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.
Thank you for the recipe as itsounds delish and I plan to make it for my family, I know they will love it. I adore spring flowers too. Here in Texas we have gorgeous blue bonnets in the spring making it my favorite time of year! Love your goal, go for it girl!
Just noticed the stalks/stems of the daffodils starting to appear this morning out walking the dog here in NC. Always takes me back to happy days. I love daffodils! And Southern Plate!
UP HERE IN NEW ENGLAND WHEN JANUARY COMES WE START LOOKING FOR SNOW LOL
HOW NICE TO LIVE IN A WARM CLIMATE.
CASSEROLE SOUNDS GREAT, I’LL HAVE TO MAKE IT WHEN MY FAMILY VISITS.
ENJOY THE CORNBREAD FESTIVAL WOULD LOVE TO BE THERE.
KEEP COMING WITH THOSE GREAT RECIPES
Oh…Christy…Chicken and rice is my favorite! We have a tradition in our home that on your birthday hour get to pick what ever you want for dinner..”Your Birthday Meal”..Mine is always Chicken and Rice..now I have a new version to try ..
But I’m not waiting for my b~day 😉 thanks
I so love the daffodill story. I grew up in Memphis, but have now lived in Alaska for 20 years. I love the snow and winter right through January, but in March, for my birthday on the 10th, when I grew up, there were always daffodills blooming. My Mother had the same kind of yard, rows of daffodills down the driveway and around every tree and flowerbed on 2 acres. I loved it. All kinds, little white perfumy narcissus to big yellow King Alfreds. Now, when March comes, the only daffodills I can get are 5 blooms for $5.99 at the grocery store. And wrap them in a bag going to the car so they don’t freeze on the way home. When my Mother moved here to live with us, and she saw the price of them, she said ” I was a millionaire in daffodills and I didn’t know it.” Plant some for me!
I live here too and was just thinking how lucky all these people are! This snowstorm in Wasilla is just about killing me.
My granddaddy had thousands along the fence rows on the road and then leading up to the house. They were beautiful. I so enjoyed seeing them very year and often wonder if they are still blooming every year. He was my Crazy Daffodil Granddaddy. LOL.
I didn’t have one grain of rice in the house, but had left over chicken and cream of chicken mushroom soup. Looked around in the pantry & found a box of stuffing, so I improvised! Combined shredded left over chicken, soup, prepared stuffing mix. Added crushed saltines, of course another improvisation, and drizzled melted butter. My parents joined us for dinner, and my Dad absolutely LOVED it! I served it with cranberry sauce, cauliflower with my Mom’s awesome cream sauce & steamed broccoli. Followed it up with super easy cherry cobbler… My family raved! I told them it was because they got me your cookbook for Christmas! :). You are such an inspiration! Thanks for all you do!