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This 5-ingredient chicken wild rice casserole is one of my go-to comfort food dinners. It’s creamy, satisfying, and so easy to make with simple pantry staples. Best of all, it is WW friendly — a lighter way to enjoy classic casserole flavor without a lot of fuss.
Rod loves this casserole, and I appreciate how effortless it is — perfect for busy nights when I don’t have the time or energy for lots of prep. I usually toss together a quick green salad while it bakes, and we’ve got a complete, family-friendly meal on the table with very little effort.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Just 5 ingredients: With a box of rice mix, a can of chicken, green beans, cream soup, and almonds, dinner is on the table fast.
- WW friendly comfort food: Creamy and satisfying without being heavy, this casserole is a lighter way to enjoy classic flavors.
- Family approved: Rod loves it, and it’s simple enough that everyone at the table will dig in.
- Pantry staple friendly: No special shopping trips required — most ingredients come right from the cupboard.
- Easy to adapt: Swap in fresh or leftover chicken, different veggies, or your favorite cream soup for endless variations.
Ingredients and Easy Swaps
- Wild rice mix – I usually use a boxed long grain and wild rice mix (like Uncle Ben’s), but any brand will work. You can also use about 2-½ cups of cooked rice — brown, white, or a wild rice blend. Just be sure to season it well.
- Chicken – canned chicken keeps this recipe quick and easy, but leftover rotisserie chicken, cooked turkey, or even ham or shrimp also work.
- Green beans – canned green beans are traditional here, but thawed frozen beans work great too. You can also substitute lightly cooked broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or asparagus.
- Cream soup – I like cream of celery soup in this recipe, but cream of mushroom or cream of chicken would be just as good.
- Sliced almonds – these add crunch and flavor. You can swap in cashews, walnuts, chopped celery, or water chestnuts for a different texture.
How Many Calories and Weight Watchers Points in Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole?
According to my calculations each serving has 226 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
6 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Gather your ingredients…
Step 2: Cook the rice. Prepare the wild rice mix according to the package directions in a medium pot with a lid.
Step 3: Combine the ingredients. When the rice is done, stir in the chicken, green beans, cream of celery soup, and almonds until everything is well mixed.
Step 4: Transfer to baking dish. Lightly coat a pie plate (affiliate link) or casserole dish (affiliate link) with nonstick spray. Spoon the mixture into the dish.
Step 5: Bake. Place in a 350°F oven and bake until bubbly and heated through, about 20–30 minutes.
Step 6: Serve. Remove from the oven and serve warm, ideally with a simple salad or side of vegetables.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Save time: Cook the rice a day ahead and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the casserole.
- Moisture matters: If using fresh or frozen veggies, be sure to drain them well so the casserole doesn’t turn watery.
- Boost flavor: Stir in a little garlic powder, onion powder, or poultry seasoning to deepen the flavor if you’re using plain cooked rice.
- Make it creamier: For a richer casserole, top with an extra sprinkle of cheese before baking.
- Leftovers: This casserole reheats well — cover with foil and warm in the oven at 325°F, or microwave (affiliate link) individual portions.
Serving Suggestions
This creamy chicken wild rice casserole makes a filling meal on its own, but pairing it with lighter sides keeps the meal balanced:
- Fresh salad: My Orange Spinach Salad is bright, refreshing, and ready in minutes.
- Simple vegetables: These Parmesan Broiled Tomatoes add a pop of color and flavor without much effort.
- Fruit on the side: A sweet, light option like WW Easy Orange Delight Salad is a perfect finish.
- More greens: My Arugula Salad with Sunflower Seeds and Parmesan has just a handful of ingredients but delivers big flavor.
If you’ve made this Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Casserole, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Creamy 5-Ingredient Chicken Wild Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 package (6 ounces) long grain wild rice blend (I use Uncle Ben’s which makes 2.5 cups cooked rice)
- 1 can (10 to 12 ounces) chicken breast, drained
- 1 can (14 to 15 ounces) green beans, drained
- 1 can (10.75 ounces) reduced-fat cream of celery soup (or cream of chicken or mushroom)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds (I used chopped cashews)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a pie plate (affiliate link), or casserole dish (affiliate link), with nonstick spray and set it aside.
- Cook the rice according to the package directions in a pot big enough to mix up the casserole.
- When the rice is done add the chicken, green beans, can of soup and almonds. Stir until well combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish.
- Bake until heated through and bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 6 PointsPlus (Old plan) Variations: No canned green beans? Use whatever lightly cooked vegetable you like best – broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, asparagus, or a combination. No canned chicken? Use whatever cooked protein you prefer. Shredded or chopped cooked chicken or turkey, ham or shrimp would work well. This is a perfect use for leftover rotisserie chicken. No Cream of celery soup? Use whatever cream soup you like best – mushroom, chicken, etc. No long grain wild rice mix? Use 2-1/2 cups of cooked rice of your choice (just be sure to season it well) No almonds? Substitute whatever nut you prefer. Or use chopped celery or water chestnuts instead.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Easy WW Friendly Chicken Recipes
If you enjoyed this creamy chicken wild rice casserole, here are a few more easy, WW friendly chicken recipes you might like:
- My Easy Slow Cooker Chicken & Gravy is pure comfort food—tender chicken in a rich gravy that’s perfect over mashed potatoes or rice.
- For something lighter but still satisfying, try my Skinny Chicken & Broccoli Casserole. It’s creamy, cheesy, and packed with veggies.
- My Chicken and Apple Stuffing Casserole combines tender chicken, sweet apples, and savory stuffing for a cozy fall-inspired dinner that’s WW friendly.
- And if you are craving pasta, my Pioneer Woman Chicken Spaghetti Made Lighter is a WW friendly twist on the classic—cozy, family-friendly, and perfect for potlucks.
This was pretty good during the time we are spending at home with the current outbreak. We used ground chicken, mixed veggies with basmati rice and put in spices as you suggested. Very simple to make!
Easy and yummy! My family loves it!
Love this! My family does too. It’s easy and a great go to dish for during the work week.
Delicious! Whipped it up for guests who loved it! Thanks!
Delish! I used leftover rotisserie chicken. We loved it!
Made it with rotisserie chicken and broccoli as grandkids don’t like green beans. They loved it. Left out the nuts.
This is one of my favorites! It is quick, easy and, best of all, my husband also loves it. It is one of my go to recipes when I need a points friendly delicious meal!
Thanks Sherri!
I made this last night and it was so easy and delicious! The recommended rice was very tasty. I will be keeping this in my dinner rotation.
I love this recipe! I make it for dinner early in the week and use leftovers for lunches since I’m cooking for 2!
I’d love to try this recipe but I will not purchased canned cream of – soups. I picked up a can in the store recently and saw the 750 mg sodium per serving and put it back on the shelf. I’m sodium sensitive and just cannot eat that much salt. Is there a substitute for the salty canned soup – of any flavor?
Otherwise using fresh ingredients it sounds like something I’d enjoy!
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Sue, I appreciate you not wanting to use canned cream soup. I’ve only made the recipe as written. Possible substitutions that might work include a homemade white sauce using milk thickened with flour and seasonings or possible Greek yogurt thinned with chicken broth? If you do try an alternative would love to have you let us know how it turns out. All the best, Martha
Campbells makes a low sodium soup.