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A simple, old-fashioned turkey rice casserole is a staple in American home cooking. The comforting, flavorful, and easy dinner recipe comes together in about 10 minutes, making it a delicious way to take advantage of leftover turkey (or chicken)!
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We love cozy casseroles — especially when we have leftover Thanksgiving turkey, ham, or rotisserie chicken to use up. Some of our favorites include chicken and stuffing casserole, dump-and-bake meatball casserole, and a 5-ingredient ham and noodle casserole. This turkey and rice casserole is an easy, post-holiday option that’s especially convenient when you have a fridge full of leftovers, but you don’t feel like cooking!
The turkey leftover casserole is a basic dish that can be tweaked in a variety of ways to suit your family’s taste preferences and schedule. Use leftover Thanksgiving turkey, smoked turkey, a Crock Pot turkey tenderloin, or even store-bought rotisserie chicken — anything goes! The kids will love the creamy combination of rice, meat, veggies, and almonds, finished with a buttery, crunchy, Ritz cracker topping!
Ingredients for a Turkey Casserole
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a turkey rice casserole. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Turkey: cooked and diced. Leftovers are great, or you can even sub with chicken. See my notes below if you’d like to cook your own chicken to use here instead of turkey.
- Rice: any variety of cooked rice will work. I’ve shown long-grain white rice, but brown rice, basmati rice, or wild rice are all great, too.
- Condensed cream of mushroom soup: the creamy base that binds the filling together. You can substitute with cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, or any other flavor.
- Chicken broth: to thin the sauce. Use low-sodium chicken broth if you want to control the salt in the dish.
- Mayonnaise: adds flavor and richness to the creamy sauce.
- Sour cream: for a touch of creamy tang in the sauce.
- Onion and celery: for savory flavor. I like a little bit of crunch in the filling, so I don’t saute the veggies first. If you like the vegetables softer, you can cook them in butter or olive oil in a skillet until soft before adding them to the filling.
- Slivered almonds: add a nice, crunchy texture to the casserole filling. You can omit this ingredient if like.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
- Ritz crackers and melted butter: for the crunchy topping.
How to Use Chicken Instead of Turkey for this Casserole
If you don’t have leftover turkey to use in this casserole, you can use cooked chicken instead. Here are some options:
- Boiled and Pulled Chicken: Boil about 1 ½ lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs until cooked through (about 15 minutes). When cool enough to handle, chop or pull the chicken. You’ll need a total of about 3 cups shredded. I find that 1 ½ lbs. of chicken breasts yields about 3 cups of pulled chicken, but there’s some flexibility here — it doesn’t need to be exact.
- Rotisserie Chicken: This is a great shortcut! Purchase a rotisserie chicken (or two) from the grocery store, shred the meat, and use in the recipe as instructed. One very large rotisserie chicken should yield about 4-5 cups of meat, and you only need 3 cups for this recipe.
- Leftover Chicken: If you have leftover grilled or baked chicken from a previous meal, put those extras to good use in this casserole.
- Canned Chicken: Yep, even canned chicken from the pantry will work in this recipe.
Do I cook the rice before adding it to the casserole?
Yes! This easy casserole calls for 3 cups of cooked rice. You can boil your own rice on the stovetop, use leftovers from a previous meal, or cook parboiled rice (such as Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice) in the microwave for a shortcut.
If using the microwaveable rice or Minute Rice instant rice, cook the rice according to the package directions before using it in this casserole. Each packet of the Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice contains about 2 cups of cooked rice, so you’ll need about 1 ½ pouches for this recipe.
How to Make Turkey Casserole with Rice
This easy turkey rice casserole is a simple combination of condensed soup, cooked turkey, and fresh celery and onion. In about 10 minutes, you can stir everything together and pop it in the oven! Detailed directions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s the quick version:
- Stir together the filling, and then pour the rice mixture into a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish.
- Combine the cracker crumbs and melted butter.
- Sprinkle the buttered crumbs on top of the casserole.
- Bake, garnish, and serve!
Serving Suggestions
This easy turkey casserole goes well with almost any of your favorite sides. Here are some ideas to serve with the cozy entree:
- Kale Apple Salad, Fall Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad or House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon, or Drop Biscuits
- Cast Iron Cornbread, Sour Cream Cornbread, Honey Butter Cornbread, Fluffy Bakery-Style Cornbread Muffins, Broccoli Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, or Corn Sticks
- Cranberry Muffins or Apple Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
- No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread, Cranberry Walnut No-Knead Bread, Crusty French Baguette, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables
- Southern-Style Green Beans or Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon
- Southern Fried Apples, Baked Apple Slices, or Applesauce
- Perfect Oven Roasted Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus
- Brown Sugar Roasted Acorn Squash
- 5-Ingredient Easy Cranberry Salad or Cranberry Orange Sauce
Preparation and Storage Tips
- This is a great make-ahead dinner. You can assemble the entire casserole up to 24 hours in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Before baking, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- You can freeze the casserole before baking. Wrapped tightly, the assembled casserole will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before baking according to recipe directions.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To reheat the casserole: If reheating an entire casserole, cover the dish loosely with foil and bake in a 350°F oven until warmed through (about 20-30 minutes). Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Any variety of cooked rice will work in this casserole. I typically use long-grain white rice, but you can substitute with wild rice or brown rice, if you prefer.
- Use any flavor of condensed soup that you like: cream of chicken soup or cream of celery soup are both good substitutes for the cream of mushroom soup.
- Add more veggies to the filling, such as steamed broccoli, frozen mixed vegetables, canned corn, frozen peas, or sautéed mushrooms.
- Don’t have Ritz crackers? Crushed Corn Flakes cereal mixed with the melted butter, buttered panko breadcrumbs, or crushed potato chips are great substitutes for a crunchy, flavorful topping.
- Omit the almonds for a nut-free dish, or substitute with a different nut of your choice. Chopped pecans are also great!
- Use whole plain Greek yogurt in lieu of the sour cream.
- Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese (or another variety of shredded cheese) on top of the casserole before adding the cracker crumbs.
- Season the filling with extra herbs or spices. Good options include chives, parsley, thyme, oregano, or basil, as well as garlic powder, onion powder, or paprika.
Tips for the Best Turkey Leftover Casserole Recipe
- The celery and onion become slightly tender in the casserole, but still have a firm bite (which I prefer for crunch in the dish). If you like your celery and onion very soft, sauté the vegetables in a skillet with butter or olive oil before adding them to the casserole.
- Use microwaveable rice for a shortcut. If you’re using Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice, microwave the rice according to the package directions before adding it to the dish. Each pouch contains about 2 cups of rice, so you’ll need about 1 ½ packets for this recipe.
- If you don’t have any leftover turkey, use pre-cooked chicken from the grocery store, leftover chicken from another meal, or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
More Turkey Casserole Recipes to Try
Turkey Noodle Casserole
45 minutes mins
Easy Turkey Tetrazzini
45 minutes mins
Thanksgiving Casserole
50 minutes mins
Leftover Turkey Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked, diced turkey
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (or use cream of chicken or cream of celery soup)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup mayonnaise, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 cup finely diced celery
- ½ cup slivered almonds (about 2 ounces)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed (about 30 crackers or 1 ½ cups crumbs)
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or other herbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together turkey, rice, condensed soup, chicken broth, mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, celery, and almonds. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, stir together Ritz cracker crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle over top of the casserole.
- Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes (or until hot, bubbly, and golden brown on top).
Notes
- The celery and onion become slightly tender in the casserole, but still have a firm bite (which I prefer for crunch in the dish). If you like your celery and onion very soft, sauté the vegetables in a skillet with butter or olive oil before adding them to the casserole.
- Use microwaveable rice for a shortcut. If you’re using Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice, microwave the rice according to the package directions before adding it to the dish. Each pouch contains about 2 cups of rice, so you’ll need about 1 ½ packets for this recipe.
- If you don’t have any leftover turkey, use pre-cooked chicken from the grocery store, leftover chicken from another meal, or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
