Chicken Wild Rice Casserole

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Chicken Wild Rice Casserole will make you love casseroles again! Easy, fast, delicious and comforting, your whole family will love this recipe!

I have been making this Chicken Wild Rice Casserole for years and it never disappoints. It’s a simple mixture of chicken, wild rice, frozen vegetables and cheese that is mixed together and baked until hot and melty. Simple enough for a weeknight but hearty enough to fill you up (with leftovers for the next day, too!) It’s one of our favorites.

My Favorite Rice Casserole!

I’ve been making casseroles for years because they never get old, they’re baked in one dish and everyone likes them (hiiii Creamy Ranch Chicken Casserole, Breakfast Casserole and Taco Casserole). This is no exception to the rule. This is one of my family’s favorite dinners. We love love love this Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice so much that I decided to base this entire recipe around it. Make a package of this rice according to package directions, stir it together with the rest of the casserole ingredients and bake. Make it ahead or bake immediately…works both ways perfectly.

A list of Simple Ingredients

This Chicken Wild Rice Casserole recipe has a list of relatively simple ingredients. I’ve listed a few other options if you wanted to switch things up based on what you have on hand, but generally, everything on this list should be readily available in your cabinets or easy to find at your local grocery store.

• Wild Rice– like I mentioned above, this box of Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice is the basis of this recipe. Make it according to package directions. Don’t forget the seasoning packet! That is where a lot of the flavor comes from for this recipe.
• Precooked Chicken– Any kind of chicken you have is perfect for this recipe, as long as its already cooked. Rotisserie, boiled and cubed, canned or leftover grilled chicken would all work.
• Onions and Celery– I cook diced onion and celery in a little butter to add more flavor.
• Frozen Vegetables– The pictures show that I used a simple pea/carrot combo, but any frozen veggie mix is great! As long as you like it, it should work just fine.
• Cream of Chicken Soup– A lot of the moisture and flavor for this rice casserole is from a can of condensed soup. I used cream of chicken but cream of mushroom or even cream of celery will work. As long as you like it, it will work!
• Heavy Cream or Milk-Because we bake this casserole, we want to add moisture to keep the casserole from drying out. Cream adds an overall creamy flavor but milk works in a pinch, too.
• Cheddar Cheese– This is optional, but makes a delicious topping!

How to make Chicken Wild Rice Casserole

There are about 20-25 minutes of active cook time with this recipe, but the remainder is pure baking time. This is why every mom loves casseroles. Really really simple! Actual recipe increments and more specific directions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Cook box of rice according to packaged directions.
2. Saute onion and celery until softened.
3. Stir all casserole ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread into a baking dish. Top with cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm.

What should I serve with this casserole?

My go-to side dish for any casserole including this Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole would be some kind of raw or cooked vegetables. Salads are great in the summer, warmer veggies are great in the fall and winter! Here are some of my favorites:

• Chinese Cabbage Salad
• Watermelon Mint Salad
• Ambrosia Salad
• Simple Greek Salad
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Oven Roasted Asparagus
• Maple Glazed Carrots

So, there you have it! A simple wild rice casserole that has your veggies, protein and grain all wrapped up in one creamy, dreamy dish! I hope you love it as much as we do!

Happy Cooking!

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5 from 31 votes

Chicken Wild Rice Casserole

Simple, hearty ingredients stirred together and baked for a creamy chicken and wild rice casserole, perfect for any weeknight dinner!

servings 4 Servings

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 1/2 onion diced
• ▢ 1 stalk celery diced
• ▢ 10.5 oz cream of chicken soup* 1 can
• ▢ 2 cups cooked chicken cubed, or any other meat
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups frozen vegetables peas and carrots recommended but any are fine
• ▢ 1/2 cup cream or milk
• ▢ salt
• ▢ pepper
• ▢ 1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Cook box of rice according to packaged directions.
• In skillet, melt butter and sautee onion and celery over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Once cooked, add rice and cooked onion and celery into large bowl. Add cream of chicken soup, diced chicken, vegetables, cream and salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread into a lightly greased casserole dish. (9x9 glass dish is fine too.)
• Top with cheese. Cover with foil and warm thoroughly at 350 degrees for at least 20 minutes (and up to 60). Serve warm with a side salad.

Notes

*I use cream of chicken condensed soup but a cream of mushroom of cream of celery soup would work too. As long as you like the flavor of the soup you're using, it should work just fine.

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 463mg | Potassium: 837mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4506IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 2mg

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: casserole