This chicken and rice casserole is packed with rice, cheese, chicken and lots of vegetables. It is comfort food at it’s best and the kids LOVE it. We make this dinner on repeat with some roasted vegetables and our favorite cookies for dessert!
If you love chicken dinner recipes like we do, try our Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas too.
Chicken and Rice Casserole
This chicken and rice casserole has been a family favorite recipe for years! I am having a blast sharing some of my favorite Picky Palate recipes this summer. This one is from September 2010 and is a reader favorite. It is one of my most pinned Picky Palate recipes and works great as a freezer meal! Note, you can used steamed white rice in place of the wild rice. Works just fine!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Comfort Food. This is comfort food in a casserole!
- Hearty and Filling. Hearty meal for the whole family.
- Great Leftovers. Makes great leftovers and freezes great for another meal later.
Try my Cheesy Beef Enchilada Casserole too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.
What’s Needed For Chicken and Rice Casserole
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the casserole. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full instructions.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil– The olive oil is used to saute the vegetables.
- Onion– White onion works great. Make sure it’s finely chopped.
- Celery– Wash, dry and finely chop the celery.
- Carrots– Peel and dice carrots the same size as celery and onion so they cook the same time.
- Garlic– Mince the garlic before adding to pan.
- Cooked chicken– Rotisserie chicken works great.
- Cooked White Rice– Use any of your favorite rice for the recipe. I usually use Basmati or Jasmine.
- Cooked Wild Rice Blend– If you can’t fine wild rice, substitute for more white rice or you could use a brown rice.
- Kosher Salt- Kosher salt is a coarse salt.
- Black Pepper– For best tasting results use freshly cracked black pepper.
- Garlic Salt– Lawry’s is my favorite brand of garlic salt.
- Salted Butter– I use salted butter for most of my recipes, unsalted is just fine as well.
- All-Purpose Flour– Flour is used to make the homemade cheese sauce.
- Chicken Broth– Look for reduced sodium chicken broth.
- Shredded Cheese– Mild cheddar cheese works great.
How To Make Chicken Rice Casserole
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Saute Vegetables. Heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add Broth and Seasonings. Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Reduce heat to low.
Prepare Cheese Sauce. Melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.
Add Cheese and Transfer To Rice. Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in 2 cups cheese until melted. Pour cheese sauce into cooked rice mixture then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Add Cheese. Top evenly with additional 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese.
Bake. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through.
One of our favorite casserole recipes to make. Cheesy delicious comfort food!
Recipe Tips For Success
- Rotisserie Chicken. Use shredded rotisserie chicken for quick recipe prep.
- Pre-Chop Veggies. Pre-chop the vegetables needed for the recipe in advance.
- Freeze Another Recipe. Double the recipe and freeze one to use for another dinner.
- Great Dinner To Bring To Neighbors and Friends. Double the recipe and give a dinner to a neighbor in need.
How To Serve Chicken and Rice
We love serving this recipe any day of the week. It’s great for Sunday dinner, weekend entertaining and makes the best leftovers. Serve this chicken and rice with some roasted vegetables and a side salad.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Yes, prepare the recipe up until the step where you add the cheese. Don’t bake it yet. Cool completely and cover the dish tightly with tin foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely before baking. You’ll add the shredded cheese before baking as well.
How To Store Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Re-heat in microwave as needed. Place rice in a heat proof bowl or plate, lightly covered in the microwave for 60-75 seconds or until hot.
You Might Also Like
- Pesto Ranch Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Cheesy Chicken Air Fryer Taquitos
Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
Equipment
- 9 x 13 inch baking dish
- Oven
- cutting board
- chef knife
- large mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing spoon
- Large Skillet/Fry Pan
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 3 stalks celery finely chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
- 2 cups steamed white rice
- 16 ounces cooked wild rice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Cheese Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese to top over rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Reduce heat to low.
- To prepare cheese sauce melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously. Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in 2 cups cheese until melted. Pour cheese sauce into cooked rice mixture then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with additional 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through.
Nutrition
Pin To Your Favorite Recipe Board!
Welcome to my online kitchen! Picky Palate is where you’ll find family friendly recipes along with the best Disney eats, tips and copycat recipes! 
I just made this for the second time in a week – but this time I learned my lesson. Instead of just one dish, like last time – I made three. One for tonight, one to freeze for after my baby arrives (due in two weeks) and another to take to a new momma friend. Wow. It is THAT GOOD. Yum, yum, yum! Thank you for sharing!
I just made this for the second time in a week – but this time I learned my lesson. Instead of just one dish, like last time – I made three. One for tonight, one to freeze for after my baby arrives (due in two weeks) and another to take to a new momma friend. Wow. It is THAT GOOD. Yum, yum, yum! Thank you for sharing!
I am going to do the same thing today! I am due in 4 weeks and am working on getting things in the freezer for post-baby. I was wondering if this would freeze well. Good luck!
I just popped it in the oven, looking forward to trying it!
Can you make this and let it sit overnight and bake the next day?
Can you make this and let it sit overnight and bake the next day?
I have made this a few times and it gets rave reviews. Everyone loves it!!
This recipe looks great and I can’t wait to make it! I was wondering if you need to cook the wild rice before you add it in or if you can add it in raw? Thanks for your help!
Hey friend, hope you & that precious little one are doing ok…
Saw this on Pinterest & it’s exactly something I’ve been looking for. So happy when I clicked over to your site 🙂
xoxo
Couldn’t find the wild rice at any of our Trader Joe’s here in KS/MO. Guess I’ll have to substitute.
I made this last night for my girlfriends..it was delicious. I would like to say that I found the “cheese sauce” to be abit dry so I added alittle extra broth, as well as the wild rice cooking liquid before it was totally absorbed into the rice. I only used one box of wild rice and one cup of steamed white rice and that was plenty. I couldn’t imagine what 32 oz of rice would be like, unless I am misunderstanding the quantity of rice this recipe is calling for. Overall, I would make this again, and again…it was that good! Thank you!! :o)
P.S. for those who are not onion lovers, I grate my onion so that I don’t have the visual or texture issue, but still have the flavor!
Does the rice have to be cooked before adding it to the vegies?
I wondered the same thing, but it does say “prepared” rice, so I went ahead and cooked both rices separately then added it. It came out great, not mushy at all.
Do you think I could sub turkey? I just made one and was looking for recipes I could use.
I printed it and will making it tomorrow!! Thanx!
I made this for dinner tonight, and received rave reviews from the family! Thanks so much!
Made this tonight after finding it on Pinterest! Perfect use for my extra Beer Crockpot Chicken! So delicious!
I was wondering if you don’t have trader joes wild rice what would i need to do to regular wild rice that isn’t “fully cooked and ready”?
Cook the wild rice until it is the “al dente” equivalent of pasta.
I made this tonight for supper. It was Fantastic!
I made this two nights ago and it was a hit! I didn’t have access to pre-cooked wild rice, so I cooked 1 cup of Lundberg Wild Blend rice in two cups of water. Made about 3 1/2 cups of cooked rice. So used this plus 2 cups of cooked white rice, and it seemed to work out just fine. My husband loved this casserole and ate the leftovers happily! Would make a great dish to take over to a neighbor in need. Thank you so much for sharing!
Made this for the first time… WOW! Kids loved it, husband loved it! We have a winner! Thanks!
Hey, this recipe looks awesome but I found it on punchfork.com where it was labeled as gluten-free… ? Do you have a flour substitution that you use but isn’t listed?
Found this recipe via Pinterest and made it last night! It was delicious!! I don’t even have a Trader Joe’s within 300 miles of me, so I decided to try something else. I used Birds Eye Steamfresh Brown and Wild Rice with Broccoli and Carrots (very healthy and low in fat). It was out of this WORLD good with the cheese sauce, esp. since cheese is so good with broccoli! Plus I didn’t have to cook the other veggies. I recommend others try this if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s or any other type of wild rice available! YUM!!!
If I can’t find the pre-cooked wild rice, would that be equivalent to two cups of my own prepared wild rice?
One of the best chicken casseroles I’ve ever made!!! Love it!!!
If I cooked my own wild rice, how much of the cooked rice should I use in cups? Your recipe says 16 oz, but is that weight? Thanks for your help. I can’t wait to try this!
If I cooked my own wild rice, how much of the cooked rice should I use in cups? Your recipe says 16 oz, but is that weight? Thanks for your help. I can’t wait to try this!
I used 1 cup of Lundberg wild blend rice and cooked it in 2 cups water–made about 3 1/2 cups cooked and I thought the amount was perfect along with the 2 cups white rice.
Thanks for all of your feedback Judy!!
This was delicious. My 4-year old turned up her nose when she saw it but gobbled it up once she tried it. I have had wild rice in my cupboard forever and was happy to get to use it in such a yummy way. I used Costco rotisserie chicken breast for the shredded chicken. If I calculate based on 8 servings, this has 470 calories and 28 grams of fat per serving so I definitely wouldn’t consider it “healthy” food per say, but the wild rice, veggies, and lean chicken certainly make for a balanced meal 🙂
This turned out amazing! I used the leftovers from a baked chicken the night before. Mostly dark meat left. Threw it in the crock pot with some water and let it cook all morning and after noon. Peeled the meat off and used a couple cups of the chicken stock left. Followed the recipe as is except I left out the celery because I didn’t have any in the fridge. Oh, and I used brown rice instead. Turned out delicious! This would make a great pot luck dish. Thank you for a now stand by recipe!
I loved loved loved this dish! I have no complaints and my hubby ate it all up but I will warn you that it takes quite a bit of prep time. I had all 4 of my burners going…One for the plain rice, one for the wild rice, one for the vegetables and one for the cheese sauce! It was a rush to the finish line but well worth it. It looks like a very simple and easy recipe, which it is, it just requires a lot of multitasking! Thank you for such a delish recipe! I will make this again on a non-work day as its too much for me after a long day of work!
I take it I have to cook my own wild Rice? No Joes around here.
I just made this tonight but made it more like a chicken bake (without the rice). It was delish!
I made this casserole tonight, and it was quite good. But here’s an idea: I was wandering through the kitchen hours later, and I decided I wanted a second helping. On a whim, I put a couple of scoops of the casserole into a bowl, then thinned it to a desirable consistency with some leftover chicken broth (from poaching the chicken) and popped it in the microwave to reheat. When it was hot, I added a big splash of half and half and some extra salt and pepper, and it had magically tranformed into the yummiest cheesy chicken and rice soup! This casserole recipe makes SO MUCH, that this is one way to transform the dish and compel your family to keep eating it–or to take it for lunches during the week. 🙂
YUM! Thanks for sharing. We had it for dinner and it was so good. Had a great flavor and was so filling. I wouldn’t change anything about it. Thanks again!!
Just to make sure I understand, you cook both rices before adding to the veggies?
What if I can’t find already prepared wild rice? Still do the recipe the same?
i didn’t find any at tj’s, but you can find it at some other grocery stores. the first time i made it, i used uncle ben’s long grain & wild rice in a box (very good seasonings) and it was unbelievabley good! since i’ve now found some already cooked wild rice, i will use that tonight.
Great tip Heather, thanks for sharing 🙂
i’ve seen it a couple of places, but the prepared wild rice i used tonight was from target – archer farms brand, 8.5 oz. pouch.
The ads do print. I know it says it doesn’t but they do. Fortunately i caught them in preview before printing and specified only page 1.
This is an amazing recipe. My husband absolutely loved it. I added a little worstershire and red-hot to the sauce. Very flavorful.