Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole – and Becoming The Crazy Daffodil Lady
I’m honored to have been asked to be a judge at this year’s National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tennessee! If you’re planning on coming to this fun event, be sure and RSVP on my Facebook page by clicking here so I can keep you updated on my whereabouts because I’d love to get to meet you!
Christmas and New Years behind us, and most folks are in the middle of winter, snuggling within their quilts and homes, cooking up stews and cobblers. Oh I’m doing the cooking part but not the rest of it, my mind is on other things. You see, soon as January hits, I get to expecting spring.
I can’t help it, it is my absolute most favorite time of year for a number of reasons but one in particular – I get to see my daffodils. Now before you go to thinking that I’m looking pretty far off you gotta understand that daffodils are usually in bloom here by February and the first sign of yellow, my heart up and declares SPRING!
I go by my own time table with the seasons, I’m just a wild woman that way.
I love flowers of all sorts, I am female after all. Oh Alright, I’ll confess to not being a huge red rose fan but toss a pink one my way and I’ll throw that sucker in my teeth and do one heck of a tango. Okay, not really. If anyone shouts out requests for a tango at my next speaking engagement I’m afraid you’re gonna be let down. Holler out that you want me to sing instead, I can’t refuse that, of course you might still be let down once you hear me but that wasn’t my point…
When we moved here to Bountiful a few years back, I was delighted to find a well thought out and beautifully planted ring of spring flowers around each tree in our front yard. Tete a tete daffodils, crocus, and hyacinth came up in unison, presenting the perfect blend of spring colors and fragrance. It really warmed my heart to walk around those trees, kneeling by them and lovingly taking in the flowers, knowing that someone had once cared so dearly for this house.
So that very first fall, I ordered more bulbs. King Alfred, tete a tete, orange throat, every variety I could find (and afford). I ordered around a hundred that year and got out with my little shovel and planted each and every one of them myself. The following spring the beautiful flower rings around my trees were joined by others out and about in the yard. I had planted them as my mother advised, randomly, with no set pattern so they just popped up in the yard like little surprise blooms of sunshine. They were absolutely breathtaking and I dearly love those few weeks of looking out my window and seeing the happy little flowers waving back at me in the breeze.
A few months back I was in Lowe’s and walked by a bag of 100 more bulbs. They hopped in my buggy and came home with me where Katy Rose and I went about planting them, wherever she felt we needed them to be.
My goal is to eventually have an entire yard filled with daffodils for a few weeks out of each year. They’ll slowly spread from the road right up to my front doorstep . After a few decades of this, and with my kids moving out and more cats coming to live with me (isn’t that the natural evolution of things?) no doubt people will start to talk. I’ll begin wearing a hat with a giant silk daffodil in it and trade in my preferred red shoes for daffodil yellow ones to match. Folks will start calling me the Crazy Daffodil Lady as I walk around town in my finest daffodil yellow regalia. But hey, I can think of worst things to be called. By then I’ll have so many that I can make large bouquets and deliver them to nursing homes and other spots around town that need brightening and then come back home to a yard still filled to the brim. We all gotta have dreams.
If you’ll excuse me, I found some daffodil bulbs at Wal Mart yesterday and I think I’ll plant a few before the sun goes down. I know that technically this isn’t the time of year to plant daffodils but I like to live life outside the lines. Heck, I even wear my watch on my right hand, even though I’m right handed and my engagement ring is on my finger first, THEN my wedding band (I’ve gotten more emails on this than I can count).
You see, at the end of the day, I’m just a rebel to the core. Oh yeah, I even eat raw cake batter. I do shocking things like that…and I plant daffodil bulbs in December.
And THAT, my friends, is why I’m gonna make a great Crazy Daffodil Lady someday! I hope I can count on your vote 
While I am still pretending to be partially sane, let me bring you a casserole today. There are so many variations on this casserole that you could throw a rock at the internet and hit fifty on any given day. This is mine, it’s pretty easy and awfully good. Modify it, play with it, make it your own. Just let me know what time it is served and try to have plenty of tea when I show up, please Or Diet Dr Pepper…Diet Dr pepper is always good, too!
You’ll need: Long Grain and Wild Rice (with seasoning, such as Uncle Ben’s), Cream of Mushroom Soup (can use fat free), French Style Green Beans, Chicken, almonds, and Ritz crackers and a wee bit of butter to pour over the top, which isn’t pictured.
If you don’t like Cream of mushroom soup, just use Cream of chicken, cream of celery, or cream of whatever-cranks-your-tractor. You can also use fat free or low fat or i-don’t-wanna-get-fat, if you can find it . For those of us already there, just go with the recipe because it tastes so good .
Nowadays Uncle Ben’s make quick cooking long grain and wild rice as well as the traditional featured here. Use whichever you pick up first.
The almonds are optional but I gotta tell you, I love what they do to this dish!
NOTE: You can also add a cup of sour cream to this and it will be wonderful! This is completely optional, but I love it. I’m not including it in this tutorial but I will list it as optional in the recipe below.
Cook chicken until done.
Note: Normally I wouldn’t have used chicken tenders for this because they are a little more expensive. This is a great recipe to use cooked chicken leg quarters (deboned and shredded), leftover chicken, or a whole fryer (cooked, deboned, and shredded) in, but since I did have this chicken on hand and company was a coming (did I mention I like to make this for company) that is what I used.
Dump chicken, cooked rice, green beans, cream soup, and almonds into a big old bowl.
Give it all a stir until it is good and mixed.
Spray baking dish lightly with non stick cooking spray.
Spoon casserole filling into baking dish.
Sprinkle crushed crackers all over top.
Drizzle melted butter over the cracker crumb topping.
Bake at 350 for thirty minutes.
Eat up!
Ingredients
- 1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice (quick cooking or regular), cooked according to package directions
- Cooked Chicken (1-3 cups, whatever you have), shredded
- 12 ounce can cream of mushroom soup (can use fat free or cream soup of preference)
- 14 ounce can French Style Green Beans, drained
- 1 Cup Slivered Almonds
- 1 Cup Sour Cream (optional, not used in this tutorial but I love it in there)
- 1 Sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed (or whatever crackers you have)
- 1/4-1/2 cup melted butter (however much you wanna use)
Instructions
- Place everything except topping ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until well combined. Spoon into greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with cracker crumbs and drizzle melted butter over.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Print This Recipe
“Your family is important. They left your home this morning and spread out to spend a day making new memories, acquiring knowledge, and growing up without you! Make it a priority to sit down to supper tonight with them and find out who they became today.”
~Christy Jordan
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Jan 4 2012. Filed under Chicken, Main Course, Quick&Easy.
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Planted some in my new yard and they are peeping up in West TN! Kept out a few narcissus and hyacinths and put them in a pot in garage. Just brought them in so can enjoy inside as well… Can’t wait to plant lavender and other perennials in the yard this spring. Already added mums after they died back last year and they have loads of little green heads sticking through! Made this casserole before but used cream of chicken, English peas, and crushed corn flakes on top. Otherwise just the same. Love it!
I came for Chicken n’ Wild Rice Soup…I’ve made yours before…It’s easy and delicious! Then, I saw this right in my face…I’m going to cook the chicken now.
Thank you, Christy!
Blessings,
Kristine
Blessings to you Kristine!! I hope you enjoy the casserole!!
We really enjoyed this, Christy! I cooked the chicken in the slow cooker for several hours. Then, I toasted the almonds a little. (they were a fabulous touch!) I tossed everything in the slow cooker except the rice. I cooked the rice on the stove, and added it to the pot. I let it sit in the slow cooker while I pre-heated the oven, and crushed the crackers in the food processor. Normally, I would have done that with a baggie and a wooden rolling pin, but I recently accquired a gorgeous new red kitchen-aid food processor.
As soon as I started to toss the slow cooker ingredients into the casserole dish, I let out a huge, “ooh!” and I dashed to the refrigerator to get some sour cream…I added that deliciousness in, layered them Ritz crackers on top, slathered that with butter, and put it in the oven…This was so good that I had to stop myself from eating it just for flavor. I served it with biscuits, and everyone ate it up. Okay, I’m done rambling now! Thank you again Christy! I just love you! ♥
Blessings,
Kristine
I tried your recipe this evening and it was a huge hit. My grandson doesn’t eat any vegetables and he loved this recipe. He said I should make it every Sunday. Thanks for a great recipe!
I addition to planting bulbs at home, I have them at my church so everyone can enjoy them! Every year I add a few more! What a wonderful surprise in the Spring!
Yum yum Christy!! I made this for dinner tonight and my husband went back for seconds…..I added light sour cream….thanks for the great recipe!! Now I think I might just go find some daffodils to plant
Can you use regular long grain rice instead of wild rice???
Christy, I made this for Sunday Family Supper ( I doubled it and put 1/2 in the freezer for another day) OMGosh my family loves it and yes I did add the sour cream the light kind, YUMMY. Oh yeah I think my part of East TN needs a “Crazy Daffodil Lady” mind if I audition of the the position…love ya and all you do…Ronda
Christy,
I also am right handed and wear my watch on my right arm and my husband teases me relentlessly about it. (All in good fun, of course.)
I’m so excited to have a they-think-we-wear-our-watch-on-the-wrong-arm buddy!
Love you!
Leslie
If there are any vegetarians out there (or if you’re just looking to make this healthier), you can always substitute drained/rinsed canned white beans (cannellini or great northen) for the chicken. I may have given up meat, but I can’t resist a good casserole. This one sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks for the tip! I’m going to try that this week:)
I tried this recipe tonight and it turned out just fine. Took it over to my mother-in-law’s house and baked it. We enjoyed it during the National BSC Championship game that Bama won. This recipe was also a winner with everyone in the house! Thanks Christy!
I am glad to hear that it was a hit with everyone!!!
I am making this tonight but don’t have any Cream of Mushroom but I do have Golden Mushroom and Cream of Chicken with Herbs. Which one would you go with? Thanks!
Either one would work great Amy! I would probably use the Golden Mushroom if I got to choose but either seriously will work.
Thank you! I was hoping for the mushroom soup, I love mushrooms
I love your site and cookbook and have given several out for Christmas gifts the past 2 Christmases.
Oh and another thing, I don’t have slivered almonds just whole ones. Can I just chop those up? I tried slivering them and it didn’t work well.
Absolutely, I always like to make do with what I have on hand!
Thanks for the recipe! Next time I’ll toast the slivered almonds first, but I enjoyed it as written. : )
This is really good with some sauteed bell pepper and onion and a bit of poultry seasoning and black pepper. Tastes a little like dressing then! Also, broccoli works well for the veggie! Love you more’n my luggage! Have a beautiful day!
GREAT ideas Lisa!!! Hope you have a beautiful day too!!
I love the flower idea but what I have always wondered . What about if you need to mow the grass when the flowers are up? Do you just not mow until the flowers are gone? I don’t know if I could get my husband to wait.
You would more than likely MOW around them!! Or use a hand clipper!!
Where we live the buttercups bloom in February, before the grass sets to growing good again. By the time the grass is ready for the first mowing they’ve stopped blooming so we just mow them too.
What an INSULT to Wild Rice!! If you don’t know what wild rice is and/or have a REAL recipe for it, DON”T post one!!
South of the ‘ LINE’? ~ Stick to what you know ~ like ‘possum, grits, gravy, okra, beans,mint julips and ‘swee patata pia’!!
Anyone that wants a REAL WILD RICE dish, make sure it comes from someone from MINNESOTA, where it is grown, harvested, respected and appreciated!!!
You sound like you’d be a joy to live with.
Gratefully
Christy
Hmm. Well, I guess it’s good to be reminded to count your blessings and realize that even if you’re having a bad day, someone else is having a worse one!
I am looking forward to trying this recipe, I have discovered that my kids love wild rice (me too) so this one is on the list!
Have a great day Christy! Hugs from CT.
I hope you like it Heather, it is one of my favorites!!!
I made this recipe last week and it was so delicious! I even made the chicken the night before, so the next day it was even faster to assemble! Thank you for all the great recipes and stories!
I made this last night and it was delish although next time i am going to leave out the almonds as i have a problem with eating rice and having a crunch. Just a mind thing i guess….I added this to the box of great recipes. Thanks!!!
My niece had surgery on Tuesday and will be home on Friday. I would like to make dinner for her and her family (hubby and 3 teenagers). Any great suggestions.
I have a mix of wild, white, red, and brown rices that are delicious. Do you think I could use them in this recipe?
Christy, I want to report I spotted daffodils in bloom on interstate 20 outside of Tuscaloosa on January 22, what a lovely site on a winter day. The rice casserole was eaten at our house with many compliments.
Christy I’m glad I found this site. Love reading what every one posts except for one. Please don’t be rude on here. It’s not nice. Have a great day everyone. xxx
Found this on Pinterest and repinned. Sounds good. I am making it for my Bunco group it is themed, Going Wild!
Thanks for all your work ~
Just finished making this and eating it with my little family for the 2nd time….we LOVE it!! Thank you Christy for this and many other favourites from your site =) We are going through a family illness and this little bit of comfort food was just what everyone needed tonight…Thank you!
My Daddy is visitng, and I’m making this for him this evening. We really like this dish. ♥
Blessings,
Kristine
i’m making this for the second time tonight, this time for a crowd of people. loved it the first time can’t wait to eat tonight!!!!
[...] -Grill Chicken tenders (without the grill), Chicken Stew, Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole, Crockpot Meatloaf, Boiled Potatoes, Cappucino Cake Christy, All your recipes were all [...]
Just wanted to let you know that I’ll be making this soon! oh and of course you’re invited. We always have sweet tea and diet dr. pepper in the fridge!
Made this tonight (minus the almonds)…YUM YUM YUM!!!!
We just had this for dinner. It was delicious. I used some leftover rotisserie chicken and I used golden mushroom soup and cream of chicken soup a mixture of wild and brown rice no almonds because I forgot them at the store I did have the green beans and crackers for the top. My husband just got another plate full. Guess he likes it. Thanks for the recipe.
Susan in Texas
Just because I’m OCD here, that mushroom soup, is that really supposed to be a 12 oz can? Your picture looks like the standard size. Just thought you may wish to know. Sounds yummy though! Many thanks.
I made this for the first time a couple of Weeks ago and it was good however the other family critics had their own comments of not liking the almonds and it being too dry.. So I made it again with a couple of changes.. I bought sliced almonds and crushed them up a little, added more soup and also threw in some dried cranberries.. It was a huge success!!
I too wear my engagement ring first then wedding band. I keep telling people that’s the order I got them , and I love daffodils. Glad I’m a rebel like you! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
I just moved to AZ (NC born and raised) and I love the area, but I’ve been missing all my southern staples. So glad to have found your sight. I have plans to cook several of your recipes this week (this casserole tonight! can’t wait!) Made beefed up baked beans last night and they were a hit..my 16 month old could not get enough
Oh yes…to all the folks that have posted rude comments up here I have just one thing to say. “Well bless your heart.”
I am so glad you found me too Julie!! I am so glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the others as you try them.