Buffalo Chicken Casserole (Chicken and Rice Recipe)
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One-Pan Buffalo Chicken Casserole – A zesty skillet chicken recipe loaded with cheesy rice, buffalo sauce, and blue cheese!
Buffalo Chicken Recipes
Buffalo Chicken.
These are two words that fill my family’s heart with joy.
If I incorporate chicken and buffalo sauce in any kind of recipe, they will come running to the kitchen in a short time.
Today’s recipe, Buffalo Chicken and Rice Skillet, combines our family’s beloved dynamic duo of ingredients with my personal childhood comfort food, chicken and rice.
Chicken and rice is a simple dish my mom made regularly. An old-school one-pot hero!
Mom would slow-cook a whole chicken with onions, celery, and carrots, then add in the rice to cook the last hour or so.
When she pulled out the chicken the meat would be so tender it would fall off the bones, making it easy to fold into the rice.
Spiced Up Chicken and Rice
In this Buffalo Chicken Casserole, I’ve made a quickie version of my mom’s recipe, adding buffalo sauce to the broth to cook the rice.
Then at the end, I stir in shredded cheddar, blue cheese crumbles, and some chopped green onion.
Simple, right?
Yet you will be amazed at the praise this dish receives… And the battle over the last few scoops of rice in the skillet.
Buffalo Chicken and Rice Casserole not only makes a cozy dinner, but it is also a fabulous leftover to pack in school or work lunch boxes.
Try it with brown rice, or alternative cheeses as well!
Buffalo Chicken Casserole Ingredients
- Boneless Chicken Breast
- Butter
- Chopped Onions
- Chopped Celery
- Long Grain Rice – (a type of white rice)
- Frank’s RedHot Sauce
- Water or Chicken Broth
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Crumbled Blue Cheese
- Chopped Green Onions
How to Make Our Buffalo Chicken and Rice Recipe
Instructions…
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and chop all the vegetables.
- Heat butter on the stovetop, in a large skillet, on medium-high heat. Then add in the chopped onions and celery. Saute them for 3 to 5 minutes or until they are soft.
- Add in the chicken, rice, hot sauce, chicken broth/water, and a little salt (about a teaspoon salt).
- Stir it all together and then put the lid on top and allow it to come to a boil. Then lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the broth has been absorbed and you can see air vent holes in the top of the rice.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and then stir in the cheddar cheese, blue cheese, and green onions. Add salt and pepper to your flavor preferences.
- Garnish and serve in a bowl.
See The Recipe Card Below For How To Make Buffalo Chicken and Rice Casserole. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
What could I use to replace the blue cheese?
You can swap the blue cheese with chevre (goat cheese) or simply omit it.
How can I best work brown rice into the recipe in place of the long grain?
Try stirring the chicken pieces in 30 minutes after you start cooking the rice. In most cases, brown rice takes 45 to 60 minutes to cook.
How long does this recipe last?
The leftover chicken casserole should be stored in an airtight container, and can last in your refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. You can reheat the leftovers in the microwave, on the stovetop, or even bake it in the oven for a few minutes. I would not suggest storing this dish in the freezer. The thawing process would change the consistency.
Why did my rice take so much longer to cook?
There are many types of rice you could use in this recipe and each one has a different cooking time. Regular long-grain rice should only take about 15 minutes to cook. Yet there are other types of rice that could have a longer cooking time.
More One-Pan Easy Dinner Recipes
- Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Skillet Recipe
- Skinny Chicken A La King Recipe
- Skillet Shrimp Fra Diavolo Recipe
- Creamy Chicken Chimichurri Skillet Recipe
- Tuscan-Style Beef Cassoulet
- American Goulash with Mushrooms
- Chicken Cacciatore with tender chicken thighs
- Chicken Pasta with light Basil Creamy Sauce
Check the printable recipe card below for nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, fiber, vitamin c, and calcium percentages.
Buffalo Chicken Casserole (Chicken and Rice Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
- 1/2 cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce
- 2 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch bite-size pieces. Chop all the vegetables.
- Place the butter in a large skillet or sauté pan, with a lid. Set over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and celery. Sauté for 3-5 minutes to soften.
- Add the chicken pieces, rice, hot sauce, broth, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir, then cover the skillet. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the broth has absorbed and there are air vent holes in the top of the rice.
- Fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the cheddar, blue cheese, and green onions. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
Video
Nutrition
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We didn’t use the cheese and it was Amazing!! Will be a new staple in our house for sure!!
Yup! This is my family’s favorite dish! And it’s soooooo easy!!! I can not thank you enough for this recipe! Any other recommendations for one skillet meals w so much flavor and so few ingredients?
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I’ve made this so many times. Definitely a favorite!
I have made this twice now and it is a family favorite. Everyone gets excited for dinner when I tell them that I am making Buffalo chicken and rice! I substitute our local pizza shop’s wing sauce or Wild Wings Medium wing sauce for the Frank’s. Not everyone is a fan of blue cheese in my house, so I just sprinkle cheddar on at the end and put the lid back on for a few minutes to let it melt. I also serve it with a little more wing sauce and our favorite blue cheese dressing for drizzling! I have also left out the celery and onions in a hurry, but it is so good with that extra step!
Wow wow wow. This is going to be my new go-to rice dish. I’m in love. I only had 1/4c buffalo sauce on hand, but it was perfectly spicy and delicious. My mom loved it as well. I also used vegetarian chicken strips that I had in the fridge and they worked great. I would recommend this recipe to everyone.
Just made this and it was delicious! Ironically, I do not like Buffalo sauce but have found I like it in certain things such as Mellow Mushroom’s Buffalo Chicken pizza. This is definitely a recipe that the Buffalo sauce gives it just enough flavor and kick to be very tasty. I cooked the onions and celery a little longer as my family is not huge fans of onions or celery. I also used mostly chicken broth with about 1/2 cup of it being water. This is a great one-pan recipe that cooks on the stove top. You can have all the ingredients cut up and measured the night before so when you come home from work it only takes about 30 minutes to prepare. Definitely going in the keeper recipe box!
I love how flavorful this is! Adding this to our menu for next week!
So easy to make and the flavors are spot on! This will definitely be a new go-to for dinner!
This is one of our go-to family dinners. It’s easy, filling, and delicious. Thank you!!!
What could I use to replace the blue cheese?
Hi Nikki,
You can swap the blue cheese with chevre (goat cheese) or simply omit it. :)
Hello, I cannot seem to get the broth to simmer so it’s very liquidy I have no clue what I did wrong.
Sounds delicious and just what I was looking for. I only have brown rice which has much longer cook time. Suggestion on how I can best work it into the recipe in place of the long grain?
Hi Michelle,
Try stirring the chicken piece in 30 minutes through cooking the rice. In most cases, brown rice take 45-60 minutes to cook.
Also this meal is super easy for busy weeknights & reheats nicely. I make a double batch so there are plenty of leftovers for easy tasty lunches. We are a family of 4 – mom, dad, 18 yr old son who’s 6’3” & an 11 yr old girl who is in too many sports & is currently eating us out of house & home.
My family is huge on buffalo wing so they LOVED this meal! It’s now on our go-to meals rotation. Made just as written with the exception of adding extra franks buffalo sauce
This was a great recipe! I adjusted it a bit by only adding one cup of rice and 2 1/4 cups of broth/water. It took about 20 minutes to cook. I also used franks wing sauce instead which was also tasty. Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe!
Delicious! Thanks for sharing, made this for my family, 2 toddlers under age of 3 and they all loved it! Cut down the buffalo sauce to about 1/3 a cup. Will be incorporating this meal into our weekly meal rotations! Thanks!
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Such a fantastic dish! I can’t wait to try it!
WOW! What a yummy dish! Thanks!
A great weeknight meal with lots of good flavor. Thanks for a new go-to recipe!
This looks soooo good! This is quick and easy for my family, and its full of protein!
Love this recipe! It’s like chicken wings, but without the messy fingers. :)
Has anyone ever tried making this with cauliflower rice?
Used pre-cooked shredded chicken and added it when there was about 8 minutes left. Also had to add about 2 more cups of water to get to the point where the rice was cooked.
This delicious, but it took a lot longer than 15 mins. to cook the rice. It took double that.
Hi Deborah,
So glad you liked it! However, is it possible you used a different variety of rice? Regular long grain rice should only take 15 minutes to cook, 20 tops.
Depends on what altitude you’re at! I love met 8500 feet and rice is an average 40 minute cook time
Do you think this could be made in a rice cooker?
Hi Robin,
I’ve never tried that. If you happen to give it a go, please report back! :)
The chicken goes in raw and cooks with rice?
Hi Kelly,
You got it. Happy Cookings!