This flavor-forward dish is a makeover of one of my husband’s childhood favorites, chicken curry casserole. I replaced the can of cream of mushroom soup and mayo with a creamy homemade sauce instead, and—my whole family agrees—the outcome does not disappoint!
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This one does require a little advance planning though—just be sure to cook your rice and chicken in advance so it doesn’t take very long to pull it together at dinner time. We also love this classic Chicken Casserole!
Chicken Curry Casserole
This flavor-forward dish is a makeover of one of my husband’s childhood favorites, chicken curry casserole. I replaced the can of cream of mushroom soup and mayo with a creamy homemade sauce instead, and—my whole family agrees—the outcome does not disappoint!
Print Recipe
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice (cooked according to the package directions)
- 1 pound broccoli (roughly chopped (5 or 6 cups) and steamed for about 5 minutes)
- 2 cups chicken (cooked, and shredded or diced)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (sharp, shredded)
- 4 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°
- Combine the cooked rice, broccoli, and chicken in the casserole dish and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and flour and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the flour begins to brown but doesn’t burn, whisking almost continuously.
- Whisk in the milk, watching for lumps, reduce heat and cook until it thickens. Stir in the sour cream, grated cheese, curry powder, salt, and pepper and stir until well combined. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the mixture is the consistency of gravy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour the sauce in the baking dish and mix thoroughly with the rice, broccoli, and chicken and spread it out evenly in the baking dish.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, and then turn it up to a high broil to brown the top for another couple minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Curry Casserole
Amount Per Serving
Calories 462
Calories from Fat 243
% Daily Value*
Fat 27g42%
Saturated Fat 15g94%
Cholesterol 82mg27%
Sodium 744mg32%
Potassium 495mg14%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 1235IU25%
Vitamin C 69.2mg84%
Calcium 396mg40%
Iron 1.7mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Tony says
Any idea on the nutritional values?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Tonya. We don't share nutrition information as we try to avoid getting caught up in numbers. This post helps explain: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.
Erin says
Hi there,
I am currently doing on own mini 21 days of real food and have enjoyed every recipe on this site so far. My question is can I substitute the sour cream for plain yogurt? The only reason I am asking it would save one less thing on my grocery list because I have lots of yogurt on hand. Has anyone tired this ?
Thanks
Char says
I saw on a previous comment that someone subbed Greek yogurt and it was "yummy" ;)
Christianna says
I'm planning to make this tonight but all I have is red curry paste and 'regular' curry powder. Can I substitute for the yellow?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Christianna. Sorry that we are rarely able to answer recipe questions in real time. How did it turn out?
Karla says
Can this be frozen? Meaning, make 2- 1 for now and 1 for later?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Absolutely!
Anne says
Can you use quinoa instead of rice?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Anne. Quinoa should work, too. Just be sure to cook it first. :)
Michelle says
This was delicious! I cooked my basmati rice in coconut milk, and used coconut milk for the sauce as well. Gave it a very full flavor. Thanks for a great, and fun, recipe to put together. From start to finish, took me 47 minutes including my cleanup!
Lisa says
I just made this last night and it was a hit. My son really liked it, but I believe my husband loved it as he had thirds!! LOL Personally, I felt it was a little salty, however I could have been a little heavy on the cheese. Oops! Always looking for good wholesome recipes! Thanks!
Amber says
This has just been added to my meal plan for next week. Looks D-lish!
christy says
I often times make the whole chicken in a crockpot , shred the chicken and freeze it. Do you think I could use the frozen , previously cooked chicken in this recipe? Would I just defrost the chicken the night before in the fridge then add it to the dish?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Christy. Yep, this recipe calls for cooked chicken. And yes, defrost it first.
Beverly says
We tried this tonight and it was a hit! My husband went back for seconds (that's always a good sign!) I did have to add more milk before mixing the sauce into the chicken, broccoli and rice. It was thicker than gravy and it needed to be thinned out a bit. But it was very tasty!
Elizabeth says
My husband, daughter, and I loved this! I used greek yogurt rather than sour cream. I prefer the mixture to be tiny bit more soupy, and so I added another 1/2 cup of milk. Was perfect and delicious! Thank you, Thank you for such yummy dishes!
SallyWhite says
This was amazing, we substituted in ground turkey for the chicken, and peas for the broccoli and we thought it was delish! Only other addition, we added hot sauce to each bowl individually later to give it a bit more kick based on personal preference. Overall, YUM! Super easy to make and was great as leftovers.
Lisa says
I love the flavours of this curry casserole, but I have one small problem: when I make this, I need to double the sauce ingredients (and that's a LOT of cheese!) so that it is saucy. Is anyone else having this issue? Mine doesn't even resemble the picture if I don't double the sauce. What I've been thinking of doing: lay down rice, broccoli and chicken mix, pour over the milk, onion and curry, 1/2 the cheese, etc mix, do not mix, then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top so it melts and browns nicely over the top. But then there's nothing holding the rice, broccoli and chicken together... Such a dilemma!
Liz S says
So bizarre! I doubled the recipe, to feed our family of 7, and made it exactly as written and it looked just like the picture. So weird that you are having issues! Wish I could help.
jen says
We are vegetarian but this sounds yummy . Besides tofu, which my husband refuses to eat, what would be a good vegetarian substitute for the chicken? I know I could leave it out but it seems like it would be missing something if I did. :)
Eva says
Tempeh? Although if he's not a fan of tofu he might not go for tempeh
Jenifer says
Hello! I have made this omitting the chicken. Came out just fine.
If you are a vegetarian that eats eggs - The second time serving, I added dippy eggs (placed on top of the plated casserole. It was quite nummy.
easypeasy says
Got to try this! It sounds so different and it's so nice to have a change now and then. We love curry at our house! :)
Tara says
This is the first time I've actually commented on a recipe but I feel compelled to do so because I actually made this recipe and can vouch for it. This was a delicious, hearty meal and my entire family enjoyed it. It was a little dairy heavy for me to classify it as healthy but we’ll for sure be making it again. Great flavor, not to spicy so even my Grandma and 19 month old would eat it. I’m actually going to make it again tomorrow to bring to a friend who just had new baby! Thanks for sharing!
Susan says
Does this freeze well? I'm expecting baby number 2 in a couple of weeks and looking for more real food freezer meals...would this be a good option?
Anna says
Though I haven't made this recipe, I freeze something very similar to it all the time. You can freeze it in the pan, or pour in a Ziploc bag and freeze flat to maximize freezer space. A couple more good freezer meals for baby's birth are homemade sloppy joes, spaghetti meat, lasagna or substitute lasagna with ziti, marinated chicken that can be thrown on the grill and is frozen in the marinade, and barbecue that you make ahead in the crock pot and freeze once cooked. I serve the barbecue with sauce and slaw on a bun. The lasagna or ziti noodles do not have to be cooked. If using ziti, just mix all of the "lasagna" ingredients in a big bowl, pour in your pan, top with parmesan and mozzarella and freeze. Come serving time, just pour 1 cup of water around sides and cook. That is so much easier than having to cook your noodles in advance! Carrots are great to hide in lasagna too! Hope this helps. I've done the same thing many times! It was hard to cook again after my babies because I had lived off freezer food for so long! :)
ellenk says
Looks good! What size casserole seems to work best?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi. A 9 x 13 works well.
Mona says
Is it 1 cup of (dry) rice, then cook it, or is it 1 cup of cooked rice?
Ann says
uncooked
Erin says
This was delicious! I don't understand why there are so many people freaking over this being called curry casserole…It has curry in it! Sounds like a legit reason to call it curry casserole to me. :) All 3 of my boys actually ate it…which is so unusual for them to all like the same thing! I did add more like 3 cups of chicken and had to add about another 1/2 cup of milk at the end because my sauce was way too thick, but this will be going into my rotation! Thanks so much!
Ashley says
We love thai food and this did not disappoint!
Karen says
This looks so good! I wonder what protein would be best to sub to make it vegetarian..?
Beth says
I was wondering the same thing! One thing I dislike about being vegetarian is missing out on all those yummy chicken casseroles. [although I don't have an appetite for chicken, just the dishes!]
Maggie says
Maybe chickepeas would work in place of the chicken?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Good idea, Maggie or sauteed organic tofu.
Linda says
Loved it. My husband said it was better than his mother's recipe. We loved the extra curry.
Denise says
This Chicken Curry Casserole is definitely a keeper. I will be making it again. It is delicious!
Rachel @ Slim Life says
Chicken curry is love! It's one of my favorite food. I will give this a try and get back to you for my feedback! Anyway, can I replace cheddar cheese? I would love to use Parmesan or mozzarella.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi. We've not changed up the cheese in this recipe but I think it would work using a combination of the two (moz and parm). Let us know. :)
Trudy says
I made this tonight (though I cut the curry to one teaspoon to appease my picky husband) and it was delicious. Will definitely be making it again.
Liz S says
Well, for starters, I ACTUALLY made this dish...and we LOVED it. I don't give a crap what you call it, it's delicious. Thanks for another great recipe Lisa!
Cheri says
To all the people freaking out over the dish not being "real curry": a casserole's name usually says what is in it. There's nothing wrong with calling it a curry casserole because that's exactly what's in the casserole...it's the only spice. I don't think that the author is even trying to make people think that it is traditional curry, so there is no reason to get upset or give the recipe a bad rating. There's curry powder in the casserole, hence calling it a curry casserole.
Don't worry Lisa, we've got your back ;) lol
Audrey says
While this does look quite good, it is not real "curry". I am a bit off-put by the use of curry powder... why not use the REAL spices achieved to make curry - turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, coriander, etc.
Kayla says
I don't think it's fair to give the recipe a low rating when you haven't actually tried it.
Audrey says
I am simply rating this recipe based on the ingredients and preparation steps presented.....That is fair. Comments and criticism is fair game.
Carol says
I agree with Kayla, it is not fair to rate a recipe unless you have tried it. It was delish!
Audrey says
As stated in my initial comment, I said the recipe looks good, my issue is with the spices.....
My rating does not change - two stars based on the ingredients!!!!
Jessy says
Isn't curry powder just a blend of these spices? How is this any different than using the separate spices?
Audrey says
Curry powder is a Westernized version of the mix of spices used which relies heavily on turmeric (which also gives the yellow colour).....The amount of curry powder used in the recipe in no way makes it taste even relatively close to an actual curry.....
Tricia says
What substitutions would you use in place of the curry powder? Some of us do not know that this isn't a "curry" dish and are unsure what amounts of the other spices to use.
Audrey says
I would suggest 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp garam masala, and 1/2 tsp coriander powder. Then adjust per your personal taste.
lauretta says
I can't wait to try this! Think it'd be ok to use left over chicken and rice!??? and I'm pretty sure that the Bob's Redmill flour mentioned above would work fine. I use it for pretty much everything!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. I think that will work just fine. :)
susan says
This recipe sounds delicious, but I'm trying avoid dairy. What do you recommend as substitutes for milk and sour cream? Thanks!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Susan. I use almond or coconut milk and plain coconut yogurt.
Jen says
Can I substitute the wheat flour with another non gluten flour ? Do you recommend a good match?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Jen. I use Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain GF blend for most recipes. I've not tried it in this one but think it will work just fine.
Sommer @ASpicyPerspective says
I'm in love with this chicken curry casserole! Seems to me the perfect comfort food!
Lisa says
It totally is! Sometimes you just need a big one-dish dinner :)
Kayla says
Is this the real food version of "Chicken Divan"? I was just hoping for something like this the other day! Is the 1 c. of rice measured before or after cooking? Thanks!
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Hi Kayla - No, actually this was adapted from a recipe my mom used to make when I was a kid. Sorry for the confusion on the rice; we've updated the recipe to read "1 cup dry brown rice, cooked according to the package directions." - Jason
Dan says
Why do people think putting curry powder in something makes it a curry? LOL That's like saying putting chili powder in something makes it chili.
Lisa says
Are you suggesting a different name for this dish? It tasted pretty much like curry to me!
Audrey says
Then obviously you have unfortunately never tasted a true curry dish ....
Dan, I totally agree with you!
Kaitlin says
Yum! This looks really tasty. I think this recipe would work with tricolor quinoa too. I've been obsessed with quinoa lately! It used to be brown rice now I find myself posting so many quinoa recipes. It's amazing how I go through so many phases!
Lisa says
Sounds like a great sub - and would take less time to cook, too! :)
Marianne says
Is that 1 cup of rice measured before cooking, or 1 cup,after cooking?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Hi Marianne. Sorry for the confusion, we've updated the recipe to read "1 cup dry brown rice, cooked according to the package directions." - Jason
Karen says
This sounds really good. My husband does not care for cooked broccoli. Do you think asparagus, green beans or peas would work?
Lisa says
Another read just told me that she tried peas and it was great - I think any of those would work though! :)
Judy says
This looks so good. I have made a lot of chicken and rice dishes but they always seem to call for canned soups. I also like that this one has curry.
Debbie Fehr says
This sounds delicious