I made a quick and easy chicken and rice casserole with lots of melty cheese, frozen veggies, and rotisserie or canned chicken and a SUPER easy chicken gravy sauce for dinner in under an hour.
Since this recipe is made with canned/rotisserie chicken (just like my Easy Chicken Roll Ups) and frozen veggies, it's definitely on the easier side of homemade-borderline cheating. Still counts. Crock pot/Slow cooker instructions in the Frequently Asked Questions section!
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We LOVE making creamy chicken and rice casserole with veggies in all seasons because it doesn't take long to bake to heat everything through and it's so easy to make ahead, it's very freezer friendly. It's one of my favorite recipes to double and freeze since it's so easy to make and reheat!
I would consider this semi-homeade, very similar to Chicken Pot Pie with Frozen Veggies with the sauce made from condensed chicken soup and chicken gravy mix.
I made this recipe cooking the rice FIRST before baking, since a common problem in other chicken and rice casserole recipes is that using raw rice and then baking it can result in crunchy rice or soupy casserole. Not a problem with this recipe! It's also super kid friendly and very simply seasoned.
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⭐️ What To Expect
- Taste: It's a nice creamy, cheesy chicken and rice casserole thanks to the sauce made with chicken gravy and condensed chicken soup.
- Ease: It's as easy as cooking the rice, and mixing together the already cooked or canned chicken with the other ingredients, and putting them in a casserole dish! I would rate it as a beginner recipe.
- Time: It takes about 20 minutes to prep (mostly cooking the rice) and 20-30 minutes to heat everything in the oven.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Chicken - rotisserie or canned chicken is used for this recipe, but you can use cooked chicken chopped or shredded as well.
- Vegetables - Frozen mixed veggies like peas, carrots, corn, and green beans are used here since they are already prepped and chopped.
- Rice - White rice is used for its quick cooking time, long or short grain works fine! I use a similar base recipe to Cilantro Lime Brown Rice, I just don't add any lime juice.
- Colby jack or cheddar cheese - I use it both in and on top of the casserole because it's delicious!
- Chicken Gravy Mix - this is found in the gravy mix section of the grocery store. You could also use turkey gravy!
- Condensed Chicken Soup- helps to make the casserole nice and creamy. You can use the fat free variety as well.
- Milk - I prefer to use whole milk for maximum creaminess.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Rice - feel free to use brown rice, yellow rice, or jasmine rice, just make sure to cook it according to package directions, some rice varieties may need more or less water.
- Milk - can be replaced with water or unsweetened plant based milk.
- Vegetables- I use a mix of frozen vegetables with carrots, peas, corn and green beans but broccoli or cauliflour would be easy to swap in!
- Cheese - you can use your favorite, some of the ones we like are mild or sharp cheddar, mozzarella, or Monterey jack.
- Use leftover turkey! You can use turkey gravy mix or turkey gravy in place of the milk and gravy mix.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a pot combine uncooked rice, water, and chicken bouillon. Cook according to package directions, about 20 minutes at a simmer covered.
- Step 2. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine frozen veggies, chicken, and shredded cheese. Set aside.
- Step 3. In a small bowl or measuring cup combine milk, condensed cream of chicken soup, gravy mix, salt, pepper, and onion powder.
- Step 4. Pour the milk gravy mixture into the bowl of chicken, frozen veggies, and shredded cheese.
- Step 5. Once the rice is done, pour it hot right into the bowl of chicken and veggies and mix it all together.
- Step 6. Spread the mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Step 7. Sprinkle 1 to 1.5 cups of shredded cheese on top of the chicken rice casserole.
- Step 8. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and heated through. Serve hot. Enjoy!
📌 Top Tips & Hacks
- You can make the rice up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate to make the prep even faster for this recipe.
- Double the amount of ingredients and split into tin foil pans and freeze one for an easy dinner on another night!
- If you want chicken casserole without soup, substitute it with 1 cup of sour cream and ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon. It will taste pretty close!
- Want more flavor? Add ½ teaspoon garlic powder and a few more sprinkles of salt.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
My go to is a little more salt first, then garlic powder, then onion powder. Since the chicken is already cooked, it's okay to taste a little before putting it into the baking dish to see how you like it and add more of any of those seasonings.
We usually have fresh veggies like sliced cucumbers, carrots, or a green salad but you could also have Soft Fluffy French Bread with it!
Although there is added sodium, there is also protein from the chicken and cheese, milk, and fiber and nutrient filled vegetables. It's a pretty decent stand-alone meal.
Creamy chicken rice casserole is simply seasoned on purpose, to be a savory comfort meal and kid-friendly. If you want more flavor, see the Tips & Hacks section of the post.
3 days.
Frozen: up to 3 months
Yes! Follow the recipe instructions, and instead of putting the casserole in a baking dish, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours.
🍗 More Easy Chicken Recipes
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📝 Printable Recipe
Chicken Rice and Veggies Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice, uncooked long or short grain
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 3 cups frozen mixed veggies
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken canned or rotisserie
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 1 cup milk
- 1 (10.5oz) can condensed chicken soup
- 1 package (.87 oz) chicken gravy mix
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup shredded cheese for top, optional
Instructions
- In a pot combine uncooked rice, water, and chicken bouillon. Cook according to package directions, about 20 minutes at a simmer covered.
- Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine frozen veggies, chicken, and shredded cheese. Set aside.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup combine milk, condensed cream of chicken soup, gravy mix, salt, pepper, and onion powder.
- Pour the milk gravy mixture into the bowl of chicken, frozen veggies, and shredded cheese.
- Once the rice is done, pour it hot right into the bowl of chicken and veggies and mix it all together.
- Preheat the oven to 350 ℉ and prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with baking spray.
- Spread the mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle 1 to 1.5 cups of shredded cheese on top of the chicken rice casserole.
- Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and heated through. Serve hot. Enjoy!
Tara Sauer says
I added French fried onions on top before baking and it turned out so good! Even the kids loved it.
Bethany Trimble says
There was an old version of this recipe that was so good. Is it still available anywhere?
Sara says
This is the only version that has been in my site!
Sara says
This is one of our favorite easy dinners to meal prep. It's so easy to make a double batch! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Please leave a comment here and share your feedback with a star rating. I really enjoyed creating this recipe and post for you!