Chicken Rice-a-roni Casserole

I know casseroles can have a bad rap, and I’ve eaten a few less than stellar ones over the years, but this recipe is not that. This is one of those combination of ingredients that just comes together right and you will clean your plate and go back for seconds. I had to stop myself from eating more out of the pan after I finished my plate.

This recipe is super easy, and I used a whole chicken that I poached and shredded for it, but you can easily sub a rotisserie chicken that you shredded to make it even easier. You only need a few things for this dish: shredded chicken, rice a roni, cheddar cheese (optional), sour cream (I used light), cream of chicken soup and French’s fried onions. Even if casseroles aren’t your thing, give this one a try. 🙂

Chicken Rice-a-roni Casserole

Creamy chicken and rice a roni casserole with cheddar cheese and fried onions

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Lunch, Main Course

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 box chicken flavored rice a roni
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 10.5 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup use low sodium version to keep the salt level under control
• 1 cup sour cream I used light sour cream
• 4 cups cooked and shredded chicken Either make yourself or use rotisserie chicken
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 6 oz can French's fried onions

Instructions

 

• If you want to make your own chicken, buy a whole chicken, put about a tbsp of oil in a pot and heat over high heat. Remove the neck/organs from the chicken cavity and add the chicken to the pot. Brown the skin well then add enough water to cover and a tsp of salt. Bring to almost a boil then reduce as low as you can and simmer 1.5 hours until the chicken is falling apart. Cool and shred the meat. You also get a good amount of chicken stock doing this you can use to cook your rice or freeze.
• Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Cook the rice-a-roni according to package using the 2 tbsp butter. While it is cooking, combine the chicken, soup, sour cream, and cheese in a large bowl. Once the rice is done, add it and mix well. Transfer the mixture to the 9×13 pan and bake covered with foil for 15 minutes. Uncover, top with fried onions and bake another 15 minutes until they are browned. Serve and try not to eat the whole thing. 🙂

Keyword Chicken, Lunch, Main Dish

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!