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One Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken Wild Rice Casserole: a cozy, herby, one-pan dinner with chicken, buttery wild rice, and creamy garlic sauce. Finish with a little extra butter and fresh thyme. It’s flavorful, classic, and so easy to make. A one-skillet dinner everyone in the family will love! We love this dish served with a side salad and beer bread. Yum!
This dish is perfect for families! I used to eat chicken and noodle casserole a lot when I was a kid. It was one of my least favorite dishes, but my brothers loved it! My dad made it every other week during the school year because this Midwest-style dish was so easy.
I do, however, love a casserole. Throw everything in a baking dish and let the oven work some magic! It’s always great.
When I started to take over cooking dinner for my family, one of the meals I would make a lot was wild rice with baked chicken tenders — usually with some broccoli, since that’s the vegetable we almost always had on hand. Broccoli, potatoes, and bell peppers!
My mom would buy those wild rice blends with the herb and garlic seasoning packets. I always cooked those and served them with the chicken. Very, very basic, but so comforting and delicious.
I created this casserole with all of those memories and flavors in mind — but made it creamy, like my favorite wild rice soup. So delicious!
My mom especially loves this dish. Anything with chicken and rice makes her happy!
How to make my Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- chicken thighs or breasts – I like to use a mix
- salted butter
- the seasonings: dried parsley, onion powder, dried rosemary, paprika, cayenne pepper
- shallots
- garlic
- cremini mushrooms
- carrots
- wild rice – I use a blend of a variety of rice and couscous
- thyme
- sage
- broth – I use Fond chicken bone broth
- spinach or kale – I love kale, but my mom prefers spinach
- heavy
For Cooking
This recipe requires a large oven-safe braiser or Dutch oven. I use an 11-inch braiser (4 qt) most often.
The Steps
Step 1: Season and start the chicken
In a large, oven-safe skillet or braiser, season the chicken with dried parsley, onion powder, dried rosemary, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne. Add butter and set the skillet over medium heat to melt the butter.
Once the butter is melted, add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots. Toss everything together so the veggies get coated and begin to soften.
Step 2: Toast the rice and herbs
Add another pat of butter, then stir in the wild rice, thyme, and sage. Let the butter brown a bit and allow the rice and herbs to toast for a minute or two — this adds great flavor.
Step 3: Add broth and greens
Pour in the chicken broth, then stir in the kale or spinach. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the cream. Cover the pan and let it gently simmer for about 15 minutes to give the rice a head start.
Step 4: Bake until golden
Transfer the uncovered skillet to the oven and bake until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through and golden on top.
To serve
Sprinkle with fresh thyme and a pinch of flaky sea salt. I love pairing this with my fall salad and a loaf of beer bread for a cozy, comforting family dinner — especially on Sunday nights when the whole house smells amazing!
Looking for other easy dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Pan Chipotle Honey Chicken and Rice
One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice
One Skillet Louisiana Style Chicken and Rice
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Spicy Sesame Chicken and Ginger Rice
Skillet Mexican Beef and Rice
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Garlic Chicken Wild Rice Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs or breasts , (skin on or off)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- sea salt and black pepper
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 2 cups dry wild rice
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 3 1/2 cups broth
- 2 cups chopped kale or spinach
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.2. In a large oven-safe skillet or braiser, mix the chicken with the parsley, onion powder, rosemary, paprika, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. Add 3 tablespoons butter. Set over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots, toss and cook 5-10 minutes.3. Push the chicken and veggies to the sides of the pan. Add 3 tablespoons butter, the rice, thyme, and sage. Allow the butter and rice to become slightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, then the kale, bring to a boil, stirring everything. Mix in the cream, and season again with salt. 3. Place the lid on the skillet and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Allow the rice to cook for 20 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked into the rice, but not all of it.4. Remove from the heat, remove the lid. Bake for 15 minutes, until rice is cooked. Serve the chicken and rice topped with fresh thyme. And enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Hi! I want to make this for a friend to store until her baby comes so it would need to be frozen… any tips?
Hey Rachael,
I would fully make the recipe and freeze. Your friend can thaw and bake or just bake from frozen.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
In the photos it looks like wild rice blend was used, not just wild rice as stated in the recipe. Does the recipe use wild rice only, or a wild rice blend? They have different cook times, and I don’t want to mess it up. Thank you! 🙂
Hi Patti,
Yes, it’s a wild rice blend with rice and couscous. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe!
Delicious! My husband requests this meal every week. I do use less rice though.
Hi Kelly,
Awesome! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
Have a great Sunday!
Made this tonight and 10/10 will make this again! I subbed Earth Balance margarine for the butter and Coconut Creamer for the heavy cream and it was delicious. Thanks for the ease of a one pan dish that really delivers on flavor.
Hey Amy,
Wonderful! Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
Absolutely delicious flavour! I cooked ours with local wild rice however and had to keep the lid on while in the oven and bake for an extra 45 minutes. Dinner did not time out well for a work night but it was delicious nonetheless!
Hey Lindsay,
Fantastic! So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it!
We were looking for a new chicken recipe to add to the rotation! This was amazing, and will definitely be added to our favorites. It was so easy, so tasty and the wild rice added the best bit of texture!!! We loved it! Thanks Tieghan
Hey Jenine,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your thoughts, so happy it worked for you!
Can’t wait to try this! Would this work well with coconut cream? I’m a poor lactose intolerant soul lol
Thanks so much, Pamela! Yes, that will work nicely for you:)
I hope you love this recipe! Happy Holidays!🎄🎁
Awesome and tasty!!!
Hey Donna,
Fantastic! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad it was enjoyed:)
Happy Holidays!
So good! Used chicken thighs, made the mistake of using Dutch oven but left the lid off during oven time and added about 10 minutes and it came out so tender and flavorful.
Hey Chelsea,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for making it!
Happy Thanksgiving!
This recipe was outstanding, Tieghan! So flavorful, love that it’s a one pot dish. At least weekly I make one of your recipes and have enjoyed them all. Thank you for sharing your talent with us!
Hey Dawn,
Love to hear this! Thank you so much for making this dish and your comment, I am so glad it was enjoyed!
I’m excited to make this tonight for a recipe party I’m hosting. Do you think chicken tenderloins would work? Im guessing the cooking time would need to be modified maybe that won’t work with the chicken and the rice?
Hi Lisa,
Chicken tenderloins will be just fine for you to use. I hope you love this recipe!
Turned out extremely soupy even after boiling for over an hour. I think the recipe should better specify you are using a wild rice & cous cous mix, not just wild rice. That makes a very big difference for the liquid.
Will absolutely be a regular meal in our house! Perfectly creamy and so satisfying. I browned the chicken before adding the vegetables and it turned out perfect!
Hey MJ,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment. So glad to hear it was enjoyed!
I accidentally bought Uncle Ben’s ready wild rice. Can this sub?
Hi Pamela,
So sorry, I have never tried that with this recipe. I think it’s worth giving it a go! I hope you love this dish!
6 pieces chicken and veggies and rice were not living together in the 4qt well
Hi Tammy,
Sorry to hear this. Did you use a 4qt dutch oven or a 4qt braiser? That will make a big difference here.
Please let me know how I can help!
I’m sure this will be delicious but i’m using a dutch oven and the rice is taking a long time to absorb the liquid. i think it’s been over an hour. i’ve bumped up the heat a little hoping that will help but im concerned about over cooking the veggies and chicken. any sugegstions??
Hi Sydney,
I would turn the heat up a bit more until the rice is finished cooking. I hope everything turns out okay for you!