Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with Poppy Seeds

Overhead shot of white casserole dish with Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

5 from 2 votes

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with Poppy Seeds

This easy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole is a perfect prep-ahead, freezer-friendly dinner that the whole family will love!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken and wild rice casserole, chicken casserole, freezer meal

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 30

Total Time 55

Servings people

Calories 538.9kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

1 (6 ounce) package Uncle Ben's Wild Rice mix (about 3 cups cooked)
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
8 oz. sour cream
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed Cream of Chicken soup (NOT diluted)
½ cup slivered almonds
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed (about 30 crackers, or 1 ½ cup crumbs)
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Instructions

Cook rice and seasoning as directed on package. Spread in bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together soup, sour cream, almonds and chicken. Spread over rice.
In a separate bowl, combine cracker crumbs with melted butter. Stir in poppy seeds and sprinkle cracker crumb mixture on top of the casserole.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Notes

If you want to use the microwaveable packets of wild rice for a shortcut, you'll need a total of about 3 cups of cooked rice.
I used the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken here, but you can also cook your own meat to use in this recipe. If starting with raw meat, you'll need about 1.5 - 2 lbs. of raw chicken tenderloins (breast meat is fine too, but the tenders cook faster). My preferred cooking method is to place the chicken tenderloins in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Cover with foil and bake in a 400F (200C) oven for about 30 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). Allow to cool before chopping and using in the recipe.
Cooking for Two? Just cut the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. Alternatively, if you don't want to cut the ingredients in half, you can prepare the entire recipe, but divide the ingredients between two 8-inch square dishes. Bake one for dinner and share the other with a friend (or stick it in your freezer for a later date)!
To prep ahead: This casserole can be prepared in advance through step 4 and either refrigerated for a day or two before baking; OR you can prepare the dish through step 4 and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. If baking from frozen, be sure to thaw the casserole in the refrigerator overnight before baking as instructed. Allow the refrigerated casserole to come to room temperature on the counter for about 30 minutes before baking.
Make this a Chicken Wild Rice Broccoli Casserole by adding a package of frozen broccoli florets to the chicken mixture. I recommend steaming the broccoli before adding it to the dish so that it's nice and tender.
Add a layer of frozen French style green beans to the casserole. Simply cook the green beans until crisp-tender (but not mushy) and layer in the dish on top of the rice.
Swap out the cream of chicken soup and use a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup instead. You can also add a small jar of sliced mushrooms to the mixture!
Like cheese in your casserole? Sprinkle your favorite grated cheese on top of the casserole before adding the Ritz cracker topping.

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