Cajun Chicken and Rice
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Feb 23, 2025 
Cheesy Cajun Chicken and Rice Casserole is an easy jambalaya variation with tons of flavor! Perfect for a comforting meal that the whole family will love!
Why We Love This Cajun Chicken and Rice Recipe
Today’s cheesy Cajun Chicken and Rice Casserole is a marvelous meal to serve at graduation parties and at the end of the school year celebrations.
It’s comforting, zesty, packed with protein, and each bite is kissed by hot molten Borden® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Plus, our Cajun Chicken and Rice Casserole is easy to make and large enough to feed a crowd!
This jambalaya variation is a favorite in our house. It’s takes much less hands-on cooking time, because it is baked in the oven. The addition of andouille sausage and cajun seasoning give it depth and a bit of spice.
Yet best of all, adding Borden® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese makes the entire dish more dazzling than ever. Creamy Borden® Cheese transforms this classic cajun dish into a memorable summertime feast, creating special moments for your family!
The culmination of the chicken, spicy sausage, aromatic rice, and sharp cheddar gives the Cajun Chicken and Rice Casserole a note of rustic decadence.
Ingredients You Need
- Vegetables – For this Cajun chicken and rice casserole, you need onion, garlic and green bell pepper!
- Butter – To sauté the veggies.
- Rice – I prefer a long grain white rice like jasmine rice or basmati!
- Chicken – Diced skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs!
- Andouille Sausage – Also cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Fire Roasted Canned Tomatoes – For a little extra smoky flavor.
- Cajun Seasoning – To season up this casserole to perfection. To adjust the spice, make your own homemade cajun seasoning with paprika, thyme, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and oregano!
- Chicken Broth – Or water with a pinch of salt.
- Cheese – Shredded cheddar cheese brings everything together and makes it extra comforting.
- Scallions – For garnish!
How to Make Cajun Chicken and Rice
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, chopped onions, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Chop the chicken breast into 3/4 inch chunks and slice the andouille sausage into 1/2 inch rounds.
In a 3 quart baking dish, combine the rice, sauteed veggies, chicken, sausage, canned tomatoes, cajun seasoning, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Stir and pour the broth over the top. Gently shake the pan to make sure all the rice is submerged in the broth. Then cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 60+ minutes until the rice is tender. It will simmer to perfection in the oven!
Remove the foil and fluff the rice with a fork. Sprinkle the remaining rice with a fork. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese and chopped scallions over the top. Bake uncovered another 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese.
Tips & Tricks
- Add beans! These Cajun flavors would be amazing with some kidney beans added, if you want some added nutrition.
- Switch up the protein! You can add shrimp to this cajun recipe, too! Or replace any of the proteins with the shrimp. However, shrimp won’t take as long to cook! Add the shrimp after letting the casserole cook for about 30 minutes in the oven.
- Use andouille sausage! Andouille sausage is typically what is used in Cajun recipes. It has a smoky, spicy flavor that perfectly complements the rest of the ingredients in this Cajun chicken and rice casserole!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you keep Old Bay seasoning on hand, you can definitely use it. However, I tend to think that Old Bay is best with seafood, whereas Cajun seasoning is great with all kinds of meats and ingredients!
Store any leftover cajun chicken and rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days! Reheat in the microwave until heated through!
Looking for More Easy Casserole Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Broccoli Rice Cheese Casserole
- Salmon Sushi Bake
- Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Spinach Artichoke Casserole
- Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
- Meatball Casserole
- Cowboy Casserole with Tater Tots
- Zucchini Casserole
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Mexican Cornbread Casserole
- Cheesy Hominy Casserole
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Borden® Cheese. All opinions are my own.
Cajun Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cup dried long grain rice
- 1 large boneless chicken breast, 1/2 – 3/4 pounds
- 14 ounces andouille sausage
- 14 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups Borden® Sharp Cheddar Cheese Shreds
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, chopped onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes to soften.
- Chop the chicken breast into 3/4-inch chunks and slice the andouille sausage into 1/2-inch rounds.
- In a 3-quart baking dish, combine the rice, sauteed veggies, chicken, sausage, canned tomatoes, cajun seasoning, and 1 cup Borden® Sharp Cheddar Cheese Shreds. Stir and pour the broth over the top. Gently shake the pan to make sure all the rice is submerged in the broth. Then cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 60+ minutes, until the rice is tender.
- Remove the foil and fluff the rice with a fork. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese and chopped scallions over the top. Bake uncovered another 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese.
This is the second time I’ve made this, both times it turned out great. I slightly expanded the recipe and used cheddar jack cheese as well as green and red pepper. I will definitely do this again.
I never leave comments but came to say this came out perfect! I did leave it in for 70 minutes and then uncovered it, added the cheese,and left it for another 10 or so minutes. Rice, chicken, everything was perfect. I didn’t disturb the dish for those 70 min so if yours riding cook correctly maybe that’s why (releasing the heat). Will make it again!
I am getting ready to make this recipe today. I hope you see this. I am curious as to how much you call 1 serving? 1 Cup? 1.5 cup? Please let me know so I can keep track. I am also modifying it for a lower carb meal. Along with half the rice called for it will have that much riced cauliflower. Cannot wait to try this!
Hi Michelle,
A serving here is approximately 1 cup. Hope this helps! Let me know how your low carb swaps turn out. :)
I just made this and the chicken came out rubbery. Any thoughts on why? I did 400/65 min, then 8 without the lid. I left the breasts whole because I intended to shred.
I did alter a bit because my family is more into spicy stuff and meat so I added an extra breast, got spicy sausage, two cans (20 oz) hot rotel tomatoes, and finally I browned the sausage because we usually like some bark on it. Other than those tiny changes it was terrific. I listened to the 400/70 min idea and that worked great.
The flavor was great, and it’s an easy way to use up leftovers.
For some reason, the rice in my casserole cooked unevenly. The dish was brimming with broth when I put it in the oven, but rice that shifted to the top cooked fully, while rice in the middle was crunchy. No idea why.
I’d say it might be better to layer the casserole with rice at the bottom, then add broth, then top with all the other ingredients mixed up together. Or maybe add broth last over all of it, but while I’ll make it again, I’ll put the rice on the bottom first. It really doesn’t “shake down” if you mix everything.
Hi DCK,
My guess is that the foil wasn’t tightly fitted over the dish, so some of the moisture escaped. Hope this helps!
Can the rice be replaced with cauliflower rice? And if so, what modifications to the recipe?
Hi Tracy,
Probably… But unfortunately, I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure. If you give it a try, please report back!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely amazing! I have to admit I didn’t think the 1tbsp of Cajun seasoning was going to be enough and yes it was! After reading some of the reviews I decided to bake mine at 400 covered for 70 mins, then topped with cheese and baked an additional 5 mins uncovered. I didn’t have a problem with the rice not being cooked.
Could this be done in a crockpot?
Hi Andrea!
In theory, yes. I have a chicken and rice recipe that works well for me in the crockpot. https://www.aspicyperspective.com/bistro-slow-cooker-chicken-and-rice/
However, all slow cookers vary and therefore some people report back that they struggle with the rice getting too mushy, or not cooking enough in the slow cooker. So yes, but it’s more fool-proof in the oven. Does that make sense?
DEL icious ! Yummy! I made this for the first time for company since the rating were good. This did not disappoint and everyone had seconds.
All in all it was a great dish. The only misleading element is the cook time of this dish. It took almost 2 hours to cook completely. So plan ahead.
I made this tonight for dinner, while it was absolutely delicious and worth the wait, it took mine nearly 2 hours to fully cook so the rice wasn’t crunchy. I kept referencing the recipe to make sure I had everything right and I did.
Same here, I thought for sure I had misread something! Tasted good, but glad I wasn’t on a time crunch!