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When the air turns crisp, this is the weeknight casserole I crave—tender chicken, nutty wild rice, and caramelized fall veggies all baked together in one pan. Zero fuss, big cozy payoff.
It’s layered with herby flavor, brothy comfort, and that golden, toasty top you’ll want to crack into right away. Minimal prep, easy cleanup, and leftovers reheat beautifully.
I share a ton of recipes here on Half Baked Harvest, but I don’t often share more traditional, homey ones like this wild rice casserole. It’s odd because my family loves traditional food. Meaning lots of chicken and rice, tacos, and pasta… basically anything on the more bland side of the dinner spectrum. While I do share those types of recipes, normally I’ll put some kind of spin on them. I love flavor, nothing bland over here!
Today though, I am going the more classic route and loving it. This is cozy, healthy, filling, and all things delicious. It’s not a bland casserole in any way, just simple, feel good kind of food.
Okay, okay, and there’s maybe a good amount of cheese on top too…
What? Always got to have a little cheese.
I don’t know if you guys remember, but around this time last year I shared a cream of mushroom chicken and wild rice soup that my family and I loved. This casserole is sort of similar flavor wise, but just a lot less soupy and much heavier on the wild rice.
So just what inspired me to make this casserole? Well, like most of the more classic recipes I share with you guys, my mom inspired this one. She’s always loved chicken and wild rice casserole, but she grew up on the ones that are canned soup based. I wanted to create a version that was just as tasty, but a little healthier.
Fortunately, it was a pretty easy task and it turned out really delicious too.
Start off by cooking up some mushrooms, add some apples, wild rice, and chicken. Next stir in some broth and a splash of wine (you know, for good measure). Cover and simmer until the rice is tender. Then stir in some spinach, top with cheese, and bake until golden.
DONE.
Really doesn’t get much easier, and I love that this dish is an entire meal…carbs, protein, and veggies all together in one dish. This is truly a recipe made for busy nights.
Also, if you’re wondering about the addition of apples, I know it may seem a little odd, but it’s the perfect touch of sweetness for this extra savory recipe. Plus, I love the combo of apples and Gruyère cheese, so good.
Double also? if you wanted to add another layer of flavor, I would highly recommend topping the dish with thinly sliced prosciutto before baking. The salty flavors would be delicious with the apples, mushrooms, and rice.
FAQ:
Can I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs?
Yes—thighs stay juicy and are very forgiving. Keep them on top of the rice so the skinless pieces don’t overcook; pull when they hit 165°F.
What if I only have a wild rice blend?
It’ll work, but expect a softer texture and slightly shorter cook. Check earlier and stop when the rice is tender with a little bite.
How do I know the casserole is done without overbaking?
Look for bubbling edges, rice that’s tender but not mushy, and chicken at 165°F. If grains are still firm, add a splash of hot broth and continue, covered.
Can I assemble this ahead for a holiday meal?
Yes—assemble up to a day ahead (hold delicate dairy). Before baking, add a splash of broth to rehydrate the rice and bake until hot and steamy.
One Pan Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup sweet onions, chopped
- sea salt
- pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 6 ounces cremini mushrooms
- 2 ounces wild mushrooms
- 1 Honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme, plus more for serving
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup white wine or more chicken broth
- 2 cups wild rice
- 1/2-1 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups Gruyère cheese, shredded
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 2. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large, oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring often until the onion is soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, the cremini mushrooms and the wild mushrooms, cook another 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are caramelized. Stir in the apples and thyme and cook another minute longer. 3. Pour in the 2 cups chicken broth and the wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the rice and chicken, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45-55 minutes or until the rice is cooked, if needed, add the remaining 1/2-1 cup broth if the rice feels a little hard still. Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach. 4. Sprinkle the cheese over top the rice and transfer to the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and serve with fresh thyme. 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.
Made this last night! I’m not keen on warm fruit, so I just added rosemary instead. LOVED it! The rice that I bought required a lot more broth and cooktime so I just let it sizzle away. I also chose to cook this with chicken thighs. Super yummy and easy. It’s earthy and delicious. I think it would be lovely with a little cream or cream cheese as well–although it’s already a pretty heavily, earthy dish. Thanks!
I am so happy you liked this Emily!! Thank you!
This looks so great! i love casserole type dishes. Do you think it would work to do steps 1-3 then put it in fridge and add cheese and finish cooking at a later time (like 1-2 days later)? Thanks!
Hi! I think you need to cook the rice all the way through the first time, then add cheese, cool, and refrigerate, Finish baking in the oven. I think that will be great. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! thank you! 🙂
I consider myself a fairly accomplished cook. This recipe did not work for me. Too much broth. I also used pure wild rice which didn’t turn out as good as a brown/wild rice blend would have (as the recipe above used – in fact, based on the pictures, it looks like 80% brown rice and very little actual wild rice). Finally, despite copious amounts of cheese, the dish was simply bland. My family refused to eat it!
Hi Sam! I am so sorry this dish did not work out for you. I hope you try some other recipes on my blog and enjoy those!
Just ordered your cookbook! Love your recipes and I’m going to make this one! I just have to say you might want to clarify you used a wild rice blend because at least here in MN where we harvest a lot of it, wild rice is only the dark brown kind, not blended with any other type of rice. I think using all wild rice may give the recipe too strong a flavor. Just my 2 cents! Thanks!
I am so glad you ordered the book! I hope you love it Lauren! Thanks so much!
I read all the comments and still can’t totally understand – is the rice cooked or uncooked when added to the pan?
Thanks! Amy
Hi! The rice is uncooked when added. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thank you!
A delicious and super easy dish to make! I substituted some ingredients to accommodate my garden bounty, pantry and larder … leeks, kale, shiitake, red wine, purple rice, asiago cheese. I made it in my Le Creuset and kept it on the stove. Makes a lot of rice but thankful for the leftovers. I’m just going to add more kale, reheat and serve!
Awesome! So glad you liked this and it will be great as leftovers! Thanks!
Wild rice definitely took longer to cook. Also, mine came out quite watery. Recommend cutting back on amount of liquid.
Or cooking the rice longer as the edited recipe states.
Sorry about that Danielle! I hope this still turned out great for you!
Lovely dish. I did cook the wild rice in broth before adding it to the pan along with what broth was left over in the rice, plus white wine. Sauce was amazing, It’s all about the mushrooms. The apple is a MUST! Gruyere is a staple in my fridge, so it was the icing on the cake! This is my second recipe and I am really happy, Note: I cook for one, so I have to pare down the amount of ingredients as I see fit.
I am so happy you loved this Karen! Thank you so much!
Made this last night. It took WAY longer than 30 minutes to cook all the broth down. More like an hour. Also, why is the oven preheated to 400 if just the broiler is used? Ended up just putting it in the 400 degree oven to melt the cheese. It all turned out to be delicious, but I’ll cut down on the amount of broth used next time. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Mary! I am sorry this took longer than expected. The broiler was a typo, so you did the right thing. Glad you enjoyed this! 🙂
Would this recipe still work if I substituted chicken thighs instead of bite size chicken breasts? Anything I would need to change?
I used chicken thighs (i don’t like chicken breast) and it turned out great.
Hi! Yes, but please be sure to adjust the cooking time according to cook the thighs properly. About 20 minutes or so more I would think. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thank you! ?
Very tasty. Next time I will double the mushrooms and apple and omit the chicken. Also, wasn’t sure why the oven was preheated to 400 when only the broiler was used. 5-7 minutes was enough to melt the cheese. As always, THANKS Tieghan!
I am really glad you liked this! Thank you so much!
This looks amazing! Is there any substitution I can make for the mushrooms? I LOVE them, but the husband won’t eat them. *sigh*
You can just leave them out or add in a veggie you both love! Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks you! 🙂
Hey Tieghan,
I’m sorry about your migraine earlier this week! Hopefully you haven’t had another one since, and your trip to LA is going well.
This casserole looks lovely– nice and comforting. Also, do you have any wild mushroom recipes or ideas? I often want to try them but not know what to do besides just roast with some veggies and I also don’t know much about them. ? Anyways, this casserole looks like a lovely fall dish. I’m looking forward to hearing how your trip went and hope you’re having a nice time!
Hey Kristin! Thank you so much, I am having a great time! If you go up to the search bar at the top right corner of my page, you can search wild mushroom and see all the recipes! I hope this helps!
Looks amazing, can’t wait to try. Just to clarify….the chicken added with the rice is raw? Also, you wouldn’t really broil the dish for 15mins, would you? Thanks Tieghan.
Yes, the chicken is added in raw and the broiler was a typo. All fixed! Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks you! 🙂
What’s a good substitute for Gruyère cheese? My local grocery store doesn’t seem to carry.