I’ve got a delicious make-ahead, true comfort food recipe for you today, Easy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole. A Southern favorite, creamy and flavorful, Easy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole is full of tender chicken, cheese, crunchy water chestnuts, and a blend of tasty seasoned white and wild rice.
This favorite family casserole also freezes well, so it’s easy to whip up a batch and freeze a pan or two for later when you are too busy or just don’t feel like cooking. Pair it with a salad, and you have a great weeknight meal, and it’s also a really nice make-ahead meal to serve to guests.
This easy casserole was a favorite of my children when they were growing up, and I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve made it over the years. It’s foolproof, and if you use a deli-roasted chicken, it literally only takes minutes to throw together. I usually buy bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts when they are on sale and roast as many as six at a time. Then I just chop up the cooked chicken and store it in the freezer, so I almost always have cooked chicken ready to go at a moment’s notice.
You can also save even more time and use a fast-cooking rice blend, but I prefer Uncle Ben’s Original Recipe Long Grain and Wild Rice. It takes about 15 minutes longer to cook, but I think it tastes better and the rice has a better texture.
If you like casseroles, you might also like these casserole recipes: Southern Sweet Onion Casserole, Easy Cheesy Ground Beef Casserole, and Chicken Divan with Curry.
How to make Easy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
To make this Easy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole, you need a box of long grain and wild rice mix, butter, onions, celery, water chestnuts, cooked chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, milk, kosher salt, ground black pepper and panko breadcrumbs.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare the rice according to the package directions and set it aside.
Add 2 tablespoon butter to a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the onions and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and tender. Add the water chestnuts and stir to combine.
Add the rice, chicken, 2-½ cups cheese, mushroom soup, sour cream, milk, kosher salt and pepper and mix to combine.
Coat a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and add the chicken and rice mixture.
Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter and mix with the panko crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling and the breadcrumbs are brown and toasty.
Remove from the oven, let sit for 5-10 minutes and serve.
Easy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken cooked and cubed
- 6 oz long grain and wild rice box
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter divided
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 8 oz water chestnuts drained and sliced
- 2-½ cups sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 10.5 oz cream of mushroom soup; you can substitute cream of celery or cream of chicken soup can
- 8 oz sour cream container
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare the rice according to the package directions and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoon butter to a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the onions and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and tender.
- Add the water chestnuts, rice, chicken, 2-½ cups cheese, mushroom soup, sour cream, milk, kosher salt and pepper and mix to combine.
- Coat a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and add the chicken and rice mixture.
- Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter and mix with the panko crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling and the breadcrumbs are brown and toasty.
- Remove from the oven, let sit for 5-10 minutes and serve.
Hi, I just made your recipe & I was wondering exactly how do you go about freezing it and how long can you leave it in the freezer without it getting freezer burned? Also of what I made pictures to come because it is still in the oven cooking🤗
Hi Mari, as far as freezer burn, I can’t speak to that, but it should do fine if you wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. For the best results, I think I would try to use it within four months.
I hope you enjoy it!
Sharon
This casserole looks and sounds so tasty! Cannot wait to try, Perfect, since it’s been so bitter cold!
Thanks, Jessica! I couldn’t agree more! We actually had snow today in North Florida!
Sharon