Description
A family-friendly chicken wild rice casserole recipe featuring cooked chicken, wild rice blend, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and vegetables, baked until golden and bubbly. Perfect for weeknight dinners or meal prep.
Ingredients
Main Components:
- 2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or diced)
- 4 cups cooked wild rice blend (I use the 5-grain stuff from Costco)
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup chicken stock (water works if that’s all you have)
Fresh Vegetables:
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (or 2 cloves fresh)
Flavor Boosters:
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Grease your dish. I use butter because I’m lazy and it’s already out for something else. Cooking spray works too but butter tastes better.
Heat the skillet over medium heat. Don’t go too hot or the garlic burns and tastes bitter. Throw in celery, onion, garlic with salt and pepper. Cook until soft and smells good. The onion should be translucent and the celery should have lost its crunch.
Big bowl. Add chicken, soup, sour cream, broth, and the cooked vegetables. Stir it up until everything looks creamy. Don’t worry if it looks like too much liquid – the rice absorbs it while baking.
Put in rice one cup at a time. Stir gently or it gets mushy. Learned this the hard way when I dumped it all in at once and ended up with rice paste. Take your time with this step.
Dump mixture in greased dish. Spread it out so it’s even. Don’t pack it down – just spread gently. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover every inch because that’s where the good crust happens.
Stick in oven. It’s done when the top is brown and bubbly around edges. If the top isn’t brown enough after 35 minutes, turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes but watch it carefully.
Let it sit or it’ll fall apart when you serve it. Hardest part of the whole recipe. I usually use this time to make salad or set the table because if I just stand there looking at it, I’ll cut into it too early.
Notes
Buy rotisserie chicken – saves time and it’s already seasoned perfectly
Cook rice in chicken broth instead of water for better taste – makes a huge difference
Don’t stir too much – rice gets mushy and nobody wants rice pudding for dinner
Check center is hot before taking out – cold spots are gross
Let it cool 5 minutes or it falls apart when you scoop it
Make extra – this reheats better than most casseroles
Use real Parmesan, not the powdered stuff – tastes completely different
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American