Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
This Chicken Wild Rice Casserole can be served immediately or it can be made ahead and frozen. It includes carbs, protein, and vegetables, making it a full meal.
Enjoy this real food healthy freezer meal. This dish is certainly “fancy” enough to serve company, but also make a nice weeknight family meal.
If you want to add some holiday flair to this meal to serve it at Thanksgiving or Christmas, stir in some dried cranberries after baking. It will add in some festive flavor as well as seasonal color.
Chicken Wild Rice Casserole Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 5 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 cup wild rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
- 4 Tbsp. flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- non-stick cooking spray
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Prepare the baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Add the rice and broth into the prepped baking dish.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake at 350° for 1 hr and 15 minutes.
- Check on the rice and when it is almost done, add the melted butter into a small saucepan. Heat on medium while you add the flour, salt, and poultry seasoning.
- Stir to mix. Cook for one minute. Then begin to slowly add the milk while whisking. This will form a thick and creamy sauce.
- Remove the baking dish of rice from the oven once it is done. Carefully remove the foil. Add the chicken and the sauce, stirring to combine all the ingredients.
- Return casserole dish to the oven. Increase the heat to 450° for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
- Optional: Top with chopped fresh parsley.
Freezer cooking instructions:
- Prepare the dish as per the instructions above up until #9. After adding the chicken and sauce to the rice, cover the dish with two layers of aluminum foil. Freeze.
- Thaw. Bake in a preheated 450° oven for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
- Optional: Top with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
- 1 onion chopped
- 5 carrots peeled and chopped
- 5 celery stalks sliced
- 1 cup wild rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb. chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cubed
- 4 Tbsp. butter melted
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
- 4 Tbsp. flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- non-stick cooking spray
- fresh parsley optional
-
Preheat the oven to 350°.
-
Prepare the baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
-
Add the rice and broth into the prepped baking dish.
-
Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
-
Bake at 350° for 1 hr and 15 minutes.
-
Check on the rice and when it is almost done, add the melted butter into a small sauce pan. Heat on medium while you add the flour, salt, and poultry seasoning.
-
Stir to mix. Cook for one minute. Then begin to slowly add the milk while whisking. This will form a thick and creamy sauce.
-
Remove the baking dish of rice from the oven once it is done. Carefully remove the foil. Add the chicken and the sauce, stirring to combine all thee ingredients.
-
Return to the oven. Increase the heat to 450° for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
-
Top with fresh parsley before serving if desired.
-
Prepare the dish as per the instructions above up until #9. After adding the chicken and sauce to the rice, cover the dish with two layers of aluminum foil. Freeze.
-
Thaw. Bake in a preheated 450° oven for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
-
Top with fresh parsley before serving if desired.
Check out these other make-ahead recipes:
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake
