Old Fashioned Chicken & Rice Casserole
This Classic old fashioned chicken and rice casserole is packed with vegetables, a creamy sauce and topped with crunchy crackers. It’s everything a casserole should be.
All About this Old Fashioned Chicken and Rice Casserole
This casserole begins with layering cooked rice into a casserole dish, adding in sautéed vegetables like peppers, onions, broccoli and canned chicles and roasted chicken. I top it all with a from scratch cream cheese sauce filled with rich chicken broth, cheese and seasonings. It is yummy and full of comforting flavors. This is the perfect casserole to make and share with friends.
Ingredients in this Old Fashioned Chicken and Rice Casserole
- white or brown rice- cooked
- roasted chicken
- broccoli
- yellow or red peppers
- onion
- garlic
- canned green chilies
- chicken broth
- water
- cream cheese
- milk 2% or whole
- cheddar cheese
- parmesean cheese
- salt, pepper, dry mustard, paprika, turmeric (optional- adds a wonderful color to the sauce), garlic powder
- flour
How to make this casserole
This recipe, while at first glance looks like it has a ton of work, can easily be put together if you gather the ingredients and work from only one pan. I promise you this method is so easy and makes for a quick clean up. Your family can easily help out by chopping the veggies, prepping the rice- use quick rice- save your self some time, and little ones will love crushing the crackers in a bag. See my notes below on how to reduce the calories- panko bread crumbs and less cheese are the ticket.
Pro tips to make this chicken and rice casserole
- Measure all the ingredients before you start cooking
- Pre-heat your oven tp 350 degrees while you are prepping everything
- Roast your chicken early in the day so it is easy to shred
- Cook the rice while prepping the vegetables and spices
- Make a double batch to share with friends
- Do not use microwave rice- it tastes rubbery when baked
- Take out the cream cheese before you start baking so it softens up a bit
- Rotisserie chicken works great in this recipe
Frequently asked questions about this Chicken Casserole
YES! Before baking, Do not add any extra cheese layer to the top. Wrap the dish in foil and then cover and wrap with freezer grade plastic wrap. To Reheat, remove the casserole from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge overnight. Remove the plastic. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then add the cheese and crackers and bake about 15 minutes more. Internal temperature should reach 165 degrees for food safety.
A roux is just equal parts of cooked fat ( butter intros recipe) and flour. It is used to thicken sauces, soups and gravies. You whisk or stir it together in a pan until the two ingredients become a thick paste and have a slight bit of color. This recipe calls for butter and flour. Do not leave the pan unattended while making the roux- just keep whisking until it comes together.
Of course you can, but this is an old fashioned recipe free of chemicals, additives or the extra sodium founding canned soups.
Use only persmesan cheese- not cheddar. Substitute panko for Ritz Crackers .
Double the amount of vegetables and cut the amount of rice in half. Use 1% or 2% milk instead whole milk.
You could use olive oil instead of butter and a soy milk instead of dairy milk.
To eliminate the cream cheese and other cheeses would change the recipe entirely. The taste will be very different.
Just add water to the recipe, but add in an extra 1 teaspoon of salt. But- Keep a jar of Better than Bouillon your fringe. It lasts for ever and is perfect for making sauces, or adding flavor to any dish. It uses SO much less water than boxed or canned broth or stock. I always have a jar in my fridge.
What to serve with this Old Fashioned Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Broccoli and Blueberry Salad
- Kale and Sugar Snap Peas
- Kale with Mushrooms
- Butternut Squash Casserole
- Rustic Apple Pie
All about the Sauce
When making the roux, you can add either whole milk, or lower fat milk. I figure, I’d just go for it on this dish and do full fat. To make a lower calorie recipe, you can substitute the cheddar for all parmesan, 2% milk, and reduce the amount of milk and add chicken broth instead. You can also double the veggies. Try using panko bread crumbs for a topping for less calories while retaining that crunch.
I think there is SO much more flavor found in making your own roux. I did not add any salt to my casserole at all except to the water I cooked the broccoli in and the garlic salt. Also, I did not add any melted butter or cheese to the Ritz crackers. I found the topping to be crunchy and buttery enough without adding extra cheese or butter. The cheeses are loaded with salt, so taste your cheese sauce first before adding any additional salt. I think adding pepper might be a great flavor booster.
While “researching” this recipe, I found SO many options using the dreaded Cream of ____ soup. It adds nothing really but salt.
You could also get creative by adding any number of vegetables such as peas, squash, carrots- knock yourself out. I think the bright colors of broccoli and peppers with a can of chilis work perfectly. We tried adding a can of diced tomatoes with chilis but that just watered down the dish and did not add much flavor. Just made things kind of mushy. I’m a big believer in- if it adds FLAVOR- add it in.
As aways, shoot me your messages and notes in the comment section. I love to hear from my little home chefs- what worked for you, what didn’t.
Enjoy! Meggen
Old Fashioned Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups white or brown rice cooked
- 4 cups chicken breasts roasted and shredded
- 2 cups fresh broccoli trimmed into florets
- 1 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1 clove fresh garlic, minced fine
- 1 cup large yellow onion diced
- 14 oz can diced green chilies
- 8 TBSP unsalted butter divided
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup 2% or whole milk
- 8 oz Cream Cheese (one bar) softened
- 1 cup water or low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese shredded, more if desired to top casserole
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 TBSP dry mustard
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp tumeric
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 sleeve Rtiz Crackers crushed
Instructions
Cook the Rice and Chicken
- Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the chicken. Bake at chicken at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and the internal temperate reaches 165 degrees F. Once baked, set aside to cool.
- Cook the rice according to package directions. Add the cooked rice to the bottom of an oven safe 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Take the cooled chicken and shred. Scatter the chicken on top of the rice. Set aside. If using a rotisserie chicken, shred the meat taking care to remove any bones.
- In a large pot or Dutch Oven, add 2 TBSP of butter and sauté onions, peppers and broccoli for five minutes until just tender. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Stir in the chilies. Pour the vegetables on top of the chicken and rice. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Make the Sauce/ Roux
- In the same large pot or Dutch Oven you cooked the vegetables, melt the remaining butter over medium low heat. Add flour to the melted butter and whisk constantly until flour is cooked through, about 1-2 minutes, and begins to resemble a thick paste. Do not leave unattended and do not allow the roux to burn .Add milk slowly, whisking constantly until smooth. Pour in the chicken broth and continuing whisking to incorporate all the ingredients well.
- Add the softened cream cheese in pieces to the roux. Stir cream cheese until it has dissolved and thickened into the sauce. About 1 minute.
- Add turmeric, dry mustard, paprika and garlic salt. Whisk until well blended.
- Once sauce is thick, on very low heat, add cheddar and parmesan and whisk in until melted.
- Finally, if needed, add salt and pepper to taste and water or chicken broth if sauce is too thick to pour. Cover pot, remove from heat, but keep warm.
To assemble the casserole
- In the 9 x 13 pan, you should have the layered the rice, chicken and vegetables. Next, pour over all of the sauce. Top with crushed Ritz Crackers or Panko Bread Crumbs
- Bake at 350 degrees UNCOVERED until brown and bubbling.
Nutrition
