Creamy Chicken Rice Casserole

It can be hard to put our love for the humble casserole into words because there’s just so much to love about them,
but if we had to pick one single reason, it would certainly be their ability to bring you a complete and comforting meal in one dish. There’s a casserole out there for every occasion, but this is one that works for just about any of them. It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, and it’s a classic – Chicken Rice Casserole.

It’s classic enough that we’re sure you’ve made it before, but this version makes it worth trying again, we promise. There’s no precooking of the rice or chicken required. It’s just a matter of stirring your ingredients up and getting them in the oven. (Just make sure that the aluminum foil covers the baking dish tightly so that everything gets cooked through.) This uses regular rice and not the ‘minute’ variety, so the grains come out tender but hold their shape. The sauce relies on condensed cream of celery soup, but you could swap that out for cream of chicken or cream of mushroom if that’s what you had on hand. Happy eating!

Chicken Rice Casserole

1 hour 30 minutes to prepare serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 (10.5 oz) cans cream of celery soup
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 2 cups white rice, uncooked
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken broth, cream of celery soup, and butter until well combined. Add the rice, chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme.
  3. Pour rice mixture into prepared baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until rice is cooked through and chicken is tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
  4. Uncover, sprinkle cheese evenly over the top and return to oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 more minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Adapted from South Your Mouth.

Whizzco for LPE