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This Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole is loaded with shredded chicken, wild rice, and veggies in a rich and flavorful homemade cream sauce. Topped with cheese and baked to gooey, melted perfection, it’s a classic family casserole that’s super easy to make and loved by the whole family!
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole Recipe
I’m entering my “casserole era.” There, I said it.
You guys, I’m exhausted. Like, all the time. Doctors love to gaslight (women…hormones…ahh), and I can only begin to speculate what’s happening with my body – which I do all the time. But, I’m so tired. So I’m venting – here! A space that I never use for personal venting sessions anymore. But, I was feeling brave today. And I was tired of complaining to my husband.
Anyway, enough of all of that. Let’s have a quick chat about casseroles and why my much older (feeling) 37-year-old self loves this one in particular.
- Comfort. Casseroles are comfort food. Some are more comforting than others, but in any case, they all provide a little boost of warm and fuzzy from head to toe. This creamy chicken and wild rice casserole is the perfect example of just that. Made entirely from scratch, it’s got all kinds of nutritious ingredients to help you feel well cared for, like wild rice, chicken, veggies, and cheese.
- Easy. There’s a reason I’m calling it my “casserole era.” They’re easy to make! At least in most cases. This chicken and wild rice casserole is already easy to make, but the real magic is in the shortcuts, which make it even easier – and faster! (see tips below).
- Delicious. Food should taste delicious, right? Casseroles allow you to pick your favorite protein, veggies, and starch, wrap it in a nice little bow (usually covered with cheese), and enjoy it for at least two nights in a row. Maybe more, maybe less. I don’t know how much you guys eat.
There are obviously plenty more reasons to love casseroles and perhaps a couple of reasons not to love a select few my grandmother used to make. But, this creamy chicken and wild rice casserole is pretty dang delicious.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Chicken broth: I prefer to use low-sodium chicken broth to keep the salt content down in this dish. Homemade chicken stock or even bone broth could be used instead.
- Rice: I’ve used a wild rice blend in this casserole, but plain wild rice, white or brown rice, and pre-cooked (frozen) rice are also options.
- Butter
- Vegetables: This casserole includes celery, carrot, yellow onion, and cremini mushrooms. If you’re a mushroom fan, I’m a huge advocate for adding extra. Other yummy veggies include cherry cherry tomatoes, kale, spinach, butternut squash, asparagus, etc.
- Garlic: Finely minced garlic cloves will provide the best flavor.
- Seasoning: A combination of paprika, Italian seasoning (store-bought or homemade), salt, and black pepper. For a kick of heat, use cayenne pepper, curry powder, smoked paprika, or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is used to thicken the sauce. Use cornstarch or gluten-free flour instead, if needed.
- Heavy cream: Adds creaminess and flavor and thickens the sauce. You may substitute with half-and-half or milk for a lighter dish.
- Sour cream – Another ingredient that adds delicious flavor and thickness.
- Cheese: This casserole recipe uses cheddar and parmesan cheese. Always use freshly grated cheese for the best flavor and to prevent any weird separation in the sauce. Cheese substitutions include mozzarella, Pepperjack, Provolone, and Gouda.
- Chicken – This recipe requires cooked and shredded chicken. The chicken can be baked, poached, air-fried, or grilled. Whatever works. To save time, use precooked or leftover cooked chicken. Rotisserie chickens are great for this.
How to Make Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
1. Cook the rice: Combine 2 cups of the chicken broth and the rice in a medium pot over high heat and salt generously. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and leave it to cook for 25 minutes. Once cooked, let the rice sit in the pot with the lid still on for 10 minutes.
2. Cook the vegetables: While the rice cooks, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Cook the celery, carrot, and onion for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the mushrooms with the seasonings and cook for another 4 minutes until slightly softened.
3. Add flour and liquids: Stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Immediately pour in the remaining chicken broth together with the heavy cream and sour cream. Whisk the ingredients for about 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
4. Add the cheese, chicken, and rice: Turn off the heat and stir in 1 cup of cheddar cheese and all of the parmesan cheese until melted. Stir in the shredded chicken and cooked rice.
5. Bake: Cover the skillet and bake for 15 minutes. Give the casserole a stir and return it to the oven uncovered to bake for another 20 minutes.
6. Top with cheese: Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheddar cheese on top of the casserole and bake uncovered for an extra 10 minutes.
7. Broil and serve: Broil on high for 3-4 minutes if you want to achieve a golden crispy top layer of cheese. Garnish the casserole with a sprinkle of fresh oregano, if desired.
Casserole Shortcuts
- Use pre-cooked frozen rice. Most grocery stores these days sell pre-cooked frozen rice, and it is AMAZING. The rice is never mushy. Perfect for things like casseroles, soups, curries, and stir-fries.
- Use rotisserie chicken. Leftover baked chicken is also great, but rotisserie chicken is my favorite. It’s already seasoned, plus you get a mix of light and dark meat.
- Use frozen vegetables. Frozen peas, carrots, and corn (even broccoli) and like gold for casseroles. I do thaw them first, though.
- But avoid pre-shredded cheese and canned soups. Bagged, shredded cheese is more likely to clump together, and canned cream of soups are just really bad for you (if you can avoid them). Plus, they’re pretty easy to make from scratch: how to make cream of mushroom soup and how to make cream of chicken soup.
Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole FAQ
To make this casserole gluten-free, you’ll want to replace the regular flour with a gluten-free alternative like gluten-free flour or cornstarch.
You can bake your chicken breasts, use poached chicken breasts, or air fry chicken breasts. There’s no right or wrong, as long as you add cooked chicken breasts to the casserole.
Get creative by adding broccoli, kale, spinach, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, butternut squash, or whatever else your family enjoys.
Yes. This recipe can be made with plain wild rice, brown rice, or white rice, like Basmati or Jasmine rice. The important thing to note is that all types of rice have different cooking times. In general, white rice will cook the fastest, followed by brown rice, and then wild rice. Learn more about each type of rice in the following posts: wild rice, brown rice, basmati rice, and jasmine rice.
Storage and Freezing
Leftovers: Store this chicken and wild rice casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or larger portions in the oven.
Freezing: For best results, assemble the casserole as directed, then transfer it to a freezer-safe baking pan or casserole dish, freezing it before baking. Freeze for up to 3-4 months. Thaw the frozen casserole in the refrigerator overnight and bake it as directed. You may need to add a few minutes to the total baking time to factor in the chilled temperature of the thawed casserole.
Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 4 tablespoon butter, salted or unsalted
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream, or milk or half-and-half
- 1 cup sour cream, optional
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded and divided
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken , approximately 2 large or 3 medium-sized chicken breasts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the wild rice blend plus 2 cups of the chicken broth to a medium pot set over medium-high heat. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid. Let the rice gently simmer for 25 minutes, then remove from heat and let it sit with the lid on for 10 minutes. Once cooked, drain the rice in a fine mesh strainer should any liquid remain. Set aside.
- In the meantime, melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet set over medium heat and cook the celery, carrot, and onion until soft, about 5-10 minutes. Note: If you don't own an oven-safe skillet, that's ok. Prepare as outlined and transfer to an oven-safe baking dish before topping with cheese and baking.
- Add the mushrooms, garlic, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper and cook until the mushrooms have softened slightly, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously, then slowly whisk in the remaining cup of chicken broth, heavy cream, and sour cream. Whisk continuously until combined and it starts to thicken about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in one cup of the cheddar cheese and all the parmesan until melted. Then stir in the cooked and shredded chicken and cooked rice.
- Tent with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Carefully stir then return to the oven to bake, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cup of cheese and bake until melted about 10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
