Dairy-Free Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
A dairy-free chicken and rice casserole with seared chicken and browned mushrooms in a cashew-cream sauce, finished under crispy buttered panko.
Recipe by Andrew Tibbs, the Non Dairy Dude in Dairy-Free Dinner Recipes
Published · Updated
- Total
- 1h 30m
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- medium
This is the casserole I used to make with a can of cream of chicken soup and a stick of butter. When I cut dairy, that shortcut was out. A few rounds later, I landed on a from-scratch sauce made with dairy-free butter, broth, flour, and all-purpose dairy-free cashew cream that actually tastes better than the original. Richer flavor, no mystery ingredients on the label.
The canned soup was doing more than it looked like: it is mostly salt and savory depth, and taking it out leaves a flat casserole unless something replaces it. Here that job goes to chicken seared in the same pan the sauce is built in, cremini mushrooms browned until the pan goes dark, and a spoonful of miso and bouillon in the sauce. Dijon and lemon keep it bright, and the vegetables are cut big enough to still have some bite. Peas go in at the end so they stay green. The panko topping, tossed in melted dairy-free butter, bakes up crunchy in a way that a breadcrumb layer has no business being that good. Optional dairy-free parmesan-style topping adds a little extra salt and depth if you want it.
This feeds a crowd and reheats well. Serve it alongside a simple salad, or pair it with a dairy-free chicken pot pie on a night when you're doing a full comfort-food spread. Leftovers keep in the fridge for four days and reheat in the oven at 325 covered with foil. If you're building out your weeknight casserole rotation, dairy-free shepherd's pie is worth bookmarking next.
This recipe uses: All-Purpose Dairy-Free Cashew Cream
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1½ lbBoneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¾ tspFine salt, for the chicken
- ¼ tspFreshly ground black pepper, for the chicken
- 1 tbspOlive oil
Casserole
- 3 cupsCooked white or brown rice, cooled
Vegetables
- 8 ozCremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 tbspDairy-free butter, divided
- 1 mediumYellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 cupCarrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 ribsCelery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 3 clovesGarlic cloves, minced
Sauce
- 5 tbspAll-purpose flour
- 3 cupsLow-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tspBetter Than Bouillon roasted chicken base
- ¾ cupAll-purpose dairy-free cashew cream
- 1 tbspWhite miso
Seasoning
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 1½ tspFresh thyme leaves
- ½ tspDried rubbed sage
- ⅛ tspCayenne pepper
- ½ tspMSG (sold as Accent in most spice aisles)
- 1½ tspFine salt, plus more to taste
- ¾ tspFreshly ground black pepper
Finish
- 1 cupFrozen peas
- ¼ cupFresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tspFresh lemon juice
Topping
- ¾ cupPanko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbspDairy-free butter, melted
- 2 tbspDairy-free parmesan-style grated topping, optional
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or a deep 2 1/2- to 3-quart casserole dish.
- 2
Pat the chicken dry and season it with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in two batches so it browns instead of steaming, 5 to 7 minutes per batch, until browned and cooked through to 165 F. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Do not clean the pan; the browned bits are flavor for the sauce.
- 3
Add 1 tablespoon of the dairy-free butter and the mushrooms to the same pan. Let them sit undisturbed for 3 minutes, then stir and keep cooking for 5 to 6 minutes more, until deeply browned and the liquid they release has cooked off.
- 4
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the onion, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion is browned at the edges and the carrots still have some bite. They finish cooking in the oven.
- 5
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes, until no dry patches remain.
- 6
Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, starting with about 1/2 cup and whisking smooth before adding more, and scrape up the browned bits as you go. Stir in the Better Than Bouillon. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until the sauce lightly coats a spoon. It should still be pourable, not thick.
- 7
Reduce the heat to low. Whisk the miso with a ladleful of the hot sauce in a small bowl until smooth, then stir it back in along with the cashew cream, Dijon, thyme, sage, cayenne, MSG, remaining salt, and pepper. Simmer gently for 2 minutes without letting it boil hard. Taste it: it should taste a little too salty on its own, because the rice will absorb a lot of it.
- 8
Add the cooked rice to the bowl with the chicken and break up any clumps. Pour the sauce over it, add the peas, parsley, and lemon juice, and fold until everything is coated. It should look saucier than you expect, since the rice keeps absorbing in the oven. Only if it looks stiff or pasty, stir in a splash more broth.
- 9
Spread the mixture into the prepared dish. In a small bowl, toss the panko with the melted dairy-free butter and the dairy-free parmesan-style topping if using. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole.
- 10
Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and the topping is golden. Everything is already cooked, so the oven only needs to heat it through and crisp the top.
- 11
Let the casserole rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
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How we make it dairy-free
- Condensed cream of chicken soup → Replaced with a homemade sauce of dairy-free butter, flour, chicken broth, and all-purpose dairy-free cashew cream. Browned mushrooms, seared chicken, miso, and bouillon cover the salt and savory depth the canned soup used to supply.
- Butter in the sauce → Dairy-free butter works one-for-one here. It builds the roux and adds richness without changing the method at all.
- Dairy butter on the topping → Melted dairy-free butter coats the panko and crisps it up just the same. Nothing to adjust.
- Parmesan topping → The recipe calls for dairy-free parmesan-style grated topping as optional. Skip it and the casserole is still fully seasoned. Add it if you want a little extra savory salt on top.
All-purpose dairy-free cashew cream is the only ingredient that requires prep ahead. Make a batch and keep it in the fridge for up to five days.
Tips & Variations
Use cooked rice: This recipe is built for cooked rice because it gives the most reliable texture. Raw-rice casseroles depend heavily on dish size, oven behavior, rice variety, and sauce quantity.
Day-old rice works well: Leftover rice holds its shape and absorbs sauce without turning mushy. Break up clumps before mixing.
Thighs forgive, breasts do not: Thighs stay juicy through the sear and the bake. Breasts work, but pull them the moment they hit 165 F, because they cook a second time in the oven.
Let the mushrooms brown: Leave them alone for the first few minutes. Stirring early steams them, and the browning is where most of this casserole's savory flavor comes from.
Check the bouillon label: Better Than Bouillon is the easy option, but some bouillon products contain whey or milk solids, so read the ingredients on whatever brand you buy.
Do not boil the cashew cream hard: Cashew cream thickens quickly over high heat. Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer once it goes in.
Season before baking: Rice absorbs flavor aggressively. The mixture should taste slightly more seasoned than you think before it goes into the oven.
Reheating: Reheat covered at 325 F with a splash of broth if the rice has absorbed too much sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use rotisserie chicken in this casserole?⌄
Yes. Use about 3 cups of shredded meat, skip the searing step and the salt for the chicken, and start by browning the mushrooms in the olive oil. You lose the browned bits from the chicken, so the sauce comes out a little less savory. Check the label, since some rotisserie seasoning blends contain milk.
Can I make this casserole ahead of time?⌄
Make the chicken and sauce up to 24 hours ahead, but keep them separate from the rice. If the rice sits in the sauce overnight it absorbs nearly all of it and the casserole bakes up dry. Combine everything the next day, add the panko, and bake, adding five to ten minutes since it is going in cold.
What kind of rice works best?⌄
Cooked white rice gives a softer, creamier result. Cooked brown rice holds up a little firmer and has a nuttier flavor. Both work. The main thing is that the rice should be fully cooked and cooled slightly before it goes in, not freshly steamed and still steaming hot.
Can I make this gluten-free?⌄
Use a one-for-one gluten-free flour blend in the sauce roux, and swap the panko for a gluten-free breadcrumb. Check that your broth, bouillon, and miso are labeled gluten-free as well, since some miso is made with barley.
Dairy-Free Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole · https://nondairydude.com/recipes/dairy-free-creamy-chicken-and-rice-casserole
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