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Tomato Cheddar Chicken and Rice Bake. Made with chicken, rice, garden herbs, and in-season cherry and heirloom tomatoes. Simply cook everything together on the stove. Top the dish with creamy Havarti, gouda, sharp cheddar cheese, and garlicky olive oil-dressed tomatoes. Melt the cheese under the broiler to make it crispy and crunchy. It’s SO GOOD, and it’s a great way to use summer tomatoes!
This is such a classic Half-Baked Harvest recipe. I grew up on chicken and rice, and even to this day, it’s probably one of my mom’s (and many of my siblings) favorite types of dinners. It’s simple, but it really is comfort food to us.
I’ve made so many chicken and rice bakes, but the broccoli cheddar chicken and rice bake is one of my personal favorites. As I was working on this week’s recipes, it dawned on me that I’ve never made one with tomato, cheddar, and rice. When I thought about it, I knew the dish would be something we’d all really love.
I thought back to some of the recipes my mom enjoys most. The combination of tomato and cheddar has been a favorite of hers since she was a kid.
Plus, a good bowl of creamy tomato soup with a side of grilled cheese (made with cheddar) is classic. I took all of these flavors and used them in the rice bake. It’s so easy to throw together and a delicious summer meal.
And I hate to go here already, but I have to say that come the middle of August, this will become a go-to for anyone in need of back-to-school dinners. You can even make the dish ahead of time, then pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat!
These are the details
Step 1: start cooking the chicken
If you use a large skillet that’s able to go from the stove to the oven, you can create this recipe in just one pot.
Cook the chicken with an onion and butter. I like to use butter for flavor
Step 2: add the rice
What I love to do next is add the rice to the chicken and allow it to get a little toasted in the golden butter. Toasting the rice in butter makes it so delicious.
Next, mix the rice with additional butter and fresh thyme and let it cook for a minute. Now, add a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes and pour over a few cups of water. At this point, cover the skillet and let the rice fully cook. This will take 15 minutes.
Step 3: top with cheese
Now that the rice is cooked, you can transfer the rice and chicken to a casserole dish. Alternatively, if your skillet is oven-safe, you can leave the rice in the skillet.
Top with a mix of cheeses. I love Havarti, gouda, and cheddar cheese, but you must use cheddar!
Step 4: the tomatoes and baking
The final step is the tomatoes. Find a couple of heirloom tomatoes and then cover them in a mix of olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes. Lay the tomatoes over the cheese and bake the casserole until the cheese is super melty.
You can now switch the oven to broil to get the edges of the dish crispy, this totally optional though.
Step 5: serve and enjoy
When the casserole comes out of the oven, top it with fresh basil leaves and a few sprinkles of sea salt.
Now serve it and enjoy all the deliciousness!
The rice underneath stays soft and creamy, while the cheese on top turns crispy and crunchy. The corners of the dish will form an insanely delicious, cheesy crust too, which we all love!
Looking for other easy back-to-school recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Browned Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Cheese Ravioli
Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake
Lastly, if you make this Tomato Cheddar Chicken and Rice Bake be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Tomato Cheddar Chicken and Rice Bake
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 646 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2 cups small cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup shredded Havarti or gouda cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1-2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- chili flakes
- fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. In a large skillet, set over medium heat, cook the bacon until the fat renders, then remove from the pan. Set aside. 3. Add the onion, and chicken. Cook until the chicken is seared, 5 minutes. Add the butter, the rice, cherry tomatoes, and thyme, and cook until toasted, 2-3 minutes. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the cayenne. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered for 15 minutes until the rice is mostly cooked.3. Once the rice is cooked, stir in 1 cup of cheese. If needed, transfer the rice to an oven-safe casserole dish. Scatter the remaining 1 cup of each type of cheese over the casserole. Lay the sliced heirloom tomatoes on the cheese. 4. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes. Spoon the oil over the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the bacon around the tomatoes. 5. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Switch the oven to broil and broil 1-2 minutes, until the cheese on top is becoming crispy. Serve warm with fresh basil.
This post was originally published on July 17, 2024
Hey Tieghan! Got lots of garden cherry tomatoes to use up,planning on this for the weekend, I’m sure it’s fine but if I use just long grain white rice will it still turn out relatively the same you think? Just want to use what I’ve already got. Thanks so much!
Hey Erika,
Yes, that should be just fine for you to use. I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you!
Wonderful!
Thank you so much Cynthia! I’m so glad you are loving this chicken and rice bake! xT
This was absolutely amazing!!! Perfect to come home to after a pool day and it made for amazing leftovers!! I even wrapped some to freeze and I know it’ll be amazing then too!! Thank you for such a fab summer dish!!
Hi Jess! Thank you SO much for trying out this tomato cheddar bake! I’m so glad you loved it! So smart to freeze it and save some for later too! xT
This was amazing! Comforting and delicious without feeling heavy. My whole family loved (all boys, so you know it was good, lol)
Hey Kelli! I am so glad you loved this recipe! Thanks so much for giving it a try! Such a fun way to use up all the yummy tomatoes this season! xT
This dish needed a lot more seasoning – very unusual for Tieghan’s recipes to be bland. Instead of the 3 cups of water, I used chicken broth and the chicken needs to be seasoned before sautéing
Hey Kristina! Thank you so much for the input, I really appreciate it! I’ll look into how to improve this recipe! xT
Made this for my husband and it was excellent! One of my favorite recipes of late. I’m having a dinner party and would like to serve this. Could I make it the day before? Finish in the oven with the tomatoes and bacon right before serving. Thanks!
Hey Lauren,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a winner! Sure, that should work nicely for you. Have the best weekend:)
I’ve been making this since last fall and it is delicious! I am always looking for a way of using the most out of my garden tomatoes and this recipe is so delightful! I am so glad I found this recipe! It does not disappoint! The only changes I make is more bacon and use chicken broth instead of water.
Thank you so much, Brenna:) So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! Happy Friday! xx
This was delicious!!! I followed this recipe to a T and it came out incredible. My husband loved the flavors as well! The bacon was such a perfect addition! Will be making many times again in the future!
Hey Kara,
Awesome! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Xx
What exactly is a kcal? I keep reading conversions online but have no idea why you list the calories in a recipe this way. Could you explain? Please and thank you
Sure! A kcal is the same as a calorie when talking about food. So if a recipe says “300 kcal,” it just means 300 calories. They’re the same thing — just written differently! 🙂 Hope this helps! xT