Old Fashioned Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

This old fashioned chicken and rice casserole recipe is a comfort food from the 1940s that is perfect for your leftover chicken and rice. The 1940s had more simpler recipes as WW2 was happening and meals had to be stretched as people were living off rations.

I still recognize the importance of simple recipes with minimal ingredients as even now in our economy many are struggling and I believe we need recipes like these.   

Sometimes it is hard to figure out what to do with your leftovers the next day as a lot of people don't like to eat the same dish or don't have recipes showing how to use leftovers. There is no need for waste so here is a recipe that will come in handy!

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You can turn your rice and chicken into an old fashioned chicken and rice casserole. This recipe is very simple and so are the flavors because during this time less ingredients were being used.

You can use leftovers from a whole chicken, chicken breasts, leftover thighs, drum sticks or leftovers from a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. 

I tried to stay true to this recipe and was honestly pleased with the result. There are a lot of these chicken and rice casseroles that have cheese added or canned soups. I however stuck to this recipe as closely as possible and I like the simplicity of it anyways.

The only changes I did make was cooking it longer as the cooking time was way off...by a whole 40 minutes. I also added some minced garlic cloves, diced onion, dried parsley and paprika for a bit more flavor. These are optional add ins, so you can stick to the original recipe if you'd like, though it will be quite plain in flavor.

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• Why you'll love this old fashioned chicken and rice casserole
• Variations for this old-fashioned recipe
• What to serve with this old-fashioned chicken and rice casserole
• Ingredients
• How do you make chicken and rice casserole?
• Storage
• More Simple Recipes
• Old Fashioned Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

Why you'll love this old fashioned chicken and rice casserole

• It takes you back in time
• It uses up leftovers and gives you a whole new meal for the next day
• It is very filling
• It is simple to make with simple ingredients
• Re-heats wonderfully the next day
• It is frugal to make
• Perfect for beginner cooks

Variations for this old-fashioned recipe

Its so simple that you can easily add your own creativity to it 

• Try adding some finely diced celery
• Add some shredded cheese on top after its almost finished baking
• Add some herbs and your favorite spices
• You can also add some heat with a bit of hot sauce
• Use onion powder and garlic powder if you don't have onions or fresh garlic

What to serve with this old-fashioned chicken and rice casserole

It is pretty filling and already includes rice, milk, eggs and chicken therefore the sides I would serve with this would include:

• A salad
• Vegetables, either fresh, steamed, boiled or roasted

Ingredients

• Leftover rice (white rice)- I used jasmine rice as its my families favorite kind.
• Whole milk- The milk absorbs into the rice when cooked and adds a more delicate texture to the rice.
• Butter (melted)- Adds more flavor to the recipe and you can use salted or unsalted.
• Large eggs- The eggs bind this recipe together so it doesn't fall apart, you can slice this like pie and serve it without it falling apart.
• Finely diced chicken- I used the leftover breasts from the whole chicken that we made the night before but you can use a mixture of dark and white meat. I like serving the darker meat for meals as there's more flavor. I keep the breasts for making soups, chicken sandwiches or leftover chicken recipes like this one.
• Finely diced onion- I used a yellow onion for some extra flavor. (This is optional)
• Minced garlic cloves- The garlic adds more flavor and mixes well with the added onion. (optional)
• Salt and black pepper to taste- Adds flavor to this simple recipe.
• Dried Parsley (optional)- Adds colour, it rises to the top of the casserole when baking and makes this casserole look more aesthetically pleasing.
• Paprika (optional)- I added a touch of paprika for some added flavor.
• Spices- You can add spices of your choice to make this a more flavorful dish.

See recipe card below for quantities.

How do you make chicken and rice casserole?

Storage

• Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container or wrap the pie pan with cling wrap.
• Re-heat it in the microwave or in the oven at 350 until heated through to at least 165 f. 

More Simple Recipes

Looking for other simple recipes like this? Try these: