Shredded barbecue chicken casserole is made with chicken, wild rice, beans, corn, cheese and crushed tortilla chips. The casserole is then mixed with barbecue sauce to create a fast and easy flavorful meal.
Shredded Barbecue Chicken Casserole
I love this recipe because it’s uncomplicated and makes a large serving – enough to feed most families for two nights.
For this recipe, you’ll need shredded chicken and cooked wild rice. You can cook your own chicken breasts and shred them yourself (I have instructions below), or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken and shred with a fork. Wild rice can be made in a rice cooker to save time.
All ingredients are mixed together with barbecue sauce and baked in a casserole dish. My husband loves this recipe. I love how easy and affordable it is. Leftovers make a great lunch.
Recipe Ingredients
- CHICKEN: I used 3 large chicken breasts which equaled about 5 cups of shredded chicken. You can also use a rotisserie chicken, or store-bought shredded chicken to help save time.
- BARBECUE SAUCE: Use your favorite barbecue sauce for this recipe! I love Stubbs.
- BLACK BEANS: I used canned black beans, drained and rinsed.
- FROZEN CORN: You can use canned corn or frozen corn for the recipe.
- ONION: I used a medium-sized yellow onion. White onions will also work.
- GREEN ONION: Use kitchen scissors to cut the green onions into small pieces.
- CHEESE: You can use cheddar cheese, mozzarella, marble or any other cheese you’d like.
- TORTILLA CHIPS: These add the perfect crunch. You can also use crushed crackers.
How To Make Shredded Barbecue Chicken Casserole
First, the chicken and rice are cooked. Then the casserole is assembled and baked.
Here’s an overview of how to make it with the full recipe instructions at the bottom of this post.
- Shredded Chicken – You can use store-bought shredded chicken, a rotisserie chicken, or cook chicken breasts and then shred them yourself. See my easy tutorial in the recipe card below.
- Cook The Rice – Use a rice cooker or stovetop to cook the wild rice.
- Mix Together – Add chicken, rice, black beans, onion, corn and green onions to a large bowl. Drizzle barbecue sauce over top and mix everything together.
- Assemble The Casserole – Pour the chicken mixture into a casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese and crush tortilla chips over top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake, removing foil in last 10 minutes.
- Serving – Let the casserole cool, then use a spoon to break up pieces and toss everything together. Serve and enjoy!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, or frozen for up to 6 months. To thaw, defrost the casserole in the fridge overnight, then reheat in oven or microwave.
Recipe Tips
Use a Rotisserie Chicken To Save Time. If you’re short on time, grabbing a rotisserie chicken with minimal seasonings from the grocery store is a great solution. These only cost $10 and are easy to shred.
Poach The Chicken. If you’re cooking the chicken yourself, one of the easiest ways is to poach it. You can cook it in a frying pan with 2 inches of water, flipping halfway through.
Use Hand Mixer To Shred The Chicken. This is an easy hack to shred a large amount of chicken. First, place the chicken in a large bowl and cut into smaller chunks. Next, turn your hand mixer on the lowest setting and mix the chicken. This will shred your chicken as you go!
Substitute Wild Rice For Regular Rice. It’s easy to use any kind of cooked rice you want in this casserole dish. I’m a big fan of Lundberg wild rice for my recipes, but using brown or white rice will also work great.
More Casserole Recipes
- Beef Rice Cabbage Casserole is my husband’s favorite!
- Taco Salad Casserole is not only a delicious meal, but beautiful too!
- Hamburger Casserole has cheesy pasta noodles that are combined with ground beef and tomato sauce.
- Pizza Pasta Casserole is made with pasta, ground beef, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.
Did you love this shredded barbecue chicken casserole? Be sure to leave a rating below!
Ingredients
- 1 cooked rotisserie chicken - about 6 cups shredded chicken
- 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce
- 1 cup uncooked minute rice - or 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 cup black beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- ½ yellow onion - chopped
- 4 scallions - chopped, about 1 cup
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 9×11 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cut the rotisserie chicken to separate meat from bones and skin. Shred the meat into bite size pieces using two forks. You will need about 6 cups of shredded chicken for the recipe (it’s okay if it’s a little more or less).
- In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup uncooked minute rice with the 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce (It’s important for rice to be fully coated to properly cook).
- Add in the 6 cups shredded cooked chicken and mix until evenly coated.
- Now add 1 cup black beans, 1 cup frozen corn, 1 cup chopped yellow onion, and 1 cup chopped green onion to the bowl and mix together.
- Spread this mixture into an even layer in the casserole dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle 1 cup cheddar cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese over top. Bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.