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From-Scratch Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish
A comforting chicken and wild rice hotdish baked until bubbly and topped with a crispy cracker layer.
45 minutes,   8 servings
recipe image
Ingredients
½ cup Uncooked wild rice
1 Bay leaf
6 Tbsp Salted butter
2 Leeks, diced (white and light green parts only)
3 stalks Celery, diced
3 Tbsp All-purpose flour
1 cup Milk
1 cup Heavy cream
¾ cup Chicken stock
¾ tsp Dried thyme
¼ tsp Grated nutmeg
2 cups Cooked chicken, roughly chopped
1½ cups Shredded gouda or cheddar cheese
1½ cups Coarsely smashed Ritz crackers
2 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
to taste Freshly ground black pepper
to taste Salt
Preparation
1. Rinse uncooked wild rice (½ cup) thoroughly under cold water. Soak briefly, pour off floating bits, and drain. Place rice in a small saucepan with 1¼ cups water, a pinch of salt, and the bay leaf (1). Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 25 minutes until tender and water is absorbed. Drain if needed and discard bay leaf.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
3. In a large high-sided skillet, melt salted butter (6 Tbsp) over medium heat.
4. Add diced leeks (2) and diced celery (3 stalks); season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in all-purpose flour (3 Tbsp) into the vegetables.
6. Whisk in milk (1 cup) and bring to a simmer, preventing lumps.
7. Add heavy cream (1 cup), chicken stock (¾ cup), dried thyme (¾ tsp), grated nutmeg (¼ tsp), and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes until the floury taste is gone.  © FirstPageRecipes.com
8. Add cooked chicken (2 cups), cooked rice, and half the shredded cheese (¾ cup) to the skillet. Stir until cheese melts.
9. Place Ritz crackers (1½ cups) in a plastic bag, and gently crush (large chunks, we don't want to make powder). Add a few twists of fresh ground black pepper and extra-virgin olive oil (2 Tbsp); shake to combine.
10. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter. Pour the chicken mixture into the dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese (¾ cup).
11. Bake for 25 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven, sprinkle cracker topping over the dish, and bake for another 15–20 minutes, until crackers are golden and the center is bubbly.

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From-Scratch Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish. Recipe on first page, not a blog.