Pesto Chicken & Rice Casserole
After a long day of work, I live for dinner recipes that I can whip up, throw in the oven, and not have to worry about it. This recipe is perfect for that. As you’ll see from the ingredients, I used pre-cooked chicken, frozen veggies in steamable bags, pre-made pesto, rice, sour cream, and chicken broth…and some ritz crackers on top! It couldn’t get more simple than that! To top it all off: it only takes 15 minutes in the oven! This recipe can also easily be made dairy free by using dairy free sour cream.
Now, if you wanted to get fancy and had the time on your hands….you could get fresh veggies and throw them in a saute pan. You could even make your own pesto! I love this recipe because it is easy to switch up the ingredients depending on what you have on hand: cut up chicken breast instead of shredded chicken or maybe you only have frozen peas and frozen broccoli…the recipe will still be delicious and you’ve saved a trip to the store! I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do…and the best news: it is perfectly, delicious reheated for leftovers!
Pesto Chicken & Rice Casserole
Course: DinnerDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes15
minutesA chicken and rice casserole variation with delicious pesto! This recipe comes together within 30 minutes and makes delicious leftovers.
Ingredients
3 cups shredded chicken
½ cup pesto
10 oz frozen mixed veggies (steamables)
10 oz frozen broccoli florets (steamables)
½ cup chicken broth
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup sour cream
12-14 Ritz crackers
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together your shredded chicken and pesto. The chicken should be room temp, so make sure to take it out our the fridge about 10 minutes before you start this meal (if it is still cold, it may take longer in the oven to heat up and the casserole could become dry if cooked longer than 15-18 minutes)
- Cook your steamable bags of veggies in the microwave according to package directions. Add to your large mixing bowl with chicken. (If you don’t have steamable bags, you can cook the veggies according to package on the stove until warm. Just make sure to drain the water before adding to the bowl)
- Add cooked rice and sour cream to bowl and mix altogether. Add chicken broth and mix.
- Put chicken and rice mixture into a casserole dish (Use either a 9×9 or 11×8).
- Crush up ritz crackers and sprinkle over the top of casserole.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes. Feel free to add a few more crushed crackers on top of your own individual serving and enjoy!
Notes
- You can also use cut up chicken breast if you cannot find pre-made shredded chicken.
- I use frozen rice bags and heat them up before I add them! It is usually about 1.5 bags to get to 3 cups.
- I think the flavoring is powerful enough with the pesto, but feel free to add spices such as pepper, salt, or garlic powder.
- Make this recipe dairy free by using dairy free sour cream!
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