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Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole

A creamy, cheesy, comforting casserole with tender chicken, fluffy rice, and a little kick from melted pepper jack cheese.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Southern
Keyword easy-chicken-and-rice-casserole, easy-chicken-and-rice-recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Stand time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 495kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (i.e. Ben's Original or similar)
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 3 cups roughly chopped cooked chicken
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 8 oz chive and onion cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp lemon pepper or black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onions
  • 1 4 oz can diced green chiles (mild or hot) well drained
  • 1 cup french fried onions
  • chopped cilantro for garnishing

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a deep 13x9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • In a 3 quart saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice, butter and chicken bouillon cubes. Mix well. Lower heat to medium low and simmer covered for 15 minutes or just until liquid is absorbed. Uncover, fluff with fork and set aside.
  • In a blender or using an immersion blender, blend together milk, cream cheese, sour cream, granulated garlic, salt, lemon pepper and onion powder until fully blended.
  • Place cooked rice, chicken, green onions, green chiles, 1 cup shredded cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add sauce, mix well. Pour into baking dish.
  • Sprinkle the top of chicken casserole with reserved pepper jack cheese and french fried onions.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden, bubbly around the edge and the center is set when the dish is gently shaken. (Check halfway through and lay foil on top to prevent over browning the onions, if needed)
  • Let stand for 5 minutes then serve garnished with parsley, cilantro, chives or green onions.

Notes

      • Protein: You can used rotisserie chicken, poached chicken, grilled or baked chicken for this sour cream chicken casserole. You could also use leftover turkey.
      • Chicken Bouillon: You could use 2 teaspoons of chicken soup base in place of bouillon to season the rice.
      • Chicken Broth: You could cook the rice in chicken broth and omit the bouillion. Season with slat to taste.
      • Spice: You can adjust the amount of spice in this casserole depending on the level of spice in the chiles. When choosing canned green chiles, you can use fire roasted, mild or hot depending on your personal preference.
      • Vegetables: Add frozen peas, steamed broccoli florets or sauteed mushrooms to the rice.
      • Cheese: You can also swap out the pepper jack cheese with monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese.
      • Alternate Toppings: You can use panko breadcrumbs, seasoned dried breadcrumbs or crushed crackers such as Ritz crackers. Toss with a couple of tablespoons of melted butter before sprinkling on top of the casserole.
      • Low Fat Options: This recipe works great with light butter, low fat sour cream and Neufchatel cream cheese.
      • Herbs: You can garnish with fresh parsley, cilantro or chives.
      • Rice: If you begin this recipe with cooked rice you'll need around 4.5 cups of cooked long grain rice.
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Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 1134mg | Potassium: 373mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 524IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 336mg | Iron: 1mg