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No Peek Chicken Recipe

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This from scratch No Peek Chicken is ultra flavorful and so easy to make! There’s hardly any prep time, and I love being able to make it without condensed soup or Lipton onion soup mix.

No-Peek Chicken And Rice

This no peek chicken is such an easy dinner to prepare and it’s so flavorful! Try serving it with some roasted broccoli for a delicious balanced meal.

The chicken is juicy and tender, and it’s flavored so perfectly with the homemade onion chicken seasoning. The rice absorbs all the flavor from the easy homemade cream sauce, and it’s cooked to perfection in the oven.

It is really hard to keep the lid on the entire time, it smells so good and curiosity has you on your toes, but it’s totally worth the end results. Plus, that’s where the recipe got its name! It really is so critical that you don’t peek at all while this chicken and rice dinner is cooking.

If you’re looking for a chicken and rice bake that uses long grain white rice instead of instant rice, be sure to check out this Southern Chicken and Rice (it’s one of my favorite recipes).

Ingredients

Butter: You need a fat to combine with the flour to make a roux. The roux is what we’re using to thicken the sauce. I prefer using butter because it’s so flavorful (seriously, it’s SO much more flavorful than a roux made with oil). If you don’t want to use butter though, you can replace it with olive oil.

Flour: Flour is the second half of the roux. Mixing the flour with a fat to make a roux allows you to obtain the thickening properties of flour, without having it clump up like it would if you tried to mix it directly with a liquid in the pot. If you need to make this recipe gluten free, you can use 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch instead.

Chicken Broth: Cooking the rice in a combination of chicken broth and milk adds tons of flavor. The chicken broth adds a savory flavor profile that you just can’t replicate with rice that’s cooked in water. It literally seasons the rice from the inside out, which is what makes it so delicious.

Milk: Cooking the rice in milk makes the sauce so creamy. The creamy and savory flavors balance each other out so perfectly to make the most delicious base for the rice.

Spices: A combination of garlic powder, paprika, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper seasons the rice perfectly.

Rice: I love using instant rice in rice casseroles because it takes so much of the guesswork out of cooking the rice. Not only do you not have to cook the rice before making the casserole (hello weeknight time savings!), but it’s also just so much less finicky and the recipe is a lot more forgiving when you use Minute Rice.

Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, and I think they’re perfect in this recipe. They really absorb the flavors of the chicken seasoning and the creamy sauce that the rice is cooked in. You could use bone-in chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks if that’s all you have on hand though. I do recommend using air chilled chicken because it’s much juicier after it finishes cooking than chicken water-chilled chicken.

DIY Onion Soup Mix: Most no peek chicken recipes call for Lipton onion soup mix to flavor the chicken. I tried it that way, and it was seriously salty. So, since I’ve always preferred making my own spice blends (like this super popular corned beef seasoning or this Mediterranean spice blend), I decided to make my own – and the results are SO much tastier! All you need is dried minced onion, fine sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried parsley.

The labeled ingredients for no peek chicken.

How To Make No Peek Chicken

Start by preheating the oven. Mix together the ingredients for the chicken seasoning and set it to the side. Heat your dutch oven on the stove, and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk to create a roux. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.)

Mixing flour and melted butter together to create a roux.

In a large liquid measuring cup, mix together the chicken broth and milk. Pour the liquid mixture into the roux while whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the liquid and roux fully incorporate and create a smooth texture. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper, and stir. Bring to a simmer while continuing to stir, and simmer until the sauce has thickened.

Mixing chicken broth, milk, and spices into a roux.

Stir in the rice, then place the chicken breasts on top of the rice.

Mixing instant rice into a homemade creamy sauce, then placing raw chicken breasts on top of the rice.

Sprinkle the chicken seasoning on top of the chicken breasts, and place the lid on the dutch oven. Bake the covered pot in the preheated oven until the rice and chicken are cooked through.

Do not open the oven or the lid to the pot while the chicken is cooking (this will allow the steam to escape, which will stop the rice from cooking properly). Let the dish rest with the lid on before removing the chicken and fluffing the rice. See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.

Sprinkling homemade onion soup mix on top of raw chicken breasts, then placing a lid on the dutch oven and baking the chicken and rice.

How Long Do You Cook No Peek Chicken For?

This recipe needs to bake covered for 55 minutes, then it needs to rest for 10 minutes before removing the lid and fluffing the rice. It’s so important that you don’t open the lid at any point during the cooking process or while it’s resting. If you let the steam out too early, the rice won’t cook all the way through.

No peek chicken in a pot topped with fresh parsley.

Do You Have To Cook Rice Before Putting It In A Casserole?

It totally depends on the recipe! I love using instant rice in this recipe because it gives you the ability to start the casserole with uncooked rice. Since you can cook raw chicken and rice together in this recipe, it really is a quick and easy recipe to prep.

From scratch no peek chicken cooked in a dutch oven.

What Can You Use In Place Of Dry Onion Soup Mix?

I tested this recipe using pre-made dry onion soup mix as the chicken seasoning, and it was far too salty (and that’s coming from a girl who really loves salty dishes). So, I decided to make my own DIY onion soup mix seasoning. It’s super easy, and you only need five spices to make it (dried minced onion, fine sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried parsley).

Keep In Touch

I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime

Pin this recipe for later!

A Pinterest pin image with two pictures of no peek chicken, and title text at the top.

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Looking for more inspiration and ways to make a baked chicken recipe? Check out some of my favorite recipes on the site:

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If you like this recipe, be sure to check out our entire section of casseroles! Some reader favorite chicken casseroles are:

Yield: 6 servings

BEST No Peek Chicken Recipe (From Scratch)

The best no peek chicken recipe.

This one pan No Peek Chicken is ultra flavorful and so easy to make! There's hardly any prep time even though it's made from scratch.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken and Rice:

  • 1/4 cup butter (57 grams)
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups instant white rice
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)

Chicken Seasoning:

  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C). In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the chicken seasoning and set to the side.
  2. Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the butter has melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk together to create a roux.
  3. Combine the chicken broth and milk together in a large liquid measuring cup, then slowly pour the liquid into the roux, while whisking constantly (until the liquid fully incorporates with the roux and creates a smooth texture).
  4. Once smooth, add the garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper, and stir. Bring to a rapid simmer. Continue to simmer while whisking (to stop the sauce from burning to the bottom of the pot) until the sauce has thickened (about 4 minutes).
  5. Stir the rice into the sauce.
  6. Place the chicken breasts on top of the rice, sprinkle the chicken seasoning on the top of the chicken, and cover the dutch oven with its lid.
  7. Place the covered dish into the preheated oven and bake for 55 minutes. It's very important that you don’t take the lid off the dish while it’s cooking (to prevent the steam from escaping, which would cause the rice to not cook properly). Leave the lid on the dish and keep the oven door closed until the timer goes off.
  8. Once the chicken and rice are finished baking, carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven, but leave the lid on. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes with the lid on. After 10 minutes, remove the lid.
  9. Remove the chicken from the pot, stir the rice to fluff, and serve.

Notes

If you don't have a dutch oven, you can still make this recipe. Make the sauce in a nonstick skillet, then add the sauce to a 9x13 casserole dish that’s been lightly greased with cooking spray. Follow the rest of the instructions, then cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1/6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 439Total Fat: 13.6gCarbohydrates: 41.5gFiber: 0.6gSugar: 4gProtein: 35.5g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Tag @KeyToMyLime on Instagram so we can see your delicious meal!

The next time you’re wondering “What’s for dinner tonight?”, try this easy dinner recipe! No peek chicken is the perfect comfort food for picky eaters. Try melting a little cheddar cheese on top to take it to the next level.

The best no peek chicken recipe.

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