Buffalo Chicken and Rice Casserole
Dec 12, 2022, Updated Jul 25, 2024
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Basic chicken and rice get a major upgrade with this Buffalo Chicken and Rice Casserole! Cream cheese and buffalo wing sauce add a ton of flavor to this crowd-pleasing casserole, topped with blue cheese and sliced green onion.
Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
Okay, so I love plain chicken and rice, without any bells and whistles. There’s nothing like a big helping of buttery rice cooked in the broth of a whole chicken, with tender bites of shredded chicken mixed in. Comfort food? Definitely.
But, sometimes you just need to spice things up, and when a craving for spicy food hits, there’s nothing better than buffalo chicken.
This recipe combines the best of both worlds. Simple shredded chicken meets toasted rice, and both are combined with cream cheese and spicy buffalo wing sauce. This is a delicious weeknight meal that tastes like your favorite appetizer but packs in more nourishment and less mess. Crumbles of blue cheese, sliced green onion, and cool sour cream top things off to perfection.
What You’ll Need
This easy buffalo chicken and rice casserole is made with a list of pantry ingredients. I’ve also included notes about possible substitutions. For the full amounts and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Olive Oil: For sauteing. You can use any neutral cooking oil you like.
- Onion, Carrots, and Celery: I use a yellow onion, but a white onion works just as well. The combination of veggies gives the rice a boost of aroma, flavor, and nutrition.
- Garlic: Mince or press a few cloves of fresh garlic. If fresh garlic is not available, garlic powder can be used.
- Salt and Black Pepper: To enhance all the flavors.
- Rice: White long-grain rice is the star of this dish! Make sure not to use another type of rice or the liquid ratio and time may not work.
- Cream Cheese: Soften the cream cheese before adding it to the casserole, that way, it will be easy to stir in without working through lumps.
- Broth: Low-sodium chicken broth is my go-to, but you could also use homemade broth, vegetable broth, or regular chicken broth.
- Chicken: You will need shredded, cooked chicken to make this dish, not raw chicken.
- Buffalo Sauce: I use Frank’s Red Hot Sauce brand. Make sure to get buffalo wing sauce, not just hot sauce. Buffalo sauce is milder and has a lighter color than plain hot sauce.
- Cheese: This casserole is topped with shredded white cheddar cheese. Regular orange cheddar is fine, too.
- Toppings: Sliced green onions, blue cheese crumbles (or feta crumbles), and sour cream take this dish to another level.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken and Rice Casserole
To assemble this rice casserole, you’ll start with a quick sauté on the stovetop and then finish it off in the oven. Here are the steps:
- Saute the veggies and the rice. First, preheat your oven to 400˚F. Next, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until they have softened. Stir in the garlic, sprinkle in some salt and pepper, and then add the rice. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes to toast the rice a bit.
- Combine the ingredients in a baking dish. Next, spoon the rice mixture into a large (9×13) baking dish. Stir the cream cheese into the hot rice, and then stir in the chicken broth, buffalo sauce, and shredded chicken.
- Bake. Cover with foil, and place it in the preheated oven to bake for about 40 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Top with cheese. Once the rice is cooked through, remove the foil, and give the casserole another stir. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the top and bake it for about 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Enjoy! Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before topping it with green onions, bleu cheese crumbles, and sour cream. Serve warm.
Recipe Tips
As you can see, this chicken and rice casserole is super easy to pull together, and it’s mostly hands-off. These helpful tips will make it even easier!
- Minimize the Prep: To cut down on your prep time even more, buy pre-chopped veggies from the produce section instead of peeling and chopping your own.
- Chicken Options: Go for leftover shredded chicken, or make a fresh batch with my easy tutorial on How to Boil Chicken Breasts. Or, for maximum convenience, grab a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat – it only takes a minute or two.
- Cheese Options: There are a lot of cheeses going on here, and all of them can be swapped as needed. For instance, you can use full-fat or low-fat cream cheese – either one will work. But the full-fat cream cheese will give the dish a slightly better taste and texture. For the melted cheese on top, go with your favorite melting cheese, like cheddar, Colby, or Monterey jack. And, when it comes to the blue cheese crumbles? Add them on, leave them out, or serve them on the side so everyone can customize their serving!
Serving Suggestions
A buffalo chicken and rice casserole goes great with almost any fresh veggie side. Aside from Buffalo Chicken recipes, we also love fresh corn! This easy, buttery Air Fryer Corn on the Cob will bring smiles to your table, guaranteed.
A nice fresh salad can also fill the bill for a cool, crunchy side. Bored of your typical garden salad? Try this Cabbage Cucumber Salad or my fabulous La Scala Chopped Salad instead! It’s super crunchy and features a flavorful homemade vinaigrette.
Making a whole sheet pan of roasted veggies is so easy – and you don’t have to limit yourself to potatoes and carrots! Try this recipe for Roasted Green Beans with Squash and Tomatoes, and I think you’ll agree.
Storing and Reheating
To store this chicken and rice casserole, cover it well (plastic wrap or foil works great) and stick it in your refrigerator. It should keep for about 4 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in your fridge overnight before reheating and serving.
To reheat, place the desired amount in the microwave and heat it for about 30 seconds, stirring after each increment. You can also heat it in a covered skillet over low heat. If the casserole seems dry, add a tiny bit of milk to moisten it as it heats.
FAQs
Buffalo chicken is named after the city of Buffalo, New York, where the first buffalo wings originated. Coated in a spicy hot sauce with butter and Worcestershire, ordinary old chicken wings were transformed into something spectacular, and have become an American favorite.
These days, all kinds of dishes are made with a “buffalo” twist: Crispy Air Fryer Buffalo Shrimp, Shredded Buffalo Chicken Tacos, and party-friendly Buffalo Chicken Dip, just for starters!
For some recipes, you do need to cook the rice before you add it to a casserole. Other recipes require special par-cooked rice, such as instant rice. This one is simple – just use plain, long-grain white rice, and don’t worry about cooking it beforehand. Easy peasy!
More Flavorful Chicken Recipes
- Piri Piri Chicken (Nando’s Chicken)
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Caprese Chicken Nachos
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
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Buffalo Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced or thinly sliced
- 1 stalk celery, diced or thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1½ cups white long grain rice
- 1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound shredded cooked chicken
- ¾ cups Buffalo sauce, I use Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- 1½ cups shredded white cheddar cheese
- sliced green onions, blue cheese crumbles, and sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Saute the veggies. Heat olive oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until softened. Stir frequently. Stir in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
- Toast the rice. Add the rice and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly toasted, stirring frequently.
- Assemble. Transfer the rice mixture to a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Stir in the cream cheese until well incorporated. To the baking dish, add the chicken broth, shredded chicken, and buffalo sauce; stir to combine.
- Bake. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the rice is tender. Remove the foil and stir the casserole.
- Finish. Top with the shredded cheddar cheese and continue to bake, uncovered, for about 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve. Top with green onions, bleu cheese crumbles, and sour cream, and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- Rice: Make sure to use long grain white rice; not minute rice or brown rice because, the cooking time and liquid ratio will not work for those two.
- Chicken: I usually use rotisserie chicken for this casserole, but you can definitely use leftover chicken breasts or even chicken thighs. Just shred them or dice them small before using.
- Buffalo Sauce: I use the Frank’s Red Hot Sauce brand. I suggest to use buffalo wing sauce, not plain hot sauce, because buffalo sauce is milder, tangier, and has a lighter color than hot sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
My casserole turned out great. Rice cooked perfectly – no soupiness. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m thrilled to hear your casserole turned out so well! Perfectly cooked rice is always a win. Thank YOU! 🙂 Enjoy!
I’m thrilled to hear your casserole turned out so well! Perfectly cooked rice is always a win. Thank YOU! 🙂 Enjoy!
I wanted to come here to say this was amazing! I was a little nervous when I read the comments. But the rice was perfect, it wasn’t soupy at all. I used jasmine rice because it was what I had. So yummy!
It’s great to hear it turned out well, especially with jasmine rice! Trying it despite the comments paid off. Thanks for sharing your success! 🙂
We loved this recipe! I used minute rice & added half the broth to the pan that had the rice & veggies in it to let it sit while i got the other ingredients ready. The rice came out perfect! We will definitely make it again
That’s great! I am very glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Recipe was delicious, however, the rice was no where near done. Next time I will cook the rice first and add it to the mixture.
How can I add a can of tomatoes to this? Everyone loves tomatoes in everything!
Thanks
Rosie
Yes, you’re right; I also love tomatoes in everything! 😄 Stir them in with the chicken broth, shredded chicken, and buffalo sauce, under step #8.
This recipe is terrible and very misleading. I should have known better to not try and cook the rice this way. Cooked for the time needed and rice was still crispy and whole dish full of broth. And no, there’s nothing wrong with my oven as I saw the author tell someone else. Won’t try anything from this site again, wish I could get my money back on all the ingredients I wasted.
This did not work for me. This would have been fine had the rice been cooked separately and then added to the casserole to bake. But adding it uncooked was a disaster. It baked in the oven for over 3 hours, and the rice still was not done. I added more water to see if that would help, and it didn’t. I had to throw the entire thing out because the rice was still hard. I definitely recommend cooking the rice before stirring it into everything else.
You cooked the casserole for over 3 hours, and it still wasn’t cooked?! Maybe the problem is with the oven and not the recipe.