Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole is the ultimate comfort food layered with flavorful rice, chicken, a cheesy sauce, and crispy stuffing. You can make it ahead of time and even freeze it!
This is the casserole I grew up on. I loved it as a child and I still love it today. Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole is one of my favorite easy casserole recipes that will forever be on our meal rotation.
Of all the casseroles I’ve eaten, this is seriously one of the best. Why? First, the flavor and texture are awesome. Instead of using plain white rice, you use the seasoned Long Grain and Wild Rice. So much flavor packed in the rice alone! Then in the casserole, you’ve got some chicken and yummy cheese and cream of chicken soup that create a nice sauce to hold everything together and gives moisture to the dish. And then to top it all off you add a layer of stuffing. I’m pretty much addicted to stuffing (Thanksgiving Stuffing) so having that on top is a dream come true. It adds the perfect amount of crispiness and flavor to round out the dish.
Second, you can make it ahead of time! And you don’t have the cook the chicken. Just cook your rice, layer everything in the pan, and stick it in the fridge until an hour before you want to eat.
Third, it freezes great. Since our family is small, I like to split the ingredients into two 8×8 inch dishes and freeze one to have on hand. Then just place the casserole in the fridge the night before you want to eat it and cook it as directed. Easy peasy! If you don’t want to keep your dish in the freezer, line it with foil before layer in the casserole. When the casserole freezes you can easily lift it out of the pan and put it in a freezer bag.
And finally, this casserole is great for feeding your own family but it’s also a perfect dish to take to those in need. I like to take this Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole or Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad to all those new mamas who are getting fragmented sleep and are just on survival mode.
Make it a complete meal by serving it with a side of salad, green beans, carrots… whatever. Your family will walk away from the table feeling full and nourished. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 6 ounce package Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese grated
- 4 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
- Paprika
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- ¼ cup chicken broth or water
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 3 cups Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions.
- Spray a 9”x13” baking dish with cooking spray and pour rice into a casserole dish. Cover rice with 1 cup Jack cheese and then layer on uncooked chicken pieces over the top of the cheese. Sprinkle chicken with paprika and layer with the remaining 1 cup grated cheese.
- Add broth (or water) to the soup. Mix and spoon over top of the cheese.
- Add the melted butter to stuffing mix and spread over the top of the casserole.
- You can refrigerate overnight (or freeze it for later) or cook immediately.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 60 minutes.
