Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
This Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole is my favorite way to dress up a box of wild rice and some chicken when I’m in the mood for something truly comforting. It’s got that wonderful, creamy texture from the mushroom soup and a little surprise crunch from the almonds that just makes the whole dish. Between the savory rice and that golden, buttery Ritz cracker crust, it’s the kind of honest Southern cooking that brings everyone to the table in a hurry!
The Perfect Casserole Recipe For Any Time of Year
Christmas and New Year’s are 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, as soon as January hits, I get to expecting spring.
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! (Bonus points if it’s a Dirty Dr. Pepper)
Ingredients 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
- Ritz crackers
- Butter
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.
Step 1: Cook Your Chicken
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), but since I did have this chicken on hand and company was coming (did I mention I like to make this for company), that is what I used.
Step 2: Combine Your Ingredients
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.
Step 3: Top and Bake Your Casserole
Spray a baking dish lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon the casserole filling into the baking dish. Sprinkle crushed crackers all over the top, drizzle melted butter over the cracker crumb topping, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Now all that’s left to do is eat up!
Ingredients
- 1 box long grain and wild rice mix I use Uncle Ben's, which is currently 6oz
- 1 cup fresh shredded chicken
- 1 can cut green beans mine is 15 ounces
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup 10-ounce, fat-free is fine
- 1 teaspoon onion powder optional
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup Ritz crackers crushed
- 3 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
To make casserole
- Cook and cube or shred the chicken. Drain the beans. Cook the rice according to the package directions in a pot big enough to mix the casserole (no sense in dirtying up more dishes).1 cup fresh shredded chicken, 1 can cut green beans, 1 box long grain and wild rice mix
- Once the rice is cooked, stir in all other ingredients (except Ritz and butter) until well combined. Spoon into a pie plate or casserole dish.1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ cup sliced almonds
- Cover the top of the casserole with crushed Ritz crackers. Pour melted butter evenly over the Ritz.
- Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly. Serve warm.
Look out Red Hats, Christy is about to mow you over! LOL. I think I will show up at the store with all my ‘yellow’ on and buy all the ingredients tonight! Won’t that look great at Wal-Mart
Think I will substitute broccoli for the green beans? What do ya think? Also have you ever tried freezing the casserole prior to baking and cracker topping? Just curious.
yes, this does sound delish. Have you ever tried the rice-a-roni long grain version in this? That is what I have at home…
I live in Texas and there is a place in Gladewater, Texas called Mrs. Lee’s Daffodil Garden. It is a working cattle ranch that allows you to drive through the land and see the daffodils blooming every Spring. We have been several times and they are beautiful! Mrs. Lee ordered a box of bulbs from Holland years ago and instead of a box she got a boxcar full of bulbs. She insisted they be planted and not go to waste so they are all over the ranch, around the lakes, woods and even the old log cabin on the property. It is a really nice place to visit in the Spring. You can read about her and see pictures by typing in Mrs. Lee’s Flower Garden.
HAVE A SIMILAR RECIPE USING, BROCCOLI AND SHREDDED CHEDDAR ……
Sounds yummy! Want to share it? 🙂
Christy, You have got to stop this going around and spreading “SPRING” fever like this! Don’t you know how contagious it is? Now you’ve gone and infected all the poor folks up North of the Mason Dixon line that won’t see a daffodil until May or later. Have mercy girl!
You got my vote! And with the drought we’ve had and everything so dead in Texas, we need some FLOWERS blooming!
(Definitely need to make this casserole, Christy! I’ll send you another chicken and wild rice casserole recipe we got from our favorite magazine -Southern LIving – many years back – it’s really good, too)