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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.
You really really need to change this from wild rice to wild rice blend. In the comments you said you you used a blend and that is very important info. I’ve had this on the stove for an hour and half with wild rice and it’s no where near done. Also, the oven has just been on the whole time which is also not necessary. Yikes
Hi Courtney,
Sorry for any confusion, but you will want to use wild rice, which is what the recipe calls for. Also, you are going to bake the casserole in step 4 which is why the oven is on. Please let me know if you have any other questions. xTieghan
In answer to one question, you say to use wild rice, in another you say you used Whole Foods Wild Rice blend. There is a big difference.
Do you put the chicken in uncooked or pre cook?
Hi Kaila,
You are going to add the chicken uncooked:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was the perfect weekday Fall meal. I used baby bellas and trumpet mushrooms. I loved all of the flavors. The apples did melt away into the casserole, but in a good way. I cut my mushrooms very thin because some people I cook for are not a huge fan of the texture of them. I used a wild and long grain rice combination, so it didn’t take as long to cook on the stove. It did need additional chicken broth which I added as the rice cooked.
Hey Katie,
Happy Friday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks to much for giving it a try!! xTieghan
What a delicious, comforting, satisfying autumn dinner we had tonight! I’m glad I read the other comments because I made some adaptations and it turned out great. Here’s what I did:
1. Sautéed the onion, garlic and mushrooms, then added the wild rice blend, dried thyme (didn’t have fresh), salt, pepper, and white wine. I used 1 1/2 c. rice, not 2.
2. I used regular chicken broth, not low sodium, which always tastes super bland. I added the chicken, apples, and broth, put the lid on my Le Cruset dutch oven, and popped the whole thing in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes.
3. Removed the lid, added 3 slices of prosciutto on top, then the Gruyere cheese and put it back in the oven at 400, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Added a little pepper at the table, but it hardly needed it. Very flavorful! Came out crispy browned, hearty, rustic, aromatic. Yummy!
Hey Cathy,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. Have the best day! xTieghan
Thanks for sharing your modifications!
I did alter the recipe a bit. I cooked the wild rice medley separately in chicken broth with some garlic/onion powder and other spices for 20 minutes. Sautéed chicken with similar spices, set aside and then added the onion, garlic and wine. Apples, spinach and thyme followed. Mixed everything together and added the cheese on top! It was wonderful?
Sounds delish! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
I hate to give this rating, but I think this recipe needs a bit of re-work. I agree what everyone is saying about the apples: they cook down so much you can’t find them when you’re eating. Perhaps when the rice is 5 minutes out, add them? Also, I feel that the overall dish was a bit lacking in flavor. I added quite a bit of salt, and lemon. But it still could have used something more. I also couldn’t really taste the wine in the finished product. I think the potential is here, but would love to see some HBH updates to this one 🙂 Thank you.
Hey Jessica,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed! xTieghan
Hi Tiegan, this looks good but I noticed that the recipe calls for 2 c. wild rice and the photos show that you actually used a wild rice blend which I think would work better for me. I am wondering what brand of rice blend did you use? Thanks!
Hey Mary,
I got my wild rice blend from Whole Foods. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Thank you so very much!! I will.
This looks amazing! Would this freeze well? I am currently going through your website and bookmarking the recipes I want to make for my postpartum freezer meals! ?
Hey Elizabeth,
You bet, this would be totally fine to freeze! I hope you love the dish, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Wonderful meal! Paired it with a spring mix and dijon vinegar salad. I will be making this again and was great for meal prep! Thank you!
Hey Mikki,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
What a great meal! Delicious! And it was even husband-approved by a man who lives on Tastykake Pies and PB&J. I sliced the apple so thin that it just melted into the dish. You wouldn’t even know there was apple in there, but I know it added tremendous flavor and texture. Thank you so much! Keep up the great work!
Hey Carol,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Great recipe. Loved the addition of the apple. I didn’t have an issue with too much liquid but i added more chicken. Will definitely make this again.
Hey Deb,
Thank you so much for making the recipe. I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was okay… The cheese really gave it most of it’s flavor. I think it needs some sort of acid, it was a little one note. And the apples completely dissolved, I think I would add them later on if I made this again.
Hey Erin,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Don’t use 100% wild rice it will take twice as long and a third of the liquid. Because not all the liquid was absorbed by the rice it was a soggy over cooked mess where the wild rice was chewy. He family enjoyed it far more than I did. I’m not going to give it any stars because I want to try it again with a wild rice medley like Lunbergs or Rice Select Royal. I suspect the liquid will mostly disappear.
Thank you so much Gordon! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Looking forward to trying this tonight. Might suggest one thing, mostly because I usually start at the top of instructions and go from there. You might move the instruction to preheat the oven way down on this list. Otherwise you’re burning gas on an empty oven for 55 minutes!
Hi Karen! Yes, sorry about that! I hope this turns out amazing for you! xTieghan
easy recipe and super tasty! Takes almost an hour and a half to make but so worth it.
I am really glad you enjoyed this one, Monica!! xTieghan