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Shredded Barbecue Chicken Casserole

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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 with spoon.

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.

Canned black beans, jar of barbecue sauce, shredded chicken in a bowl, grated cheese, chopped yellow onion, and green onion on a wood counter.

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.
Steps to make casserole: shredded chicken and black bean mixture in casserole dish, grated cheese sprinkled on top, crushed tortilla chips sprinkled on top of cheese, then foil covering the dish.

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.

  1. 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.
  2. Cook The Rice – Use a rice cooker or stovetop to cook the wild rice.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

shredded barbecue chicken casserole with a spoon inside a staub casserole dish.

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.

Close up of shredded barbecue chicken casserole with a spoon in it.

More Casserole Recipes

Did you love this shredded barbecue chicken casserole? Be sure to leave a rating below!

Shredded Barbecue Chicken Casserole Recipe

4.50 from 6 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

How To Make Shredded Chicken:

  • Add 3 chicken breasts to a frying pan along with 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce to let simmer for 10-20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through. Season with salt and pepper.
    raw chicken in a frying pan
  • Chicken will be done when it reaches 165°F internal temperature when poked with a meat thermometer.
    cooked poached chicken in a fyring pan
  • Add the cooked chicken to a large bowl. Rip into a few smaller pieces. Use a hand mixer on lowest setting to help shred the chicken.
    Alternatively, you can shred the chicken with your fingers, or use two forks.
    chopped chicken in a steel bowl, then it's shredded with a hand mixer in same bowl

Casserole Assembly:

  • Cook 1 cup of uncooked rice according to package instructions. I used a rice cooker. You can also cook on the stove.
  • Crush 1 cup worth of tortilla chips with the back of a spoon or masher.
    crushed tortilla chips in a blue bowl with wood masher beside it.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add cooked shredded chicken, 2 cups cooked rice, black beans, frozen corn, yellow onion, and green onions to a large bowl.
  • Drizzle the barbecue sauce over top.
  • Mix together throughly with a large spoon.
  • Pour the shredded chicken mixture into a casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top, followed by crushed tortilla chips. Cover loosely with foil.
    Bake for 25-30 minutes, removing foil during the last 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.
    Four steps in casserole dish: shredded chicken mixture in casserole dish, sprinkled cheese on top, crushed tortillas on top, casseroled dish covered with foil
  • Use a spoon to toss and mix the casserole together (this part is optional), or just serve as-is with taco cheese topping on top.
    shredded barbecue chicken casserole with spoon on side

Recipe Notes:

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in airtight container for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months. 
Shredded rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked chicken can be used in replacement. You will need about 4-5 cups worth to make the casserole. 

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 533mg | Potassium: 436mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 243IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.

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