Description
This Easy Chicken Wild Rice Casserole is creamy, cozy, and loaded with tender chicken, mushrooms, wild rice, and veggies—finished with a buttery, crispy panko topping (no canned soup needed!).
Ingredients
Wild Rice
1 cup dry wild rice (or wild rice blend)
2 ¼ cups chicken broth or water (for cooking rice)
Chicken + Veggies
1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
½ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp butter (for mushrooms)
Homemade Cream Sauce
4 tbsp butter
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp cornstarch (whisked into the broth)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chicken bouillon (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp dried basil (optional)
Cheese + Topping
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp butter, melted (to mix with panko)
Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Cook the wild rice: Cook wild rice according to package directions (using broth for extra flavor if you’d like). Set aside.
Season the chicken: Pat chicken dry. Toss with paprika, salt, and pepper.
Sear the chicken: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and sear until mostly opaque (it will finish in the oven). Transfer to a bowl.
Sauté the veggies: Add a drizzle more oil if needed. Cook onion, carrots, and celery until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Transfer to the bowl with the chicken.
Caramelize the mushrooms: Melt 2 tbsp butter with a splash of oil in the pot. Add mushrooms and spread in a single layer. Cook until golden, flip/stir, and cook until browned. Transfer to the bowl.
Make the creamy sauce: Melt 4 tbsp butter in the pot. Whisk in flour and cook 1–2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Gradually whisk in chicken broth (with cornstarch), then milk. Whisk in Dijon, Worcestershire, bouillon, thyme, parsley, basil, and pepper. Simmer until thickened.
Add cheese: Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup cheddar until melted, then stir in Parmesan.
Combine: Stir in cooked wild rice, chicken, veggies, and mushrooms until evenly coated.
Assemble: Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour in casserole mixture. Top with remaining 1 cup cheddar. Mix panko with melted butter and sprinkle on top.
Bake: Cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. (Optional: uncover for the last 5 minutes for extra crunch.)
Notes
Shortcut chicken: Rotisserie or leftover cooked chicken works great—just skip the searing step.
Cheese tip: Freshly grated Parmesan melts better and tastes richer.
Make-ahead: Assemble (without panko topping) and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add panko right before baking.
Freezer tip: Freeze without the panko topping; add fresh topping when baking after thawing.
Sauce thickness: Slightly thick is good—it loosens in the oven.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of casserole
- Calories: 470 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg