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Table of Contents
- Is Wild Rice and Black Rice the Same Thing?
- Are Freezer Meals Safe?
- How Long do Freezer Meals Keep?
- Freezer Friendly Options
- Creamy Chicken with White and Wild Rice Casserole
- Copycat Milton’s Creamy Chicken with White and Wild Rice Casserole Recipe
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Cheesy Ham and Potato Bacon Casserole
- Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Teriyaki Chicken Casserole
Is Wild Rice and Black Rice the Same Thing?
Wild rice holds its long shape with cooking and has a nutty texture.
It is commonly mixed with other rices to create blends or mixed as an added ingredient to various dishes such as salads.
Black rice is from the rice family.
Historically grown in China, black rice is a short grain.
It’s a casserole much like my mom’s cheesy ground beef and rice casserole or her cheesy chicken and rice casserole that has taken over our site. We get more traffic for our casserole recipes than anything else. This one is more like the version you all have been waiting for as so many of you have asked for us to reinvent one of those casseroles into something new.
Making a casserole that’s an awesome make ahead freezer meal is not something I take lightly. When I was thinking about what to do Cade reminded me that we had always wanted to make a copycat of that Milton’s casserole because it would be just as easy to freeze our own, or even just make it fresh.
Are Freezer Meals Safe?
The United States Department of Agriculture says keeping food frozen at zero degree constantly will always be safe.
Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage.
Freezing preserves food for extended periods because it prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause both food spoilage and foodborne illness.
How Long do Freezer Meals Keep?
The short answer is this: most food items will keep 3-6 months, if wrapped and stored properly.
We literally went to Costco, bought a bunch of these, read through every ingredient and tested until the thought of eating more casserole made me sick. We turned leftovers into soups, burrito fillings etc just to mix things up, but in the end, these are the ingredients listed on the package and this is the real copycat recipes. Ignore the others made with cheese, peppers etc.
You’ll start out with uncooked rice. UNCOOKED. That’s right. You didn’t misunderstand. We get so many questions about that casserole wondering if we made a mistake, but the rice really will cook in the liquid you add.
Next, make a homemade version of cream of mushroom soup. It takes about 5-8 minutes which isn’t bad at all.
We prefer to use a rotisserie chicken as it packs more flavor, but cooked chicken breasts will work too. The general rule is 350 for 30 minutes, or 6 minutes per side on stove top at medium high heat.
That’s really it. Season everything, stir the liquid, soup, rice (both white and wild and yes, we picked through a casserole to decide on ratios and it was not 50/50) chicken, and veggies. Cover with foil if you want, or just pop it in the oven to bake for, I know, 90 minutes. Sorry, that’s the long part. But while it’s baking you can go anywhere you want.
Freezer Friendly Options
To freeze this dish, you have a few options. You can partially bake the dish, allow to cool and wrap tightly with saran wrap then foil and freeze right in the pan. To bake, remove the coverings, bake for 1 hour.
Or, you can bake the whole thing, wrap in saran wrap then foil and then remove from freezer, remove saran wrap and just bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes when you’re ready to eat it.
read more: Looking for easy casserole recipes? Try our Baked Pork Chops with Cream of Mushroom Soup and Rice as well!
Creamy Chicken with White and Wild Rice Casserole
Copycat Milton’s Creamy Chicken with White and Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced
- 1/4 Cup Onion, minced
- 1/2 Cup Celery, minced
- ½ Cup Mushrooms, minced
- ¼ Cup Flour
- 1 Cup Milk
- ½ Cup Chicken Broth
- 2 Cups Cooked Chicken, chopped *see note
- 1 1/4 Cup Peas, frozen
- 1 1/4 Cup Carrots, diced
- 2 Cups Water
- 2 Dashes Tabasco
- Salt and Pepper, to taste *see note
- 2/3 Cup White Rice
- 1/3 Cup Wild Rice
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter until melted, and then add the garlic, onion, celery, and mushrooms.3 Tablespoons Butter, 1 Clove Garlic, 1/4 Cup Onion, 1/2 Cup Celery, ½ Cup Mushrooms
- Stir occasionally for 1-2 minutes then quickly whisk in the flour.¼ Cup Flour
- Allow to cook for 30 seconds more.
- While whisking, add the milk and broth, continuing to whisk until it begins to simmer.1 Cup Milk, ½ Cup Chicken Broth
- Cook 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
- Spray an 8×9" baking dish with nonstick spray then add the chicken, veggies, water, sauce and rice.2 Cups Cooked Chicken, 1 1/4 Cup Peas, 1 1/4 Cup Carrots, 2 Cups Water, 2 Dashes Tabasco, 2/3 Cup White Rice, 1/3 Cup Wild Rice, Salt and Pepper
- Stir to combine, sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and maybe a dash of paprika if you’d like and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until rice is tender.1 teaspoon Paprika, Salt and Pepper to taste
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Chicken and Rice Casserole
I didn’t like ground beef growing up so my sweet mom made a chicken and rice version of her famous cheesy ground beef and rice casserole just for me.
Cheesy Ham and Potato Bacon Casserole
Every year I try to think of a new way to make this awesome casserole, but it really is perfect just as it is.
Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole
Sometimes I want tacos but I don’t want to take the time to make each separate component so a casserole is the answer!
Teriyaki Chicken Casserole
The recipe that has been heard around the world, teriyaki chicken casserole and yes, it’s as good as it looks.
I haven’t gotten a chance to make it yet, but I was wondering if I could substitute the mushrooms and a couple other things with just cream of mushroom soup and maybe some cream of chicken because I don’t really have time to make a homemade cream mushroom soup so I’d rather use Campbell’s so does it work with that?
Hi Kendra! Yes, absolutely!