This warm and delicious chicken wild rice casserole has tender chunks of chicken breast in a creamy herb sauce mixed with wild rice and Monterey Jack cheese. Top the baked casserole with crispy bread crumbs and sliced almonds for crunch. You can make it ahead and freeze for a special family dinner down the road.
PREP TIME 30 minutesminutes
COOK TIME 40 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
YIELD 12servings
Ingredients
For the Chicken Casserole Base
2(6.2 oz) boxes wild rice mixLike Ben's wild rice, prepared according to package directions
8tbsp(1 stick) butter
6celery ribschopped
2onionsdiced
5cupsdiced cooked chickenfrom 5 small chicken breast halves or a rotisserie chicken
2(10 oz) cans cream of chicken soup
1cupsour cream
1cupmilk
1/2fresh lemonjuiced, also zest the lemon before juicing and reserve the zest
Get the wild rice boxes cooking according to the package directions. They will take about 20 minutes to finish.
While the wild rice is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery and onions and cook them until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and milk to the skillet and stir until smooth. Add the lemon juice, Savory Herb & Vegetable seasoning (or herb substitute), cayenne pepper, and black pepper and stir them together.
Add the diced chicken to the skillet and stir.
Scrape the chicken and soup mixture into a large mixing bowl. Fluff the wild rice and scrape it into the bowl with the chicken mixture. Stir them together until well combined. If your skillet is extra-large, you might have room to just stir them together there, my standard skillet was not big enough to do so.
Add the shredded Monterey Jack cheese and stir.
Spray either 2 8x11-inch baking dishes or 1 10x15-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon the chicken filling into the baking dishes and smooth into an even layer.
If you're preparing the casserole for the freezer, stop here and check the notes below for freezing instructions.
Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the casserole on a large baking sheet to catch any spills once the sauces get nice and bubbly while baking.
In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, olive oil, and reserved lemon zest with a fork. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top of the chicken filling.
Bake the chicken wild rice casserole for 35 minutes.
Spread the almond slices on a separate baking sheet. Bake them for 7 - 8 minutes or until browned and toasted. You can do this while the chicken casserole is baking but watch them carefully because almonds can burn quickly. They will definitely finish much faster than the casserole itself.
Once the chicken wild rice casserole is finished with the first round of baking, sprinkle the toasted almonds over the top and bake for just 5 minutes more. The casserole is finished when the sauce is bubbling hot, the breadcrumbs are toasted, and the almonds are warmed through.
Recipe Notes
Make Ahead Freezing Instructions
To freeze the chicken wild casserole, prepare the chicken filling and spread into a freezer-safe baking container or aluminum foil baking dish.Wrap tightly in foil and freeze for up to 6 months.Thaw the frozen casserole in your fridge overnight. Then proceed with the baking directions as written above.Do not try to freeze the casserole with the breadcrumbs or almond topping. Sprinkle those fresh over the top before putting it into the oven.You can actually freeze the breadcrumbs in a separate bag so they are pre-measured and ready to go if you want to save a step. Just thaw them in the fridge along with the casserole.