It doesn't get much easier than this Dump-and-Bake Chicken Wild Rice Casserole, which bakes in one dish with just 10 minutes of prep! It's a simple and healthy dinner recipe that the whole family will love!
This is total comfort food, my friends! Nothing warms you up and makes you feel cozier than baked chicken and wild rice. Spend just a few minutes stirring this easy dinner together, and your house will smell amazing, your body will feel nourished, and your stress will disappear (I hope)!
Why this Healthy Chicken Wild Rice Casserole Recipe Works
- I use bone-in chicken breast, but remove the skin to keep the chicken and wild rice casserole healthy.
- The bone-in meat has a longer cooking time than boneless chicken, which means that the meat cooks perfectly and stays nice and juicy while the rice finishes baking.You don't have to worry about your chicken drying out or becoming tough while you wait for the rice to become tender.
- The Uncle Ben's Wild Rice mix, the Lipton Onion Soup seasoning, and the Campbell's Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Celery soups add tons of flavor to this dish -- without any extra work on your part! I love when a recipe doesn't require measuring...
- To keep the chicken wild rice casserole healthy, I also like to use the Campbell's Healthy Request line of soups. Many stores carry gluten-free and organic condensed soups as well, if you prefer.
- This chicken wild rice casserole is EASY!!! It's truly a dump-and-bake meal, so don't peek and pull back the foil while it's baking. You want to keep all of that moisture in the dish!
How to Make Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
In addition to your bone-in chicken pieces, you'll need a box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice, Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Celery soups, water, bone-in chicken pieces, and Lipton Onion Soup seasoning (just the dry packet). This dish is PACKED with flavor!
In your baking dish (or in a separate bowl), whisk together uncooked wild rice (as well as the seasoning packet that's included in the box), the condensed soups, and the water.
Remove the skin from your chicken pieces and place them in the dish on top of the rice mixture.
To season the chicken, simply sprinkle a packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix over the meat.
You don't need to prepare the actual soup -- just use the dry seasoning in the packet!
Cover the dish very tightly with foil (so that none of the moisture can escape), and bake the casserole at 350 degrees F for at least 90 minutes (or up to 2 hours). The total cooking time will depend on the size of the meat that you're using. I baked these very large chicken breasts and thighs for the full 2 hours and they turned out perfectly!
You want the chicken meat to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. That's how you know it's done! My meat thermometer is my best friend in the kitchen -- just make sure that the thermometer is not touching the chicken bone when you check the temp.
What to Serve with Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
I keep it easy and pair my casserole with simple sides, such as:
- Steamed broccoli or Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans
- Brown Sugar Roasted Acorn Squash; or
- 3-Ingredient Cranberry Orange Sauce
Looking for even more easy dump-and-bake chicken casserole recipes? Try these:
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken and Cornbread Casserole
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Pot Pie Pasta
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Spaghetti
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (6 ounce) box Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice with herbs (NOT cooked)
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, NOT diluted (I prefer the reduced sodium, Healthy Request version)
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup, NOT diluted (I prefer the reduced sodium, Healthy Request version)
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 (1 ounce) packet Lipton onion soup mix
- 4-8 bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In the prepared baking dish (or in a separate bowl), whisk together uncooked rice (and the seasoning from the box), cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, and water.
- Place raw chicken (skin removed) on top of rice mixture. Sprinkle the onion soup mix over the chicken.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for at least 90 minutes (or up to 2 hours), until rice is tender and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. The total cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken. I baked these extra large chicken breasts and thighs for the full 2 hours and they turned out perfectly. A meat thermometer is really the best way to tell when your chicken is done.
- When the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, fluff the rice with a fork and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
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Tom Sullivian
I made the recipe and it was tasty. but soupy.n and not like a risotto. I have deduced that the culprit was the rice. Your directions call for a box of Uncle Ben;s long grain and wild rice with herbs. My supermarket seems to no longer carry the rice in that form. Uncle Ben's rice products now come in pouches which seem to contain parboiled rice. Hence, the amount of liquid called for in the recipe was too much. I'm not sure how much liquid is now needed. I will make the recipe again in a couple of weeks and possibly omit the water. You might want to caution your readers about this situation.
Blair
Hi, Tom! You're definitely correct -- this recipe will NOT work with the parboiled microwaveable packets of wild rice. That type of rice is already almost entirely cooked, so it will not absorb liquid in the same way as the regular boxed rice. 🙂
Shelah
I found the original (not 10 min version) at Walmart. Definitely need to use original version!
Micaela
All I could find is Long Grain & Wild Rice fast cook instead of original recipe. Will this make a difference?
Blair
Hi, Micaela! The quick-cooking microwaveable packets will not work for this recipe, because that rice is already parboiled (which means that it's almost completely cooked). As a result, the parboiled rice will not absorb the liquid in the dish in the same way that the dry, uncooked rice will. You could try using the fast-cooking rice, but you'll need to drastically reduce the amount of liquid that you use, or you'll end up with a soupy mess. 🙂 I would just use enough liquid to make the casserole creamy and moist, and assume that not much of that liquid will be absorbed in the end. Hope that helps! 🙂
Margaret Restall
Hi there, can I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Just wondering if there is a reason that you only suggest bone-in chicken types.
Thanks!
Blair
Hi, Margaret! Yes, you can, but I would choose some pretty large boneless breasts. I like the bone-in breasts for two reasons: (1) the bone adds a lot of flavor to the meat; and (2) the bone-in breasts have a longer cooking time than boneless meat, so they cook evenly with the rice. In other words, the chicken is done in the same amount of time as the rice. If you use boneless breasts, you'll just want to make sure that they don't get overcooked while you wait for the rice to finish and become tender. Hope that helps!
Kristina M Curtis
Can I use Rice Roni my store did not have Uncle Ben and i have 4 large chicken breast?
Blair
Hi, Kristina! I haven't tested it with the rice-a-roni brand, but I think it would probably work fine. When I look at the two different websites, it looks like both brands have similar cooking instructions, so they should be interchangeable here. Enjoy!
Kristen
I made this recipe this evening and it was excellent and so easy. My parents always come for Sunday dinner and my dad is a bit of a picky eater. He said this was a “home run”! I did use the fat free soups to lighten it up a bit and it was still delicious. Great recipe!
Blair
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that, Kristen! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Dianne
I did use boneless skinless chicken breasts and it turned out very good. 90 minute cook time rice and chicken done. After dinner I cut the leftover chicken into bite-size pieces, mixed it with the leftover rice, and stirred in some steamed broccoli florets, for our lunches at work today!. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you Blair for all the easy and delicious recipes!
Blair
Wonderful! Thank you, Dianne!
Carolyn Suever
How do I increase the portions to serve 8-10 people? Thanx
Blair
Hi, Carolyn! Since this recipes serves about 4-6 people, it will be a perfect recipe to double to serve 8-10. I would suggest preparing two separate 9 x 13-inch pans of the casserole. So basically, you're just making the recipe twice. You'll need 2 boxes of the rice, 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup, 2 cans of cream of celery soup, etc...(doubling all ingredients). Then just assemble the dishes as instructed and bake side-by-side in a 350-degree oven. Enjoy!
Carolyn Suever
Thank you - appreciate your response. Will do it all in one large pyrex dish.
Hildegard Wagner
It's really funny that you think that removing the chicken skin makes it healthy, and yet you have no qualms about using processed soups, etc.
Fat Mom
Then come up with your own recipe
Barry Smith
Amen Mom!!!!
Dianne
You could just go to another recipe instead of criticizing this recipe. No one said you have to make this recipe. Thank you to Mom for posting it. I need comfort food.
Sally
Would 6-oz of any long-cooking wild rice work as a substitute? I've got Rice Select Royal Blend on hand and can just measure out 6 ounces....
Blair
Hey, Sally! Yes, that will work just fine -- except that I'm not sure if your blend includes the seasoning packet that comes with Uncle Ben's mix. If you don't have a seasoning packet, I would just make sure that you add some extra seasoning of your choice (such as garlic powder, onion powder, etc.). Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Bev Brassfield
Hi Blair I’ve cooked this recipe 2 times the seasoning is a little much for us so today I’m cooking it again and using half of the seasoning mix I hope I didn’t screw up do you think it will be ok ? I just put it in the oven I’ll let you know
Blair
Hi, Bev! That sounds great! If you've tried it before and found the seasoning too strong, then it should be perfect for your tastebuds with your adjustments. Enjoy!
Keith Nash
how can this recipe only take an hour and 25 minutes when in the instructions it clearly states "bake for at least 90 minutes (or up to 2 hours)" While this recipe has helped me find the correct ratios i needed. the time alone is a blatant underestimation. which had me serve raw chicken and under cooked rice to my family before cooking it for yet another hour and whipping up something else for dinner as it was already late.
janet cosgrove
Can I use 2 boxes of Uncle Bens rice and 1 packet of seasoning?
Blair
Hi, Janet! Yes, you can do that, but you would need to double the amount of soups and water that you use to account for the extra rice (the rice absorbs the liquid as it cooks, so the dish would be really dry if you used twice as much rice without also doubling the other ingredients). If you use only 1 seasoning packet, it will just have a more mild, less flavorful taste...but it will still technically "work." Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Patti
I used the Uncle Ben's microwave rice, just seasoned it on my own. I used 1 cup chicken broth instead of the water. Baked 90 minutes with boneless skinless thighs. Was awesome, aroma and taste! Definite remake...also thinking of trying it with pork chops
Blair
Sounds perfect, Patti! It definitely works with pork chops, too. I've got a very similar pork chop casserole recipe coming to the blog soon -- great minds think alike! 🙂
Laura Coleman
Can I make this in the morning and cook it in the evening or will all the liquid get absorbed?
Blair
Hi, Laura! Yes -- that should work fine. Enjoy!
Lazy Mom
I love this recipe have been using for years. How can I cook it quicker
Blair
Hi! I'm so glad that you love it! If you're looking for a shorter bake time in the oven, you'll need to boil the rice in advance (according to package instructions), use less liquid in the casserole (because the cooked rice won't absorb as much broth as the dry rice), and use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the bone-in pieces. Hope that helps!
Susanne
Wondering if you've ever tried this recipe in the crockpot? My mother in law made something super similar and I've used your recipe in the oven several times but because of summer trying not to turn on the oven. Any tips for crockpot conversion? Thank you!
Blair
Hi, Susanne! I've never tried this recipe in the slow cooker, but that's a great idea. I think it would probably work well, but it would require a little bit of testing to get the timing exact. This Taste of Home recipe cooks wild rice in the slow cooker for 4-5 hours on LOW, so I would start there and see how it works! https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/slow-cooked-wild-rice/
Helen C.
I haven't tried it in an Insrant Pot or Air Dryer device on bake, but those may be two time saving options to play around with. I have this recipe in my oven right now and looking forward to results. I sliced about 5 ounces of fresh cremini mushrooms and added to the mixture. Will let you know how it turns out.
Blair
Hope it was a hit, Helen! 🙂
Helen C.
Hi Blair. The dish was perfect. I left the skin on my thighs, but only used 4, so it wasn't greasy at all. The thick slices of cremini mushrooms were perfect in the rice mixture. I took the lid off the last 20 minutes to crisp top of chicken and we ended up with just the right amount of moisture. Chicken was tender and juicy. Thanks for the recipe.
Blair
That sounds delicious! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the meal. Thanks for letting me know, Helen!
Tammy Niva
Can you use shredded vooked chicken,?
Blair
Hi, Tammy! Yes, I think that would work fine. If you don't want the cooked chicken to get too dried out in the dish while the rice cooks, you could stir it in closer to the end. 🙂
Rosalind B.
This was so delicious. I added fresh celery and mushrooms. Used boneless chicken breast. Great recipe!!!!!
Blair
Thank you, Rosalind! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!
Jane Kraft
Way, way too salty with 2 cans of soup which are high in sodium anyway, not to mention the wild rice seasoning and the onion soup. I added a bag of baby spinach when almost done. Stirred it in until it was almost wilted, then put the casserole back in the oven for 10 minutes. It was okay and easy but next time I'll skip the onion soup and maybe half the wild rice seasoning. Maybe sprinkle almonds over the top too.
Paige Hessel
Hi Blair! I made this casserole tonight and will definitely make it again. I did tweek it a bit;
I used two boxes (4.5 Oz ea) of Rice-a-Roni brand long grain and wild rice blend. It’s not old school RaR, no pasta bits to sauté.
I also used cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom, I just don’t care for mushrooms. I used a bit less of the water than in your original recipe. I used one and a half of the seasoning packets in the rice, soup, water mix. I also added about 1/2 cup of frozen chopped onions, this made up for the balance of the water. This went into my primered 9x13 baking pan. I topped the rice mix with boneless/skinless thighs and used the remaining rice seasoning in lieu of the onion soup mix topping.
I baked on 350 for just over an hour, though I set a 90 minute timer. I checked it at an hour and the rice was close to a risotto and the chicken was fork tender.
While it was good, it wasn’t great. I do intend to make it again and next time will caramelize the onions before incorporating into the rice mixture and add sliced dried apricots in the rice and toasted almonds on top of the chicken.
Blair
Thanks, Paige! Your version sounds like a delicious new recipe. 🙂
Cynthia Hanna
I happen to agree with Hildegard but realize that we all have our own definitions of healthy.
That said, I'm going to be trying this recipe with regular wild rice (not a processed, boxed mix), my home canned chicken and home made soups. If it turns out well, I'll add this to my home made 'meals in a jar' - or convenience mix - pantry.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Sheryl Folkert
I found the recipe as is was too soupy so I made it a 2nd time around with the following adjustments (2 boxes of uncle ben's wild rice & 1 of the seasoning packs, the 2 soups, water. I then added Mushrooms into the wild rice and then put the chicken breasts in. Not sure why 2 boxes worked better, but outside of that the recipe was fantastic.
Beverly
Hello, can you use just normal whole grain wild rice in a bag without spices? If so what spices would you recommend to add?
Blair Lonergan
Hi, Beverly! Sure, it just will have a different flavor. 🙂 I would recommend a variety of herbs and spices that you enjoy, such as parsley, celery seed, onion powder, salt and pepper, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, chives, sage, and marjoram. Those are just a few of the flavors that you'll find in the Uncle Ben's boxed mix.