Curried Chicken and Rice Casserole is the ultimate comfort food recipe, made lighter using a homemade cream of chicken soup substitute, brown rice, tender chicken, vegetables and warm curry.
You guys are going to love this Curried Chicken and Rice Casserole. It is a twist on classic chicken and rice using warm, rich curry. If you are looking for something comforting this casserole is for you. I don’t know about you guys but I think casseroles are so warming and cozy.
There is also something so warming about the spice curry. I use it a lot in recipes like this Simple Curry Chicken Salad, Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Curried Butternut Squash Soup.
This Curried Chicken and Rice Casserole is an easy meal that you can cook for your family, and if everyone doesn’t eat the whole pot then you might just have some leftovers for later.
When Andrew was born I was lucky enough to have my Mom come and stay with me for two weeks. She was the biggest help during my time of recovery and figuring this whole “Mom of two boys” thing out. She cooked, cleaned, entertained Will, snuggled with Andrew, gave me time to take naps, oh, and did I say she cooked?! She is an awesome cook. And really that is an understatement until you have had a seat at her table. She can whip up a meal with no recipe at all and it becomes a new family favorite!
Imagine recovering from delivery a baby, chasing around a toddler and functioning on little sleep…this requires comfort food, right?! So I asked my Mom to whip up a batch of chicken and rice. When she put the dish on the table it had a yellowish color and I could smell the aromatic curry.
I don’t know about you guys but I think casseroles are so warming and cozy. I love making this Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole, Sausage and Bean Casserole, Mexican Chicken Casserole and this One Pot Mexican Stuffed Pepper Casserole.
Recipe Ingredients
These simple pantry staples are all you need. See the recipe card below for exact amounts and printable instructions.
- Rice: I suggest using either brown or white rice in this casserole. Make sure you cook according to the package.
- Vegetables: The vegetables in this casserole are celery, carrots and onion. You can mix this up and even add things like frozen peas in if you want.
- Chicken: I find that boneless skinless chicken breasts work great but you can also use chicken tenderloins or chicken thighs just adjust cook time.
- Cream of Chicken Soup: You can either buy store-bought cream of chicken soup or you can make your own homemade.
- Spices: The spice mixture uses turmeric and curry powder. I love the way the two work together to add warm flavors to the casserole.
How do you Make this Curried Chicken and Rice Casserole
Step 1: Cook Rice: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice according to package and set aside. Heat a pot of boiling water over medium high heat. Add the broccoli and cook until tender. Set aside.
Step 2: Cook Chicken: Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil and place the chicken in the skillet.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the meat is no longer pink, turning occasionally and the juices run clear (8-10 minutes).
Step 3: Stir in Vegetables and Spices: Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside. In the same skillet heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and saute the carrots, celery, sweet onion, garlic, turmeric and curry powder until vegetables are soft {about 12-15 minutes}.
Step 4: Add Cream of Chicken Soup: Once the vegetables are soft add the rice, chicken, vegetables and the cream of chicken soup {or the substitute} mixing well over low heat for two minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Bake: Spoon the casserole into a 13×9 glass baking dish or casserole dish and place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!
Storage Tips
Store the leftover casserole in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
More Casserole Recipes
Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating and comment below! Subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest for the latest.
Curried Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice, or white
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped into small pieces
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, { or 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded if using leftover chicken}
- cream of chicken soup substitute
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook rice according to package and set aside. Heat a pot of boiling water over medium high heat. Add the broccoli and cook until tender. Set aside.
- Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil and place the chicken in the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the meat is no longer pink, turning occasionally and the juices run clear (8-10 minutes).
- Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside. In the same skillet heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and saute the carrots, celery, sweet onion, garlic, turmeric and curry powder until vegetables are soft {about 12-15 minutes}.
- Once the vegetables are soft add the rice, chicken, vegetables and the cream of chicken soup {or the substitute} mixing well over low heat for two minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the casserole into a 13×9 glass baking dish or casserole dish and place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- To make this recipe even easier buy a rotisserie chicken and shred two cups.
- This recipe is very customizable. You can add more of less vegetables and chicken depending on your tastes.
- If you want less spice you can leave the curry and turmeric out or just add a small amount to your tastes.
- I like to make my own cream of chicken soup substitute to avoid using the canned soup but you can do either. If you choose to make your own substitute you will want to make that while you are sauteing the vegetables.
- You can omit the turmeric and curry powder if you like and it would still taste great.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
A great comforting meal!
My family LOVED this dish!! Thank you. I added a tad more curry and turmeric. I also did half curry and half spicy curry, which was perfect. The homemade cream of chicken is key. I wonder what is a good way to infuse some coconut into this dish? Perhaps using coconut milk instead of regular milk? Thank you again. We love this.
Thank you for the kind words and so glad your family enjoyed it! I love the spicy curry. I think that coconut milk would be a great addition. Maybe just a small amount to infuse some of that flavor.
The recipe says “cooked chicken” but then says to “cook until no longer pink”.
Which is it?
Sorry if you are cooking the chicken yourself then cook until no longer pink or 8-10 minutes in a skillet. If you uses leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken then it would already be cooked. That is confusing I will change it. I am actually working on updating this post as it is an older recipe. Hope you like it!
I made this but instead of cream soup I used a can of coconut milk. Added 1T of garam masala. Yummy
Great ides! I hope you enjoyed it.
This looks absolutely fantastic! Perfect comfort food for a mom with teeny guys, for sure! I adore curry powder, and you know I’m all about healthier versions of recipes, so I just know I’ll love this delicious casserole! Oh – and I so enjoyed the sweet story about your mom and her time at your house after Andrew was born! 😀
Thanks Shelley! It was so nice to have her here when he was born. And yes, you and I both are all about healthier recipes. You would like this one!
It was great! I made it just like yours except I added some chopped parsley and topped it with buttered breadcrumbs and baked it til browned. All plates went back to the kitchen empty!
Sounds perfect! Love the idea of adding parsley! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out. 🙂
I love curry powder and love coming across recipes to use it more…this is perfect! I bet some golden raisins and pine nuts would be amazing with this, too. Mmmm!
Golden raisins are a great idea! I have to try that.