This Cajun Chicken and Rice Bake with Mushrooms is a delicious and flavorful family-friendly meal made with juicy chicken thighs, rice, onion, spices, and perfectly sauteéd mushrooms. Baked in the oven, the result is delicious fluffy rice and juicy chicken thighs with leftovers perfect for the next day’s lunch or dinner!

Chicken and Rice is one of those feel-good easy dinners that remind me of my childhood. Cooked entirely in the oven, this easy and comforting Cajun Chicken and Rice Bake is technically more of a casserole as it is slowly cooked in a casserole dish.

My parents used to make chicken and rice for me and my siblings all the time when I was little. Only, their version had canned cream of mushroom soup, less flavor (sorry, mom), and chicken with the skin left on. It was good. But this is better.

Ingredients in this Cajun Chicken and Rice Bake

Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Rosemary
Sweet paprika
Garlic
Cayenne powder
Chicken thighs
Onion
Cajun seasoning
Chicken broth
White rice
Butter
Mushrooms
Parsley
Chives

The bulk of the ingredients in this chicken and rice bake are seasoning and spices, rice, chicken, and mushrooms. I left the overall ingredient list simple and basic on purpose rather than adding additional vegetables to the mix.

I highly recommend serving with a simple side salad, Sauteed Brussel Sprouts, or Roasted Carrots for an extra serving of vegetables.

Tips and Tricks on making the best Cajun Chicken and Rice Bake

This Chicken and Rice Bake makes a lot of chicken and rice. As such, you will need a large casserole dish/ baking dish/ or lasagna pan to bake it all together. The pan you see in the picture is an old enamel pan I purchased years ago.
If you have time, marinate the chicken in the delicious seasoning mix. If not, don’t sweat it.
Remove the skin from the chicken. I know, what? Here’s the thing- all that (yes) fantastic fat from the skin drips down and soaks into the rice. In small amounts, this could be awesome and add terrific flavor, but too much fat results in an oily, mushy mess.
Adjust the heat and spice level to suit your own personal preference. If you love a spicy dinner, I recommend adding more cayenne powder or even some red chili flakes to your chicken and rice. However, if heat isn’t your thing, skip the heat. It will still be delicious, promise.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top just after the chicken and rice has finished baking and sprinkle with fresh herbs. The added fresh elements are a must-have. Trust me.
Add mushrooms, but cook them separately.
Unless, of course, you hate mushrooms, then leave them out.

Do you have to sauté the mushrooms separately?

Some of you may be wondering why I didn’t just add the mushrooms directly to the chicken and rice bake. After all, that does seem logical. And, if I’m being honest, there is nothing really wrong with skipping the sauté step and cooking it all together.

Except that, at least for today, I didn’t want to make a Chicken and Mushroom Rice Bake.

In other words, I wanted this oven-baked Cajun chicken and rice casserole to taste like Cajun chicken and rice…with mushrooms.

Mushrooms have a lot of flavors and when cooked with other things (like rice) those other things tend to take on those flavors.

So, I suppose the answer depends entirely on you and how much time you have.

Also, keep in mind that cooking mushrooms in the oven for over an hour will result in more moisture loss from the mushrooms giving a chewier, smaller, less meaty mushroom result.