Easy chicken and wild rice casserole is a healthier creamy hot dish full of veggies, long grain and wild rice, slivered almonds and is a fabulous way to use up leftover chicken or turkey! Plus simple instructions on how to convert to gluten free and vegetarian.
Prepare long grain and wild rice according to the box directions and in the meantime begin prepping your ingredients. Preheat oven to 400F degrees and grease or butter a 2 qt casserole.
Melt butter in a large saucepan or skillet or medium heat; add chopped onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and cook for one minute.
Pour in half-and-half and chicken broth, stirring until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add chicken, stirring to coat., toss in chopped almonds, pimientos and fresh parsley.
Add pre-cooked long grain and wild rice mix, stir to combine. Pour into buttered or greased 2 qt casserole dish and smooth. If desired, top with crispy fried onions. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes.
Notes
This recipe easily doubles, use a 9x13 casserole dish and adjust baking time longer if not bubbly and crisp on top. GLUTEN FREE | Easy peasy, simply make sure your rice blend you purchase is a GF product, then simply swap out the all purpose flour for a good 1-to-1 Gluten Free flour <-- my favorite brand!VEGAN/VEGETARIAN | This is a bit trickier, but still doable!
omit chicken/turkey and add in a plant based protein if desired
swap chicken broth with vegetable broth
use a plant based butter blend or olive oil to saute veggies
make sure wild rice mix is Vegan (Lundberg brand is)
replace half and half with ½ coconut cream and ½ oat milk or other plant based milk