Cheesy Chicken and Corn Casserole

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Let me introduce you to your new favorite comfort food dish – this addictive creamy and cheesy chicken and corn casserole.

Forkful of cheesy chicken and corn casserole.

There are many things to love about this casserole (and casseroles in general, let’s be honest). They’re quick and easy to make, filling, budget-friendly, freeze well, and feed the whole family in one go. This cheesy chicken and corn casserole is one of my favorites and ticks all these boxes as well. In fact, this casserole might even be too easy to make, as there’s minimal prep required. How good does that sound?

Creamy and stuffed with sweet corn, chicken, and cheese, this casserole is total comfort food and a great dish to make for a weeknight dinner. Now, many chicken and corn casseroles use cream cheese instead of cream of chicken soup, but I personally think the canned soup makes the dish more flavorful. Speaking of flavorful… scroll down to the Recipe Notes section to see how you can spice up this corn casserole too. 

Recipe ingredients for cheesy chicken and corn casserole.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Cream of chicken soup
  • Can of whole kernel corn
  • Box of yellow rice (we just love Zatarains but you can use any type of yellow rice you have. Mahatma saffron rice is very good in this, too).
  • Margarine
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Chicken (you can leave the chicken out if you want but I like to have chicken in this so I can call it a meal and be done with it).

Stick of margarine, corn and soup in mixing bowl.

Dump your corn, margarine, and cream of chicken soup into a mixing bowl.

Cheese added to mixing bowl.

Pour cheese over the top of it.

Added cooked rice and chicken to mixing bowl.

Add hot rice, which has been cooking according to box directions. This will melt your butter and such. Add your chicken pieces. This can be canned chicken, leftover chicken, boiled, or shredded chicken – whatever cranks your tractor.

Mixing ingredients together.

Stir that all up and place this chicken mixture in a casserole dish.

Cheese added to top of casserole in baking dish.

Then cover the top with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

Cheesy chicken and corn casserole

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for about half an hour, or until nice and bubbly! Sprinkle with some green onion and you’re set.

This casserole is comfort food like no other!

Storage

  • Store your casserole leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
  • You can also store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. When it’s time to eat, thaw the leftovers in the fridge and then simply reheat in the microwave.

Recipe Notes

  • If you want to add a little spice, add some jalapenos, chili powder, or a can of diced green chiles to your chicken corn casserole.
  • For that extra crunch, you can add vegetables too. I recommend finely chopped red pepper and green onion. Add either, or both, to the batter before you top with cheese. Otherwise, add some green vegetables, like (thawed) frozen peas, cooked broccoli florets, or green beans.
  • You can also substitute chicken for crumbly crispy bacon pieces. Or use both to jazz up your chicken casserole.
  • You can use any kind of chicken in this casserole, including leftover chicken, canned chicken, boiled and pulled chicken breast or chicken thighs, and shredded rotisserie chicken. Whatever’s the most convenient option for you.
  • If you’d prefer to use fresh corn, you will need about 8 ears of corn. Alternatively, if you use frozen corn, make sure you thaw the corn beforehand.
  • Another option is to top your chicken casserole with Ritz crackers, saltines, or even Corn Flakes cereal crumbs. Cheesy, creamy, and crunchy – yum!
  • You can also substitute cheddar cheese for pepper jack cheese or Monterey jack cheese.

Forkful of chicken and corn casserole.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this casserole ahead of time?

Yes, you can make this chicken and corn casserole recipe up to two days before and place the covered baking dish in the fridge. Then let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before following the baking instructions above.

Is this casserole gluten-free?

Yes, this chicken and corn casserole is gluten-free as it’s a rice-based casserole. Just make sure you double-check the can of cream of chicken soup you use to ensure it doesn’t have any small gluten additions.

Do I bake my casserole uncovered?

In this instance, I recommend baking this casserole uncovered, so the cheese melts nicely on top.

What do I serve with chicken and corn casserole?

Now, this chicken casserole is definitely a main dish in itself. But you can also serve it with your favorite Southern side dishes, like cornbread, fresh green beans, mashed potato, or three-bean salad. Another option is pairing your casserole with a simple salad like my tomato, cucumber, and onion salad.

Check out these other easy casseroles:

Crunchy Beef Casserole

Deep Dish Pizza Casserole

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Cornbread Casserole

Sloppy Joes Casserole

Cheesy chicken and corn casserole

Cheesy Chicken and Corn Casserole

This addictive creamy and cheesy chicken and corn casserole is gluten-free comfort food that makes the perfect weeknight dinner.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheese, chicken, corn

Ingredients

  • 1 box yellow rice
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1-2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 1 can whole kernel corn drained
  • 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Cook rice according to package directions.
    1 box yellow rice
  • Add rice and all other ingredients, except for 1/2 cup of cheese, into a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
    1 stick butter, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1-2 cups shredded cooked chicken, 1 can whole kernel corn, 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1 box yellow rice
  • Spoon into a casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese.
    1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
  • Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly.
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

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~Abraham Lincoln

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84 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Just tried this recipe. So yummy and so quick and easy to fix! Now I want to try some of the variations-like adding broccoli or putting the saltines/ritz/butter on top or I might even try the crispy fried onions on top and maybe even inside!

    1. Oh! Forgot to mention. I didn’t have the yellow rice on hand so I used a chicken rice pilaf box mix and it came out great!

  2. I have also cooked this in my 13 x 9 crockpot. I spray the crock, mix everything per the recipe and pour it into the crock, Sprinkle the cheese on the top, cover with the lid. I cook it on low for 4-6 hours till it browns. on the edges and top.

      1. I made this twice second time I added baby peas as well as the corn and a tad of sour cream..both were absolutely wonderful. Thanks for sharing. I also baked it in my copper deep dish no sticking hardly any clean up thanks again!

  3. This was fabulous! I had about 3/4 cup leftover yellow rice from taco night earlier this week, so I added a packet of Knorr’s White Cheddar Queso rice with it. I did everything else the same as your recipe. So yummy, even my 4 and 8 year olds loved this and asked for seconds, which is HUGE. 🙂 This will definitely be added to my supper rotation. Thank you!

  4. You definitely need to use butter.

    My grandmama from Starkville told me that margarine was the work of the devil and that the cows she had did not mind giving us the milk to make it. 🙂

  5. I just made this for my mother – she has been under the weather, so this was perfect comfort food for her! The whole family loved it 🙂 Thanks again for your lovely recipes, Christy!

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