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This chicken and rice casserole has no canned cream of mushroom soup, but it’s still incredibly easy with the nostalgic flavor you love. It is made with creamy rice and tender chicken, mixed together with vegetables, and topped with melted cheese. A healthier version of a favorite family comfort food that’s full of flavor and naturally gluten-free.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken and Rice Casserole
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free
- Skill Level: Easy
This gluten-free chicken and rice recipe is one of my go-to family-friendly dinners. Here’s why:
- So flavorful. It’s creamy and cheesy, filled with tender chunks of chicken, juicy mushrooms, veggies, and hearty rice. This dish is so easy to throw together and consistently tastes amazing!
- Naturally lighter and gluten-free. I make a lightened-up cream sauce for this casserole with a combination of cream cheese, milk, and Greek yogurt in place of traditional canned cream of mushroom soup. It gives the casserole all the cozy, creamy flavor with significantly fewer calories and preservatives. Plus, that means it’s gluten free!
- Cozy and satisfying. This is exactly the kind of hearty dinner idea you want at the end of a busy week or for a hearty weekend dinner.
What You’ll Need
The list below may seem long-ish for an easy weeknight meal. However, I promise you, this chicken and rice casserole features many ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken: Diced cooked chicken. Leftover grocery store or homemade Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken is a perfect option for this recipe!
- Rice: You’ll need hearty rice like white long-grain rice or similar, uncooked. You can find my recommendations further down in this post.
- Onion: Minced yellow onion.
- Mushrooms: Sliced white or brown mushrooms. Mushrooms pair deliciously with the cream and bring earthy flavor to the dish.
- Frozen Peas and Carrots: These will need to be thawed and patted dry to remove the extra moisture.
- Thyme: Dried thyme or fresh thyme will both work.
- Chicken Broth: You can also substitute vegetable stock if you’d prefer. Either way, I’d recommend low sodium broth as it offers more control over the seasoning.
- Cream Cheese: Light or regular, it’s up to you!
- Greek Yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for extra creaminess and a little tanginess. Using yogurt in place of heavy cream also helps to keep this casserole on the lighter side!
- Cheese: Freshly grated or shredded cheddar cheese, as well as parmesan.
- Chopped Parsley: For optional garnish.
- Butter: Unsalted.
- Milk
- Salt & Pepper
What Kind of Rice Should I Use?
This casserole works best with regular, long-grain rice. Short-grain rice or minute rice will not work with this recipe, since the rice will cook too quickly and become a mushy mess! I also recommend long-grain not only because the consistency is creamier, but because the nutritional value is higher, too. And remember, rice is gluten free!
You can use other varieties like brown rice or wild rice as well, but these call for longer cooking times and more liquid. We’re aiming for about 3 ¾ cups of cooked rice with this recipe, so follow the package directions of your chosen rice for the appropriate amount of broth/cooking time.
How to Make Gluten-Free Chicken and Rice Casserole
This recipe is a one-pan wonder, with a casserole dish being the only other requirement. It’s perfect for busy nights when dinner calls for something quick and tasty! Here’s how to make this cheesy and delicious chicken and rice, minus the gluten:
- Cook the Mushrooms: Saute the mushrooms in butter with the onions, thyme, and seasoning.
- Add Chicken Broth & Rice: In the same pan, toast the rice with the mushrooms for a minute or two. Add in the chicken stock and let it come to a boil.
- Simmer: Lower the heat to a simmer while the rice cooks in the chicken broth. Don’t stir the rice during this time! Once the time is up, you’ll leave the cover on and (still not stirring!) let the rice sit so it releases from the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the Other Ingredients: Next, add in the chicken, frozen veggies, as well as the ingredients for the cream sauce, plus part of the cheddar cheese.
- Assemble the Casserole: Pour the creamy chicken and rice into a prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar as well as the parmesan cheese over top.
- Bake: Bake the casserole in a preheated oven, covered in foil. Remove the foil about halfway through the cooking time. Once the casserole is out of the oven, leave it to sit for a few minutes before serving.
Tips for Success
- If You’re Using Rotisserie Chicken: Since many store-bought rotisserie chickens come already seasoned, this makes a good case for using low sodium chicken broth in this chicken rice recipe. You don’t want your casserole to come out too salty!
- Can I Use Water Instead?: The rice in this recipe really gets its savory flavor from cooking in the chicken broth! That being said, if you’d like to cook the rice in water, I’d recommend including a bouillon cube to help flavor it.
Add-Ins & Variations
- Change Up the Cheese: You can skip the cheese altogether, or try out different kinds like mozzarella, Swiss, or Colby jack cheese.
- Add More Veggies: You can add in other vegetables, like bell peppers, celery, spinach, kale, or green beans.
- Try Different Herbs and Seasonings: Thyme is my first choice in terms of herbs for this chicken dinner, but you can add in other seasonings like rosemary, basil, garlic, or a pinch of red chili flakes.
- Make Broccoli Chicken and Rice: Add in a cup or two of chopped broccoli florets along with the chicken.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Store in the fridge: Casserole leftovers can be stored airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: You can reheat the casserole either whole or in portions in the oven or microwave, until it’s hot throughout.
- Can I freeze it? This casserole is perfect to make ahead as it freezes super well! You can keep it frozen for up to 3 months. Prepare the casserole as directed right up until you would bake it. Freeze the unbaked casserole wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, with an extra layer of foil. Thaw in the fridge overnight before you’re ready to serve it, and then bake, adding 10 minutes or so to the cooking time.
Make It a Meal
This creamy chicken and rice is a meal in itself, or you can serve it with easy sides for a cozy family dinner. Here are some of my favorite recipes to pair with this casserole:
More Gluten-Free Casseroles
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup onion minced
- 8 oz white mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cups white long grain rice uncooked
- 3 cups chicken cooked and diced
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots thawed and pat dry
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 4 oz cream cheese light or regular
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat a 9×13 inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add the onion, mushroom, thyme, salt, and pepper. Saute until the mushrooms are tender, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the rice and toast for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes. Do not stir. Turn off the heat and leave the cover on. Let the rice stand for 10 minutes without stirring. Any rice on the bottom of the pot will release.
- Add the cooked chicken, frozen mixed vegetables, milk, cream cheese, Greek yogurt or sour cream, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.
- Add to the prepared casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Let the casserole sit for 5 minutes prior to serving.
Did you make this?
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Is the cream cheese quantity in weight or volume?
That is weight, and I usually use the markings on the cream cheese wrapper. Volume would be 8 Tablespoons or 1/2 cup.
Delicious!
This is my go to!! Thank you for this!!
Fantastic recipe. Made it once as directed but with vegan ingredients. Amazing vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, and vegan cream cheese out there. Made it again and replaced rice with gluten free noodles and just vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and red bell pepper). The mushroom base is so flavorful and makes the dish addictive. I did add a little more thyme- just my personal preference. My son and his gf ate an entire casserole in one sitting. Lol. This recipe is a keeper and one that you can get creative with. Thank you so much.
I made this yesterday to take to a church luncheon after a funeral. It was delicious. I used brown rice since it was the only long grain rice I had. I adjusted the amount of rice to correspond to the quantity needed as specified in the comments with the recipe and adjusted the amount of the chicken broth according to the rice cooking directions. I did use sour cream since I had that on hand. I will definitely make this casserole again.
Very tasty meal, handy to put in freezer for a day you don’t have time to cook:)
Can frozen broccoli be substituted for the frozen mixed vegetables?
I think that would workfine, but as with the peas and carrots, I’d thaw and pat dry to remove the moisture so that it isn’t too watery.
So tasty! I will definitely make this again!
How much diced rotisserie chicken in the chicken and rice casserole? You left out the amount in both spots in this recipe.
You might just looking at the overview in the body of the post. In the recipe card it states 3 cups of cooked and chopped chicken.
Made exactly per recipe, maybe more chicken. Everyone loved it, people took seconds…
So delicious! Thank you! I love the “homemade” cream of mushroom in this (I have celiac and I don’t always have gluten free cream soups on hand). I will be making this again!
Can this casserole be put together the night before, refrigerated overnight and then baked for lunch the next day?
I think that would be fine.
My family loved this recipe. I only had instant rice and it still turned out great. Will definitely make this again
So yummy. It did take me an hour and a half to make, plus time before that peeling a rotisserie chicken but it’s worth it for a weekend cooking project! I used shiitake mushrooms chopped small, and a bit more thyme and salt. Will make again!
Quick and easy. The whole family loves it. I am doubling it this time because everyone was sad that we had no leftovers last time.
Love to hear this!
This was so yummy. It did take a long time to make. I would add more salt, pepper, and thyme. I am freezing some because there are only 3 of us to eat it. I will make this again.