critic in my life.

Sunday at Mt. Zion, the choir sang and I sat in my pew and let the music hold me. The bass notes I used to add are quieter now — my voice is aging, the way everything ages — but the listening is its own participation, and the church holds me the way the church has held this community for a hundred years: faithfully, unconditionally, with room for everyone who shows up. I show up. That is enough.

The ribs get the glory, and I won’t apologize for that — but there are evenings after church when Rosetta and I want something that asks nothing of us, something that just holds the warmth of the day without any drama. That’s when this chicken and rice casserole earns its place in the rotation. It’s not a showpiece; it’s a resting meal, the kind you put together with easy hands and a grateful heart, and it tastes exactly like home is supposed to taste.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 1 hr | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Mix the rice base. In a large bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, sour cream, diced onion, and minced garlic. Stir until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
Add the rice. Stir the uncooked rice into the soup mixture until evenly distributed. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it level.
Season the chicken. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Rub the seasoning all over each piece of chicken.
Arrange and dot with butter. Nestle the seasoned chicken pieces on top of the rice mixture, skin side up. Scatter the small pieces of butter over the top of the chicken and rice.
Cover and bake. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Uncover and finish. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the chicken skin is golden and the internal temperature of the thickest piece reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. The rice should be tender and have absorbed most of the liquid.
Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve straight from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken and Rice Casserole — The Smoker Rests, the Oven Takes Over