There’s nothing like cozy comfort food on a winter’s day! This chicken rice casserole is creamy, hearty, and delicious. You won’t miss the gluten or dairy in this tasty, easy to make casserole.
Winter weather has me craving all the cozy food – how about you?
Whether it’s creamy spinach pasta, stuffed squash, or dairy free cheeseburger soup, something warm and filling is always welcome when it’s cold outside.
Chicken casserole is always a favorite for parties or holidays. This chicken rice casserole has lots of flavor from onions, garlic, and crunchy breadcrumbs on top. It’s the perfect combination of savory, creamy, and crispy. This has become one of our favorite dinner recipes.
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Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are best in this recipe.
- Vegan Buttery Spread – We like Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Buttery Spread, but you can use any brand that works for you.
- Gluten Free Flour – You will need some gluten free flour to thicken the sauce. If you aren’t gluten free, go ahead and use regular flour.
- Broth – Use any brand of store bought broth that works for your dietary needs. You can also use homemade chicken broth or stock.
- Dairy Free Mozzarella Shreds – We like Daiya brand dairy free shreds. They melt very well in this recipe.
- Rice – You will cook the rice ahead of time and then add it to the casserole before putting in the oven.
- Breadcrumbs – I like to make gluten free garlic breadcrumbs from scratch. They add a wonderful buttery flavor and crisp texture to this casserole.
Substitutions
- You can leave out the dairy free cheese if you don’t have a brand that works for you. This dish will still be great without it!
- If you can’t have rice, you can use quinoa. If you use cauliflower rice, the dish may have a little more liquid, so be aware of that.
- You can use any type of breadcrumb that works for you. Homemade with your favorite bread or store bought breadcrumbs are both fine.
- Instead of breadcrumbs, you could use crushed crackers or potato chips.
- If you can’t have garlic or onion, you could add chopped celery, green peppers, and fresh herbs to this dish to add flavor.
Step by Step Instructions
- Put the vegan buttery spread, chopped onions, and garlic in an oven safe skilled. Cook until softened. (You can also use a regular frying pan and just transfer everything to a casserole dish before baking in the oven).
- Add the gluten free flour blend and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
- Add the broth, spices, and chicken. Cook over medium heat for just a couple of minutes before stirring in the cooked white rice and dairy free cheese shreds.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and top with garlic breadcrumbs, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Storage/Freezing
Store leftover casserole in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It should stay fresh for 3 days.
You can freeze leftover casserole if you like. Store in freezer safe containers, and thaw before reheating.
What to Serve with Chicken Casserole
More Dairy Free Chicken Recipes
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Recipe
Dairy Free Chicken Rice Casserole.
The coziest chicken rice casserole around – made without any dairy or gluten! Crunchy breadcrumbs, chicken, and creamy rice make this dish irresistible!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup vegan buttery spread
- 2 Tablespoons gluten free flour blend
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into one inch pieces
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- â…“ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups cooked white rice I used Basmati rice. Use any rice you like.
- ½ cup dairy free mozzarella shreds I used Daiya brand mozzarella style shreds
- 1 ½ cups gluten free garlic breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a cast iron skillet, cook the chopped onion and minced garlic in the vegan buttery spread. Cook over medium heat until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes. You can use any kind of oven safe skillet, or you can use a regular frying pan and then bake the casserole in a casserole dish.
- Stir in the gluten free flour blend, and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes to get rid of the flour taste.
- Add the chicken broth and seasonings, and stir. Add the pieces of chicken breasts. You can use kitchen scissors and cut the chicken breasts right into the skillet (that way you don't make extra dishes to wash).
- Stir in the cooked white rice and dairy free cheese shreds.
- Make sure everything is covered in liquid, then cover the skillet with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.
- While the casserole is baking, you can make your garlic breadcrumbs if you are doing that from scratch.
- After 45 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the casserole. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
You need to cook the rice before you start this casserole. You can use pre-cooked rice from the store, or make your rice ahead of time on the stove or in a rice cooker.
Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
If you don’t want to use breadcrumbs, you can use crushed potato chips or cracker crumbs.
If you don’t have a safe brand of dairy free cheese, you can leave that out. This casserole will still taste good without the cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 471kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 27gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 744mgPotassium: 520mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 752IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below and tag @prettybeeblog on instagram!
Ashley
Delicious and new favorite comfort meal!!! The flavor is so savory, and an easy recipe to put together. I have been wanting to make it for a while and finally did. I love it! Thank you for sharing it!
Kelly Roenicke
So glad you liked it, thank you for letting me know!
Janis Hager
Do I need to double the recipe if I want to have enough for a13 x 9 pan?
Jan
Can I freeze this before I cook?
Casey Stephan
How long should I let the casserole thaw out before reheating and what are the reheating instructions?
Kelly Roenicke
Reheat at 350 degrees F, until the casserole reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. I suggest freezing individual portions, so that the thaw time is less, but this article has tips on freezing and reheating entire casseroles: https://www.southernliving.com/food/dish/casserole/how-to-defrost-reheat-casserole-mistakes
Sarah
I was looking for a dairy free chicken casserole recipe similar to the Campbells soup recipes I remember making in the past. Your recipe fit the bill, it was delicious. My children loved it and had big helpings and my husband said it was the best. I will def make this recipe again. thank you
Kelly Roenicke
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
Heather Willins
Would you recommend cooking this in a slow cooker?
Kelsey V
Is the chicken cooked before putting into the casserole dish or is it cooked while in the casserole dish?
Kelly Roenicke
No, it will cook in the oven!
Mary
Yummy! I found this to be an easy, delicious, and very adaptable dish. I didn’t have as much leftover chicken as the recipe called for, but I added some frozen peas and a few tblsps of salsa sauce and it turned out perfectly. I baked it an 8×8 pyrex dish and it was done in 45 min. right on the dot. Excellent recipe!
Bree
The taste of this was absolutley delicious! My only problem was that the rice turned out mushy. Other than that, was very good!
Darryl
I loved this casserole! Leftovers were delicious.