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One Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken Wild Rice Casserole: a cozy, herby, one-pan dinner with chicken, buttery wild rice, and creamy garlic sauce. Finish with a little extra butter and fresh thyme. It’s flavorful, classic, and so easy to make. A one-skillet dinner everyone in the family will love! We love this dish served with a side salad and beer bread. Yum!
This dish is perfect for families! I used to eat chicken and noodle casserole a lot when I was a kid. It was one of my least favorite dishes, but my brothers loved it! My dad made it every other week during the school year because this Midwest-style dish was so easy.
I do, however, love a casserole. Throw everything in a baking dish and let the oven work some magic! It’s always great.
When I started to take over cooking dinner for my family, one of the meals I would make a lot was wild rice with baked chicken tenders — usually with some broccoli, since that’s the vegetable we almost always had on hand. Broccoli, potatoes, and bell peppers!
My mom would buy those wild rice blends with the herb and garlic seasoning packets. I always cooked those and served them with the chicken. Very, very basic, but so comforting and delicious.
I created this casserole with all of those memories and flavors in mind — but made it creamy, like my favorite wild rice soup. So delicious!
My mom especially loves this dish. Anything with chicken and rice makes her happy!
How to make my Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- chicken thighs or breasts – I like to use a mix
- salted butter
- the seasonings: dried parsley, onion powder, dried rosemary, paprika, cayenne pepper
- shallots
- garlic
- cremini mushrooms
- carrots
- wild rice – I use a blend of a variety of rice and couscous
- thyme
- sage
- broth – I use Fond chicken bone broth
- spinach or kale – I love kale, but my mom prefers spinach
- heavy
For Cooking
This recipe requires a large oven-safe braiser or Dutch oven. I use an 11-inch braiser (4 qt) most often.
The Steps
Step 1: Season and start the chicken
In a large, oven-safe skillet or braiser, season the chicken with dried parsley, onion powder, dried rosemary, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne. Add butter and set the skillet over medium heat to melt the butter.
Once the butter is melted, add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots. Toss everything together so the veggies get coated and begin to soften.
Step 2: Toast the rice and herbs
Add another pat of butter, then stir in the wild rice, thyme, and sage. Let the butter brown a bit and allow the rice and herbs to toast for a minute or two — this adds great flavor.
Step 3: Add broth and greens
Pour in the chicken broth, then stir in the kale or spinach. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the cream. Cover the pan and let it gently simmer for about 15 minutes to give the rice a head start.
Step 4: Bake until golden
Transfer the uncovered skillet to the oven and bake until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through and golden on top.
To serve
Sprinkle with fresh thyme and a pinch of flaky sea salt. I love pairing this with my fall salad and a loaf of beer bread for a cozy, comforting family dinner — especially on Sunday nights when the whole house smells amazing!
Looking for other easy dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Pan Chipotle Honey Chicken and Rice
One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice
One Skillet Louisiana Style Chicken and Rice
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Spicy Sesame Chicken and Ginger Rice
Skillet Mexican Beef and Rice
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Garlic Chicken Wild Rice Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 650 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs or breasts (skin on or off)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- sea salt and black pepper
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 2 cups dry wild rice
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 3 1/2 cups broth
- 2 cups chopped kale or spinach
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.2. In a large oven-safe skillet or braiser, mix the chicken with the parsley, onion powder, rosemary, paprika, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. Add 3 tablespoons butter. Set over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots, toss and cook 5-10 minutes.3. Push the chicken and veggies to the sides of the pan. Add 3 tablespoons butter, the rice, thyme, and sage. Allow the butter and rice to become slightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, then the kale, bring to a boil, stirring everything. Mix in the cream, and season again with salt. 3. Place the lid on the skillet and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Allow the rice to cook for 20 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked into the rice, but not all of it.4. Remove from the heat, remove the lid. Bake for 15 minutes, until rice is cooked. Serve the chicken and rice topped with fresh thyme. And enjoy!
This post was originally published on October 2, 2025
Do you brown the chicken in the pan before adding the other ingredients? It isn’t clear when to add the chicken and what to do with it. Regardless, my daughter just made this and loved it.
Hey there,
You are going to add the chicken in step 2 with all of the ingredients that are also listed. You do not need to brown the chicken. I hope this helps!
Do you think it would work with Almond milk instead due to allergy with cream?
Hi Laura,
I think coconut cream would work best for you. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try!
We loved this! so flavorful, great blend of herbs. I used half actual wild rice and half brown rice so i started it cooking it the broth for about half an hour before adding it to the pot with the chicken and veg. In your photo it looks like you might have used a rice mix? which could have a shorter cooking time. There are some little round white things in the photo which I’m not sure about.
Thanks so much, Kris! Love to hear you enjoyed this dish! Yes, I also used some pearled couscous here, which you can do as well! Let me know if you have any other questions!
The tablespoon of sage was too much for me. It made everything taste like Ajax. I would likely omit or cut the quantity in half if I made this again. Wild rice needed more time to cook and the chicken needed less.
Heads up, there were a few typos on this you guys might want to edit.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, I’m so sorry to hear it did not turn out for you.
Great Fall recipe! Flavors were amazing. My rice took longer to cook than what the recipe states, but all in all a very good dinner!
Hey Kim,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well!
What can I use instead of Rosemary? My husband and I don’t like Rosemary.
Hi Jake,
You can omit the rosemary and use another herb that you do enjoy like dried thyme. I hope you love this dish!
Would love to try and make this a crockpot meal, any suggestions?
Hi Diana,
So sorry, I have not tested that with this recipe. Here are some other dishes that you might enjoy:
https://fett-weg.today/herb-butter-chicken-and-wild-rice/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/garlic-butter-chicken-meatballs/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/chicken-and-rice-soup/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope this helps!
This looks delish—is there any way to make it dairy free? I can do butter but not the heavy cream…any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Katie,
You could use coconut cream in place of the heavy cream. I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try!
Instructions timing are waaaaay off. Wild rice took way longer to absorb liquid and be ready to eat.
Very sorry to hear this!
My whole family enjoyed this meal. I used spinach instead of kale. I also increased the spices and broth by just a bit because I used both chicken thighs and chicken tenderloins and had way more than 6 pieces.
Hey Mandy,
Awesome! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
Do you dice or cut up the chicken? If so, into what size?
Hi Shanna,
Nope, no need to cut the chicken, as you can see in the photos, the thighs and breasts are kept whole:) Please let me know if you have any other questions!
What grain did you use in your pictures? It doesn’t look like wild rice or couscous.
Hi Rachel,
I used wild rice and a pearl couscous:) Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi Tieghan, boneless chicken or bone-in? Thanks!
Hi Melanie,
For this recipe, I like to use boneless. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Would a wild rice blend work in this recipe? Any adjustments to liquid content or time?
Hey Kathy,
You bet, that will work nicely, no adjustments needed! I hope you love this dish!
I have long grain brown rice and tri color quinoa. Can I use this as a mixture instead of wild rice?
Hi Andrea,
Yes, that should be just fine for you to use. Please let me know if you give this dish a try!
Did I miss the part in the instructions where this is in a pan? What makes this a casserole?
Hi Jenna,
To me, a casserole is any dish that you can throw into the oven and allow to cook:) I talk all about this recipe and how it came about in the written portion of the post. Please let me know if you have any other questions!