Description
This Chicken Rice Casserole is a comforting and hearty dish featuring tender cooked chicken, creamy soup, and tender rice baked to perfection under a buttery, crispy Ritz cracker topping. Perfect for an easy family dinner, it combines simple pantry staples into a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded or cubed, about 4 cups)
- 2 cans Campbell’s cream of chicken soup (or 1 large can)
- 2 cups Minute rice (or quick cooking rice, uncooked)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
Topping
- 2 sleeves Ritz crackers (crushed)
- 1/2 cup salted butter (softened)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking the casserole.
- Mix Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup, cooked cubed or shredded chicken breast, uncooked rice, chicken broth, and sour cream. Stir well until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
- Prepare the Baking Dish: Spread the combined mixture evenly into a 9×13 inch baking dish, ensuring an even layer for consistent cooking.
- Crush Crackers: Pour Ritz crackers into a sealable plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs.
- Butter the Crumbs: Add the softened salted butter into the bag with the crushed crackers, reseal, and shake vigorously to coat the crumbs evenly with the butter.
- Top the Casserole: Evenly spread the buttered cracker crumbs over the top of the casserole mixture in the baking dish.
- Bake: Place the casserole on the middle rack of the warm oven and bake for 40 minutes until the cracker topping turns golden brown and crispy, and the rice is tender.
- Serve: Remove from the oven and let the casserole sit for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy your hearty and creamy Chicken Rice Casserole!
Notes
- Use cooked chicken breasts leftover or freshly cooked and shredded for best results.
- You can substitute cream of chicken soup with a homemade white sauce for a fresher taste.
- Minute rice or any quick cooking rice works well to ensure rice cooks fully without extra soaking.
- Squeezing excess moisture from cooked chicken can help avoid a watery casserole.
- Let the casserole rest after baking to allow it to set and cool slightly for easier serving.
- For a lower-fat variant, use reduced-fat sour cream and butter substitutes.
