Turmeric Chicken and Rice Casserole
A chicken and rice casserole – with a healthy, turmeric twist! It’s just what you need for an all-in-one easy dinner that’s full of comforting flavors. Plus, it serves as a great balance of protein, carbs, and sneaky veggies. A win all around.
Turmeric Chicken And Rice Casserole – A Healthy, Weeknight Favorite
There are chicken and rice casseroles, and then there’s this turmeric chicken and rice casserole, which, I think you’ll agree is an elevated version. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner idea that nestles whole chicken breasts into the most vibrant golden rice that’s infused with warm and earthy flavors plus some sneaky grated carrot for a veggie boost.
The whole thing bakes together in the oven, and when it’s done, you simply have to fluff the rice, scoop out a chicken breast and serve it up! It’s easy and super delicious with curry-like flavors. Yes, turmeric can easily be added to a variety of recipes for anti-inflammatory boost!
What You Need For This Chicken Casserole Recipe
The name of this recipe says it all. But it’s the turmeric spin and little additions that makes this chicken and rice casserole so much better than the classic. In my opinion, it’s the perfect combo of fresh and warming flavors.
- Onion & Garlic: I like to use sweet yellow onions, but white onions will also work. You’ll also need a generous amount of garlic (of course).
- Turmeric & Ginger: The ultimate duo that gives this casserole a super healthy, antioxidant boost, and a punch of deliciously warm flavors.
- Cumin: Cumin is a great spice that pairs well with turmeric and ginger, helping to bring out the curry-like flavors.
- Coconut Milk: Make sure to grab a can (not carton) of full-fat coconut milk. The canned version helps to add moisture to the chicken and rice as it cooks.
- Basmati Rice: After a few test runs with different types of rice, I found that basmati rice tastes the best as it stays light and fluffy. But you could also use an alternate long-grain white rice, like jasmine rice. You can read more about the differences in this how to cook rice post.
- Carrot: Just one large carrot is needed for a sneaky veggie boost.
- Lime: Opt for fresh lime juice instead of the bottled version!
- Cilantro: This is used for garnish at the end, and feel free to add more per serving if you love cilantro, like I do! If you don’t love cilantro, you can swap it with parsley.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make This Chicken and Rice Casserole
A full meal that’s made in just one hour? Heck yes! All this casserole really needs is a bit of prep work, some sautéing, and a little baking. Just make sure to use a 9×13-inch baking dish to give enough room for everything to cook evenly. Lightly grease it up and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) to get started.
Cook the spiced onion mixture. Sauté the chopped onions for 3 to 4 minutes (or until translucent) in a separate skillet. Add the garlic, turmeric, salt, pepper, ginger, and cumin, and stir for another 30 seconds. Then pour in the coconut milk and gently stir until the mixture is smooth.
Add everything into the casserole pan. Transfer the creamy onion mix into the casserole pan, along with the water, rice, carrot, and lime juice. Stir it all together until combined, then add the chicken breasts on top. And to give the chicken breasts a bit more flavor, spoon the creamy liquid over them or flip them with tongs.
Bake away. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The rice should be perfectly tender and the chicken juicy and cooked through. If not, let it cook for a few more minutes!
Garnish it up! Fluff up the rice, season the chicken with extra salt and pepper, and sprinkle with lots of fresh cilantro before serving.
Storage & Meal Prep Tips
Casseroles always makes for a great meal prep recipes. You can portion it out for the week, or freeze it to enjoy a month later whenever you’re staring at a blank fridge. So here’s how to properly store it.
- To store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
- To freeze: You can freeze a leftover portion by storing in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Chicken And Rice Casserole Recipe Video
More Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas
You can always count on chicken breast for a healthy meal. But avoid rubbery breasts that lack flavor with any of these reader favorite chicken breast recipes!
- One Pan Chicken and Rice (with Mediterranean flavors)
- Butter Chicken
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Coconut Curry Chicken
- Chicken Fajitas
- Best Baked Chicken Breast (or this herb baked chicken breast)
Just getting into turmeric? This chicken and rice casserole is a great start – plus it’s super delicious for a healthy dinner. If you make it, I’d love to hear what you think in a comment below!
Turmeric Chicken and Rice Casserole
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) full fat coconut milk
- ¾ cup water
- 1 ¼ cup long grain white rice, rinsed
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- roughly chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole pan.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until slightly translucent.
- Add the garlic, turmeric, salt, pepper, ginger, and cumin, and stir for another 30 seconds. Then add the canned coconut milk and gently stir until there's no longer lumpy coconut milk bits. Transfer the mixture to the casserole pan.
- Add the water, rice, carrot, and lime juice to the casserole pan, and stir together.
- Nestle the chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture (I like to coat both sides of the chicken breast in the liquid for more flavor). Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
- Before serving, fluff the rice with a fork, season the chicken with additional salt and pepper, and sprinkle with cilantro.
Lisa’s Tips
- For those who prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs, simply swap them out! Just note thighs might cook a little faster than chicken breasts, depending on how thick they are.
- If you’re in need of some new baking pans, I love to use these baking pans or these nestled baking pans.
So easy to make and so delicious. This has become a family favorite, and I make it on a regular basis. Even my fussiest child loved it. The flavors really blend together well and I like the fact that this is not an expensive dish.
Another great casserole! Yes more casseroles please!
I love this healthy recipe and it’s also neen approved by my extremely picky grandchildren!
The turmeric and coconut combinations gave this casserole a yummy cheese flavor so they were completely satisfied. Will be another Downshiftology favorite for me!
I do parboil the rice then add it with the other ingredients just before adding the chicken to make sure it’s cooked.
Thank you so much!
This recipe was easy and super tasty. The spice mixture was warming and comforting. I will definitely be making it again.
I’ve made this a few times and my son’s love it! But their mom is getting tired of us making it. I’m wondering if I could replace the 2 tsp of turmeric for minced garlic to make a garlic chicken casserole. I was thinking maybe even roast a head of garlic and stir it in at the end with the cilantro???
I’ve made this twice and both times had issues with the rice cooking all the way through. I used jasmine white rice and basmati white rice the other time, followingrecipe exactly. At 40 minutes the chicken was cooked through but the rice was crunchy. Had to take the chicken out, mix in another 1/4 cup of water and bake an additional 10 minutes. It’s a tasty dish and good for reheating and converting the leftovers into a fried rice dish with eggs.
Try soaking the rice first for at least 20 minutes in water. Then rinse it and make as prescribed. Hope this helps, I have a friend from India who taught me that trick and now I always soak my rice. :)
Looks great!! How would you prepare this dish with tofu?
I made this last night… It was delish!!! My husband dished 3 times… Thank you for sharing all your stunning recipes!
Glad this was a winner Lou!
I have made this recipe several times. Good flavour also love the fact it is packed with good seasoning for inflammation for my arthritis.
Can you freeze this recipe before baking it?
No, but you can freeze it after.
Do you think the coconut milk in this recipe could be substituted with 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup chicken stock? The recipe looks amazing! Thanks so much
That might work!
Hi I am planing on making this for dinner tonight. Any suggestions on a salad or other side that goes well with this meal?
Really tasty! Chicken breast stays juicy, which is a huge plus, and prep work is pretty minimal.
Would I be able to swap rice for cauliflower rice ?
Cauliflower rice will cook much faster and likely turn mushy by the time the chicken is done. I’d recommend cooking the chicken and cauli rice separately.
This was so nice loads of flavor and very quick to make, I tend to make the sauce up the day before and leave the chicken in this. It gives it time to soaks up the spices and all l have to do the next day is place the rice in casserole dish and add the pour the sauce over the rice and then add the chicken (l put my sauce and chicken in a jug so l can poor the sauce with the carrot’s over the rice so l came give it a good mix before l add the chicken.
I’m so glad you’re loving this chicken and rice casserole! And great idea on making the sauce ahead of time :)
This recipe is in regular rotation at our place. The flavours meld beautifully and this is a great healthier take on a recipe I grew up with.
I’m a little sad, I don’t know if I somehow did it wrong but my rice is still hard 40min in I did chicken thighs so I checked it earlier than the normal 45-50, but I feel like it should not still be hard this far in to the cook time! :/ it smells great though 🤷🏻♀️
Hi Courtney – did you use brown rice or a different type of rice?
All I have is brown rice. How would you adjust recipe for that?
I have made many of your recipes and they always turn out great. But this one is a huge hit with everyone. My family and I just love this, so easy, so tasty. Yum! I have made it with shrimp, chicken, sausages – it all works. My extended family also love this recipe and always request that I make this for our various potluck get-togethers. What a home run! Ty.
Since I’m not making this until tomorrow, this morning I marinated the chicken in the spice mix/ lime/ touch of olive oil. The marinade smells wonderful and can’t wait to finish the recipe — I might end up making it tonight. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed this turmeric chicken and rice Martha!
I tried this recipe and I’m loving it. The breast chicken is tender and juicy. Though I didn’t include the rice with it and adjust the cooking time. I ate it with my garlic fried rice. My daughter said it smells delicious when I’m sautéing the ingredients. Definitely I will cook this again. I love how you include different herbs in your recipe.
God bless you for sharing health recipes.
Happy to hear both you and your daughter are loving this chicken casserole!
Love this recipe! So delicious and 12 year old approved. We make this at least once a month and have even omitted the chicken a few times to just have the rice as a side dish. Thank you so much.
Aw, I’m so glad you and your little one enjoy this casserole Britney!
This recipe is amazing! I have made it a few times since discovering it! I meal prep it and freeze it and it’s devine! I even have shared this recipe with others as I sang it’s praises! Thank you my food guru!
So glad you (and everyone you’ve shared with) love this chicken and rice casserole!
This is great with a side of homemade (or store-bought) naan, and it’s kid-approved, to boot!
Absolutely delicious! Now one of my favourite meals! Everyone I make this for asks me for the recipe :)
Such a lovely and fragnant dish! Thanks for sharing! I also added a grated courgette to hide more veggies for the little one! Yummy
Absolutely love this dish and you, for creating such wonderful recipes!!! Even my husband said it was superb and better than my Chicken Biryani. I had to increase the portion size because lo and behold, I have no square casserole dishes! On my wish list. I did add fresh baby spinach chopped, and I had fresh ginger root on hand so I grated the amount needed. This will definitely be a casserole I will make again!! Can’t wait until December when your book arrives in my mailbox! Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and your videos!
We loved the flavor of this casserole but the rice didn’t completely cook. Even on the second day I cooked again for 45 minutes and the rice was completely cooked. I used a brown Thai rice.
Any idea why the rice didn’t soften?
Thanks
Brown rice typically needs a longer cooking time, and might not cook as well when combined with chicken.
Any advice for using brown rice? Should I pre-cook it a bit first? I’m trying this recipe today and I only use brown rice when cooking (I have brown basmati which I was thinking of using). Thanks! Excited to try it!!
Yes, it would need to be pre-cooked as it takes longer than white rice to cook. Enjoy!
Absolutely delicious – this recipe will be added to my usual rotation. I think I’ll add some greens as well. Thanks for posting!
Very good and easy. Added extra vegetables for serving.
Glad this chicken casserole was a winner Carol!
My family loves this recipe and I love that as a career girl I can make it ahead and rewarm if needed. Soooo delicious!
Happy to hear the whole family is enjoying this casserole Beverly!
Soooo delicious. Definitely one of the meals my family will be eating often.
Happy to hear everyone is enjoying this chicken casserole Bev!
Thanks for continuing to contribute such tasty, healthy and accessible recipes! Look forward to making it again — I’ll trial adding half of a vegetable cube in with it too next time!
This was EXCELLENT, thank you!! We’ve been following you for a couple of years and have made numerous recipes from you that have all been fantastic, (I really should comment more on them) but my husband could not quit telling me how good this was in between just about every bite. :). Thanks again, can’t wait for the cookbook in December!!
Happy to hear both of you enjoyed this recipe Jennifer!
delicious. I’m trying to figure nutrition for this for each individual serving. Can you help?
Hi Tracey – you can always find the nutritional information towards the bottom of the recipe card :)
Just had the recipe.. absolutely delicious. All the family loved it. And made enough to freeze, result, thank you
I’m making this recipe for a third time within the last couple of months! We prefer it with chicken thighs and I add whatever veggies we have on hand – tonight I’m using diced rainbow carrots, chopped fresh spinach, and chopped fresh mushrooms. I sautee them in the pan before I add the spices and coconut milk. It’s a very versatile, delicious, wholesome, go-to recipe!
I used thighs instead of chicken breasts. I also used the rice I had on hand. The dish was very tasty and had a little heat to it. I will definitely add this to my dinner rotation
Would this work well with fresh tumeric instead of powder? If so, would you recommend using a zester and how much would I need? I know amounts for fresh and powder differ.
And thanks for all your insight from your health challenges. I’m also struggling to figure some things out and have watched many of your videos recently. It’s giving me hope that making some natural changes will help me too. Looking forward to trying many recipes. Thank you!
It’s best to use ground turmeric so it can dissolve into the creamy mixture.
My family absolutely loved this dish and it was easy to make.I used basmati rice and mine came out just fine. I did have to cook the chicken a little longer but I added a little chicken broth so as not to dry out the rice. I will be making this again!
Hey Lisa cooked Turmeric chicken tonight. Big success. It was beautiful & will definitely be making it again & again. What a star you are. Been following you for quite a while now. A big thank you. X
I made this turmeric chicken using skinless boneless thighs. I didn’t have ground cumin but,I have cumin seeds and used them(whole) instead. I cooked it on the stove top and it turned out great! I think next time I will use fresh ginger.
Hello!!
you have no idea how glad I’m to have found your blog!!
I’m from the middle-east and newlywed living in Tokyo with my husband who has ulcerative colitis. Finding healthy delicious easy recipes is NOT easy. Especially with creating food with unfamiliar ingredients. I will be trying this recipe tonight and many more in the future specifically the turmeric ones!! Im sure it will be sooo good!!
I am so sorry to hear about your husband, but I’m glad Downshiftology recipes are able to help :) Also, congrats on getting married Binalmas!
Would this work in a Dutch oven type pan?
How would adjust for bone-in chicken thighs?
Thank you!
Made this tonight. My husband really liked it! I used only 1 large chicken breast for him and a block of tofu for me. The tofu turned out really great! Nice and silky smooth and moist. Great flavour. The only thing I would change is adding some raisins or craisins so it will be like the Afghan rice at our local restaurant. We have tons of leftovers for lunch tomorrow now too. Another great Downshiftology recipe.
So glad you and your husband enjoyed this with both chicken and tofu!
Thank you for a great recipe. It’s super nice and complete and helpful
New recipe to me and it was amazing!
Recipe sounds wonderful but too many calories for me. I’m wondering if I could use low fat coconut milk or yogurt instead.
Yes, you can use a low-fat coconut milk.
How about Yogurt?
I haven’t tried this using yogurt, but a low-fat coconut milk would work.
Greetings from Austria/Europa! Thank you for your blog – i love it!!! Wonderful!
I tried this recipe with wholegrain-basmati-rice and it was delicious!
I only had little problems with the „temperatur“: i changed in grad celsius (as we uns in europe) but it was to low i think… it takes a lot of time…
Which kind or type of oven do you use? Upper/lower heat or convention oven? As i think, the temperatur while using convention is 20 grad celsius lower than using upper/lower heat.
Please can you tell me whitch type of oven-function you are useing?
Thanks a lot & Sorry for my „austrian englisch“🤣!
Regina
Hi Regina – I have a standard conventional oven, but everyone’s oven also heats differently. So if you’re finding that it’s taking much longer, I would increase the temperature a bit.
Hi Regina and Lisa!
First of all, I think the recipe is amazing. It’s in my oven right now and it smells soo good!
I do though agree with Regina.
Actually, reading your comment about the temperature, I set it for 10 degrees higher, baking solid 60 minutes, and my chicken is still raw in the middle.
I cranked it to 375F and added another half hour.
I’m not sure why. But I’m sure it’ll be worth it in the end.
Thank you Lisa! Thank you Regina!
❤️
Another delicious recipe Lisa! My family loved it and I will definitely make this one again.
Happy to hear this was a family hit Laura!