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    The ULTIMATE Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

    by Joe Duff 3 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    This cheesy chicken and rice casserole is packed full of creamy, cheesy, meaty goodness. It combines tender chicken, mushrooms, and rice in a rich sauce that's loaded with flavor. What's even better than how it tastes though, is how easy it is to make. In fact, 10 minutes is all it takes to have this chicken and rice casserole prepped and ready for the oven.

    An overhead view of a plate with a serving of cheesy chicken and rice casserole and the remaining casserole in the casserole dish next to it.

    Table of Contents

    • The Best Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
      • Ingredients
        • Ingredient Substitutions And Suggestions
          • Add Veggies
          • Add More Cheese
      • How To Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
        • Step 1: Create The Roux
        • Step 2: Cook The Other Ingredients
        • Step 3: Bake The Casserole
      • How To Store Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
        • How To Reheat Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
      • FAQS About This Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
        • What is the best chicken for this recipe?
        • How can I add extra flavor to my casserole?
        • What rice should I use in this casserole?
      • Wrapping It Up
    • More Chicken Casserole Recipes
    • The ULTIMATE Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
      • Ingredients
      • Instructions
      • Nutrition
      • Did you make this recipe?

    The Best Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

    I don't know about you, but I don't think there's a better savory combination than chicken and rice. And I'm not going to lie, out of all the chicken and rice recipes out there, this casserole might be my favorite one!

    Honestly, it might even be my favorite casserole ever, and that's saying something because I've made a ton of casserole recipes recently. I just love how quickly this casserole comes together and how few ingredients you need to make it. Not to mention, even the pickiest of eaters - like my kids - love it too.

    By the way, since most of the time it takes to make this casserole is completely passive - it's just oven baking time - you'll have plenty of time to make some delicious sides to go with it. A few of my favorites to make with it are these Chinese green beans, these honey glazed carrots, and this sweet potato cornbread.

    a plate with a serving of cheesy chicken and rice casserole. The remaining casserole is in the baking dish in the background.

    Ingredients

    As I just mentioned, all you need to make this cheesy chicken and rice casserole are a few kitchen/pantry staples. In fact, you probably have most - if not all - of them at home already! 

    Anyway, here's everything you'll need to make it:

    • 2 tbsp. butter
    • 2 tbsp. flour
    • ½ tsp. garlic, minced
    • ¼ cup white wine
    • 1 ½ cup chicken broth
    • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
    • Salt and black pepper
    • 1 ½ cup chicken, cooked and shredded (a rotisserie chicken works great)
    • 1 ½ cup rice, cooked
    • ½ cup mushrooms, sliced

    Simple stuff, right?

    By the way, if you have some leftover chicken and rice, you can give this poppy seed chicken casserole a try next. It's another one of my favorite chicken and rice recipes.

    An overhead view of the ingredients to make cheesy chicken and rice casserole on the countertop in separate bowls.

    Ingredient Substitutions And Suggestions

    While I recommend making this cheesy chicken and rice casserole with the ingredients listed above, you can definitely experiment with some additional ingredients to change up the flavor. So with that said, I've listed some of my favorite ideas below.

    Add Veggies

    If you want to make this casserole even heartier, you can pretty much add any vegetables that you want to it. Frozen broccoli florets, bell pepper, green peppers, mushrooms, and carrots are all great additions. Just let the veggies thaw first if you're using frozen veggies, then add them to the casserole before baking.

    Add More Cheese

    Everyone knows that there's no such thing as too much cheese. This cheesy casserole uses shredded mozzarella cheese, but you can also add shredded cheddar cheese to it or any other type of cheese you want for some extra cheesy goodness. 

    An overhead view of a hot pan with butter and flour making a roux.

    How To Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

    Now, it's almost time to make the casserole!

    Again, making this cheesy chicken and rice casserole recipe is about as easy as it gets. You literally just add the ingredients to a pan, let 'em cook for a bit, then put everything in a casserole dish and let your oven take care of the rest.

    Anyway, with that said, let's not waste another second and get cooking!

    An overhead view of a hot pan with shredded cheese being added to the roux mixture.

    Step 1: Create The Roux

    First things first, you're going to preheat your oven to 350°F (180ºC).

    Then, you'll want to make a roux for the creamy sauce. A roux is a paste-like mixture that provides the base for this dish. So you can start making this by heating a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat and adding the butter and flour to it.

    Then, you'll just want to let the butter and flour cook for a couple of minutes - until they form a paste-like consistency.

    An overhead view of a hot pan with the cooked chicken and cooked rice added to it.

    Step 2: Cook The Other Ingredients

    Once the roux has formed, you can add the garlic, wine, and chicken broth to the skillet and cook everything for a couple more minutes - until the mixture starts to thicken. Then, you can add half of the shredded cheese to the skillet and continue cooking and stirring until all the cheese has melted.

    Finally, you can add the cooked chicken, rice, and mushrooms to the skillet and give everything a good mix, so it's well combined. 

    An overhead view of a hot pan with the cheesy chicken casserole mixture combined it in. Mushrooms have just been added to it.

    Step 3: Bake The Casserole

    Once all of the casserole ingredients are well combined, you can transfer the mixture to a medium-sized baking dish or casserole dish. Then, you'll want to top it with the rest of the shredded cheese and bake it for about 20 minutes or until the cheese layer is bubbly and golden brown.

    Finally, take the baking dish out of the oven and serve the casserole hot. Enjoy!

    An overhead view of a casserole dish with unbaked cheesy chicken casserole in it.

    How To Store Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

    This cheesy chicken and rice casserole recipe will make 6 servings, so if you serve it for a family dinner, you may have some leftovers.

    If you do end up with some leftovers, you can store the cooked chicken and rice casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. With that said, you'll be using already-cooked chicken and rice, so the amount of time you can store the leftovers depends on how old the chicken and rice are. 

    By the way, if you want to store this casserole for even longer, you can freeze the cooked casserole in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 6 months.

    An overhead view of a casserole dish with baked cheesy chicken and rice casserole in it.

    How To Reheat Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

    When you're ready to enjoy this chicken with rice casserole again, you'll definitely want to reheat it first. So, to reheat the casserole, just put it back in a baking dish and warm it up in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until it's warmed through.

    Alternatively, to warm up a single serving of it, you can use the microwave. Just heat it up in 45-second intervals until it reaches your desired temperature.

    A wooden cutting board with a casserole dish with baked chicken and rice casserole in it.

    FAQS About This Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

    What is the best chicken for this recipe?

    The best cut of chicken to use in this recipe is chicken breasts. I like to use the chicken breasts from a rotisserie chicken when I make this chicken casserole, but leftover ones - if you have some on hand - will work just as well.

    How can I add extra flavor to my casserole?

    There are lots of different seasonings and ingredients that can boost the flavor of this casserole. You can add some Italian seasoning, ranch seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, or sour cream to the casserole mixture before baking it. In fact, I've been adding a couple of tablespoons of ranch seasoning when I've been making this recipe lately and now my wife won't let me make it without it.

    What rice should I use in this casserole?

    You can use any rice that you want to make this cheesy rice casserole. Things like white rice, brown rice, and even instant rice will work great. Just be sure to use cooked rice in this casserole since that's what this recipe calls for.

    A spoon holding a large scoop of cheesy chicken and rice casserole over the baking dish as to serve it.

    Wrapping It Up

    Well, that's how to make cheesy chicken and rice casserole!

    This really is one of my family's favorite recipes, particularly when we are in need of some good old-fashioned comfort food.

    The combination of chicken, rice, and cheese in the creamy sauce is truly something that's hard to beat.

    Anyway, I hope your family enjoys this easy chicken casserole recipe as much as mine does!

    As always, if you give it a try, leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.

    a plate with a serving of cheesy chicken and rice casserole.

    More Chicken Casserole Recipes

    If you liked this recipe, we have a ton of other easy chicken casseroles on the blog that you can try out next!

    Here are some of our most popular recipes:

    • Chicken divan
    • Chicken fajita casserole
    • Chicken noodle casserole
    • Chicken and potato casserole
    • Chicken mushroom casserole

    Oh, and as always, make sure to check us out on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube! We post new recipes on them every day.

    Print

    The ULTIMATE Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

    A spoon holding a large scoop of cheesy chicken and rice casserole over the baking dish as to serve it.
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 3 reviews

    This cheesy chicken and rice casserole is packed full of creamy, cheesy, meaty goodness. It combines tender chicken, mushrooms, and rice in a rich sauce that's loaded with flavor. What's even better than how it tastes though, is how easy it is to make. In fact, 10 minutes is all it takes to have this chicken and rice casserole prepped and ready for the oven.

    • Author: Joe Duff
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 6 servings 1x
    • Category: Dinner
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: Casserole

    Ingredients

    Scale

    2 tbsp. butter

    2 tbsp. all purpose flour

    ½ tsp. garlic, minced

    ¼ cup white wine

    1 ½ cup chicken broth

    2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

    Salt and black pepper

    1 ½ cup chicken (¾ lb), cooked and shredded

    1 ½ cup rice, cooked

    ½ cup mushrooms, sliced (or any veggies you want)

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350° (180ºC).
    2. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high and add the butter and flour, cook for a couple of minutes or until a roux forms (a paste).
    3. Add the garlic, wine, and chicken broth and cook for a couple more minutes or until it starts to thicken.
    4. Add half of the mozzarella cheese and stir until melted.
    5. Add the cooked chicken, rice, and mushrooms (or any veggies you want) and mix well to combine.
    6. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Top with the rest of the cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 serving
    • Calories: 271
    • Fat: 13
    • Carbohydrates: 11
    • Protein: 28

    Keywords: cheesy chicken and rice casserole, cheesy chicken and rice casserole recipe, how to make cheesy chicken and rice casserole, easy cheesy chicken and rice casserole recipe, best cheesy chicken and rice casserole recipe, chicken and rice casserole recipe, cheesy chicken and rice casserole easy, chicken cheese and rice casserole recipe

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag us @ImHungryForThat — we can't wait to see what you've made!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ava Parker

      February 25, 2023 at 2:07 pm

      I used a rotisserie chicken and it worked wonderfully.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Kelsey L.

      February 27, 2023 at 6:06 pm

      5/5 stars for sure!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Sarah

      February 27, 2023 at 11:02 pm

      Absolutely delish!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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