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With just 5 minutes of prep, this dump-and-bake egg roll casserole is an easy dinner that cooks in one pan! There’s no need to pre-cook the rice or the veggies — just stir everything together and pop it in the oven. All of the delicious flavors of your favorite fried Chinese restaurant appetizer come together in a lighter, faster, one-dish meal!
Table of Contents
It’s like an egg roll without the wrapper! This dish is a twist on my wildly popular “egg roll in a bowl” stir-fry recipe, but it uses the dump-and-bake cooking method for a hands-off option on your busiest weeknights. If you enjoy this meal, then you’ll also love our dump-and-bake sesame chicken noodles!
Instead of standing at the stovetop to stir the ingredients in a large skillet or to deep-fry crispy egg rolls, this easy and healthy egg roll casserole bakes in the oven. It’s full of rice, veggies, and chicken — all coasted in a sweet and savory sauce. Your whole family will devour the flavorful one-dish meal!
Do you cook rice before putting it in a casserole?
While most casserole recipes call for cooking the rice before mixing it into the dish, this particular recipe is designed specifically for uncooked rice. That means that you do not boil the rice in a saucepan on the stovetop before adding it to the casserole dish.
Instead, the rice cooks right in the oven with the rest of the ingredients. This requires extra liquid in the pan (since the rice absorbs a lot of liquid as it cooks), and extra cooking time to make sure that the rice is tender.
The Best Chicken to Use for a Casserole
You’ll need cooked chicken for this recipe, and a variety of options will work. Pick the most convenient method for you:
- Boiled and Pulled Chicken: Boil about 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs until cooked through (about 15-20 minutes). When cool enough to handle, chop or pull the chicken and use in the recipe.
- Rotisserie Chicken: This is a great shortcut! Purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, shred the meat, and use in the recipe as instructed.
- Leftover Chicken: If you have leftover grilled or baked chicken, put those extras to good use in this casserole.
- Canned Chicken: Yep, you can even use canned chicken in this casserole!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an easy egg roll casserole. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Mushrooms: I buy sliced mushrooms for a shortcut. Use your favorite mushrooms, such as shiitake mushrooms, baby bella mushrooms, or white button mushrooms.
- Green onions: for a mild onion flavor.
- Coleslaw mix: a great shortcut for the shredded cabbage that you traditionally find in an eggroll filling.
- Carrots: grated or “matchstick” carrots work best because they become tender by the time the casserole is done.
- Long grain white rice: do not substitute with brown rice, instant rice, or any other variety of rice, since the amount of liquid and the total cooking time are designed specifically for uncooked white rice.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: I prefer the low-sodium or unsalted variety so that you can control the amount of salt in the finished dish.
- Soy sauce: for salty, umami flavor in the sauce. I prefer low sodium soy sauce (or light soy sauce), but any variety will work.
- Brown sugar: for a hint of sweetness.
- Hoisin sauce: a thick, rich, sweet-and-salty Chinese bbq sauce that adds flavor to the casserole. Find it in the Asian or International foods aisle at your grocery store, or order it online here.
- Sesame oil: an essential ingredient for that true Asian flavor. Do not substitute with a different oil. The sesame oil has a unique nutty flavor that’s hard to replicate with other ingredients, and it truly makes the dish! You can find sesame oil in the Asian or International foods aisle at just about every grocery store these days, or order it online here.
- Rice vinegar: an acidic component to brighten up the sauce.
- Garlic and ginger: for savory, zesty flavor.
- Chicken: rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut for a quick-prep meal. See my notes above if you’d like to cook your own chicken at home.
- Chow mein noodles: an optional topping that mimics the crispy wrapper of a classic fried egg roll! Fried wonton strips would also be great.
How to Make Egg Roll Casserole
This dump-and-bake egg roll casserole is the perfect solution when you need an easy meal. I’ve included the detailed cooking instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s the quick version:
- Combine the vegetables and the uncooked rice in a greased baking dish.
- Whisk together the sauce, and pour it over the veggies and rice.
- Cover and bake for 50 minutes, or until the rice is almost tender.
- Stir in the chicken, and return the dish to the oven for 5-10 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork, garnish with chow mein noodles, toasted sesame seeds, or sliced green onions, and serve!
Serving Suggestions
This is basically an entire meal in one dish, thanks to the meat, rice, and veggies. That said, if you’d like to round out the meal with a few other options, here are some sides that pair well with egg roll casserole:
- Steamed Broccoli or Oven-Roasted Sesame Broccoli
- Sesame Ginger Snap Pea Salad
- Sesame Peanut Noodles
- Ramen Noodle Salad
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Broccoli Slaw tossed with a Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: You can assemble the casserole a few hours in advance, or even leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight before baking. The rice will start to soften and absorb some of the liquid as it sits, so you may need to decrease the baking time slightly. You don’t want to overcook the casserole or you’ll end up with gummy, mushy rice.
- Storage: This Chinese chicken and rice casserole is best enjoyed immediately from the oven. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- I do not recommend freezing these leftovers, as rice tends to get mushy when thawed, and the vegetables will be watery.
- How to Reheat: Cover and reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also reheat individual portions in a microwave for 1-2 minutes on high power.
Recipe Variations
- Use leftover pulled pork, cooked ground pork, or leftover cooked, diced pork chops or pork tenderloin.
- Cooked ground beef, cooked ground turkey, cooked ground chicken, or cooked ground pork sausage would also be fine substitutes for the chicken.
- For a slightly less sweet sauce, reduce the brown sugar to 2 tablespoons.
- Make it spicy by adding sriracha sauce (or other hot sauce) or crushed red pepper flakes.
- If you choose to shred your own green cabbage instead of using a bag of coleslaw mix, you will need a total of about 6 ¾ cups of finely-shredded cabbage.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The cooking instructions remain the same.
- Looking for a low carb option that doesn’t include rice? Try this egg roll skillet recipe.
Tips for the Best Egg Roll Casserole Recipe
- This recipe is specifically designed and tested with uncooked long grain white rice. Do not substitute with brown rice, cauliflower rice, or instant rice — all of which require different amounts of liquid and different cooking times.
- Make sure to cover your dish tightly with foil so that none of the liquid or steam escapes during cooking. The rice needs to absorb the liquid as it bakes.
- The total cooking time will vary depending on a number of factors, including the type of pan that you use and your individual oven. Glass or ceramic baking dishes will take longer than metal pans, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the rice. The rice should be tender and much of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overcook the casserole, or the rice will become mushy and gummy.
- Fluff the rice with a fork — do not stir with a big spoon, which can compact the grains and yield a dense texture.
- Do not omit the sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, or hoisin sauce. These are essential ingredients that give the dish its classic Asian flavor.
More Dump-and-Bake Chinese Takeout Recipes to Try
Baked General Tso Chicken Recipe
40 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Kung Pao Chicken
40 minutes mins
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
40 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Egg Roll Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 (14 ounce) bag coleslaw mix (about 6 ¾ cups)
- ½ cup grated or “matchstick” carrots
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1 ½ cups less sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup less sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger)
- 2 cups cooked, shredded or diced chicken (such as the meat from a rotisserie chicken)
- Optional garnish: additional sliced green onions; chow mein noodles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the prepared baking dish, combine mushrooms, green onions, coleslaw mix, carrots, and uncooked rice. Toss gently so that everything is evenly distributed throughout the pan.
- In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Pour evenly over the ingredients in the baking dish.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake for 50 minutes. Uncover the dish and use a fork to fluff the rice. At this point, the rice should be almost tender. If the rice is still crunchy, cover and return it to the oven for 5-10 more minutes, or until the rice is just about done. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Stir in the cooked chicken. Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the chicken or pork is warmed through, and the rice is completely tender.
- Top with chow mein noodles and garnish with extra sliced green onion, if desired.
Notes
- This recipe is specifically designed and tested with uncooked long grain white rice. Do not substitute with brown rice, cauliflower rice, or instant rice — all of which require different amounts of liquid and different cooking times.
- Make sure to cover your dish tightly with foil so that none of the liquid or steam escapes during cooking. The rice needs to absorb the liquid as it bakes.
- The total cooking time will vary depending on a number of factors, including the type of pan that you use and your individual oven. Glass or ceramic baking dishes will take longer than metal pans, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the rice. The rice should be tender and much of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overcook the casserole, or the rice will become mushy and gummy.
- Fluff the rice with a fork — do not stir with a big spoon, which can compact the grains and yield a dense texture.
- Do not omit the sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, or hoisin sauce. These are essential ingredients that give the dish its classic Asian flavor.
Hi, Blair! The flavors look delicious in this but the price of meat still makes me blanch! If I wanted to try making it meatless, how would I adapt it? Would I double up on the cabbage/carrots/mushrooms or add some frozen stir-fry vegetables? If I added frozen vegetables, would I add them thawed? I didn’t want to make the rice too soupy. Or would it just be a matter of omitting the meat at the end of the cooking time?
Hi, Marion! You can do it either way. It should be totally fine to just leave the meat out without making any other accommodations. If you’d like to add some extra veggies, that’s okay too. They can go into the dish frozen — you just might need to extend the baking time by a few minutes.
Thank you, Blair! About how much of the stir fry mix would you say for starters? 2 cups?
Yes, that should be good!
I am definitely going to try this. Could I use jasmine rice instead?
Hi, Ray! Yes, jasmine rice should work well!
This turned out really yummy – and I LOVE that it has so many veggies! I did make it with medium grain white/sticky rice and it turned out great. And since my hubby doesn’t like mushrooms, I diced up bok choy instead. I will definitely be adding siracha to mine since I like spicy! 😉 Thanks for a great dump and bake recipe!
We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you and you both enjoyed it, Carolyn!
This was fantastic! My husband and I both loved it. We did use cooked ground pork instead of chicken. Thank you for the great recipe, we will definitely make it again.
Thank you for trying it out, Ali! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Some weeks ago, I looked at your “egg roll in a bowl” recipes and the comments and saw that some people had added peanut butter. I followed this recipe except for omitting the chicken and adding about six tablespoons of peanut butter. It was REALLY good. The peanut butter seemed to jive well with the sauce ingredients. It was also the first time I had used hosin sauce. Thank you for the introduction!
I’m sure the chicken would be delicious in it. I’m still limiting my meat for budget reasons. Next time, I make it I will experiment with freezing some and get back to you about the results
Thanks!
Thank you for trying it out, Marion! We’re so glad you enjoyed the addition of peanut butter.