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.
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
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
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???
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!
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!
Hi Christy,
Love your recipes… grew up on this kind of cooking.
I noticed you like daffodils (jonquils), and was wondering if you have ever been to Old Washington, AR. They have a Jonquil Fest every Spring. You have never seen so many yellow flowers everywhere. There are fields of them down there. It is a very interesting village… used to be the Confederate Capital for a short period. I got married there under the largest Magnolia tree in the state.
I also read that you are following a keto diet. I need to do that as well.
Take care and God Bless.
Jim Cowan
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!
This looks super delicious! And such pretty daffodils!