Chicken and Rice Casserole
This easy chicken and rice casserole is made from scratch, without canned soup, and tastes amazing! It's a great make-ahead chicken casserole as well!
Ingredients
- Chicken: I like to use chicken breasts in this recipe, but you can opt for boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer. Keep in mind that you can also get a whole chicken and cut it into pieces and mix and match the breast and thighs.
- Rice: Long grain white rice holds up well in this dish and doesn’t turn mushy. You can also use brown rice, but it will need to be cooked for longer.
- Mushrooms & Onions: I like to use button mushrooms in this recipe because they add so much flavor, but you can omit them if you’re not a fan. The onion adds a sweetness and more robust flavor to the casserole.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is best, but you can also use jarred garlic if that’s what you have on hand.
- Chicken stock: I like to use homemade chicken stock (another great reason to get a whole chicken!), but store-bought works just fine as well.
- Sour Cream: You’ll want to use full-fat sour cream for a full-bodied sauce. Let the sour cream sit at room temp for a bit so it’s easier to stir in.
- Seasoning: Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and black pepper round out the flavors in this dish.
- Fats: You’ll need a pat of butter for the rice and a bit of olive oil for sauteeing the chicken.
Directions
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, and the remaining Italian seasoning. Add oil to a medium skillet. Once the oil is shimmering, add chicken and cook, flipping halfway through, or until golden brown all over, but not yet cooked through. Remove from pan and cut into small cubes.
- To the same skillet, add onion and cook. Season with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms and cook until they are no longer giving off moisture. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add remaining chicken stock and sour cream and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Once it reaches a simmer, stir in the reserved chicken and remove from heat..