Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

 

Chicken and wild rice casserole is a meal that uses mostly shelf-stable ingredients. Assemble the ingredients for a few months’ worth of these casseroles if you have a hankering, and know that the bag will be ready to grab whenever you need it. You could even substitute canned chicken if you like to make it completely shelf-stable! My family gobbles this one up and everyone wants seconds so if we’re all here, I usually make double. 

With chicken, rice, cream of mushroom soup, green beans, and almonds, this wild rice casserole is creamy and hearty comfort food at its best. I also have a slow cooker version of this dish, if that’s more your style.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole:

• Chicken
• Long grain and wild rice blend (Watch for a sale on this and then stock up!)
• Cream of mushroom soup (A recipe for my homemade version can be found here)
• Cut green beans
• Sliced almonds
• Ritz crackers
• Butter

Helpful Kitchen tools

• Ceramic Pot
• Casserole Dish

How To Make Chicken And Wild Rice Casserole:

Boil the chicken in a pot, then cube or shred it.

Cook the rice according to package directions. Stir chicken, rice, soup, green beens and almonds together.

Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.

**This Casserole Dish is beautiful and gets great ratings! Give it a try if you’re looking to elevate your presentation!

Spoon mixture into a pie plate or casserole dish.

Crush Ritz crackers and add on the top of the casserole. Evenly coat with 3 tbsp. of butter.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.

Now that you’ve done all the hard work, sit down and eat.

Storage

• Store chicken casserole leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheat in the microwave.
• You can also store wild rice casserole leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Simply thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.

Recipe Notes

• You can leave the almonds out if you want or you can substitute them for water chestnuts if you like. You could also substitute french fried onions for these, that would be good, too!
• While you easily adapt this wild rice casserole and use your favorite rice or rice blend (which might be white rice or brown rice), I recommend using wild rice for its distinct nutty flavor.
• Feel free to add more vegetables to this dish! Increase the mushroom flavor with sliced mushrooms or you could even add a can of sliced carrots. Another option is frozen vegetables, like a cup of peas and carrots.
• When it comes to the canned soup, feel free to substitute the cream of mushroom soup for either cream of celery soup or cream of chicken soup.
• You could also add a cup of shredded cheese (or a mixture of cheddar and parmesan cheese) on top of your chicken casserole if you prefer your casseroles to be both creamy and cheesy. 
• Another option is to substitute the chicken breasts for your favorite cut of chicken, whether that’s chopped chicken thighs, or shredded rotisserie chicken.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this chicken wild rice casserole in advance?

Yes, you can prepare the chicken casserole up to 24 hours ahead of time. Simply cover with foil and refrigerate until it’s time to bake. Just remember that a refrigerated casserole might take longer to cook through. Another option is to bake the casserole, store the dish covered in the fridge, and then simply reheat quickly in the microwave or oven.

What do you serve with this casserole?

I recommend serving this chicken wild rice casserole with some roasted vegetables or a fresh salad. Another option is to do a side of zucchini and squash.

You may also enjoy these other chicken and rice recipes:

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice Casserole

Chicken Fried Rice Easy Peasy

Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken & Rice

Chicken Teriyaki with Brown Rice Fresh & Fast

Chicken Fried Brown Rice

Simply Delicious Chicken & Rice Soup

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”

~Wayne Dyer