Chicken Wild Rice bake is a hearty and savory one-dish main course.
Casserole, hot dish, or “bake,” whatever you call it, this concoction is a cut above. To be honest, I often find these dishes on the bland side. But this sauce is a savory cream of chicken soup-sour cream mixture with a dash of crushed red pepper that says, “wake up, I’m not a church basement recipe!”
Then there’s the chewy, earthy goodness of protein-rich wild rice. Of course, there’s plenty of chicken too. But I think it’s the toasted sliced almonds stirred into the casserole and the Panko breadcrumb-Parmesan topping that really elevate this recipe. Yup, it’s good eaten and makes a lovely stash of freezer leftovers (if there are leftovers, that is.)
Chicken Wild Rice Bake Tips and Tweaks
I took several liberties with the Lunds & Byerlys recipe. The first change was partly out of necessity and partly by accident. Here’s the recap of my meddling:
Soup Base
Byerly’s Wild Rice Soup was the base for the original recipe. But I had to punt because they were out of stock. I remembered having a can of cream of mushroom soup in the pantry and decided to pair that with sour cream instead. But I accidentally opened a can of cream of chicken soup and then decided to use it. I actually think this provided more savoriness.
Chicken & Veggies
The original recipe calls for cutting the chicken and the bell pepper into strips and the shallot into slices. I prefer bite-sized pieces of chicken and veggies that can mingle better with the rest of the ingredients.
Seasonings
I believe the 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper is too bold. I cut it in half. Even though I like a touch of heat, this isn’t a dish that should have a “heat forward” personality. You can omit the crushed red pepper if you prefer.
The Byerlys recipe also recommended adding Poultry Seasoning to the rice while it cooks. I didn’t find this combination appealing, so I omitted it.
Love Casseroles?
Check out a few of these additional family-favorite recipes.
Chicken Wild Rice Bake
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 6 tablespoons butter divided
- 1/2 cup chopped shallot, chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 1/2 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 can cream of chicken soup 10.5 ounce
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds toasted, divided
- 1/2 cup Japanese-style panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- Using a strainer, rinse wild rice under running water. In a saucepan, bring wild rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45-55 minutes (or until cooked.) Drain any excess liquid.
- In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Sauté shallots and red bell pepper for 4-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl.
- Add chicken to the skillet; season with salt and pepper (if skillet is dry add a little more butter or olive oil.) Cook until no longer pink in the center (8-10 minutes).
- Return shallot mixture to skillet; stir in soup, sour cream, crushed red pepper, and wild rice. Bring to a simmer; stir in ½ cup of almonds. Spray a 9X12 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; add chicken-rice mixture.
- Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, stir in panko, Parmesan, parsley, and the remaining ¼ cup of almonds. Sprinkle mixture over casserole.
- Bake in 350 F oven until bubbly and topping is golden brown (25-30 minutes.)
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