Favorite Company Casserole

Favorite Company Casserole–use your Instant Pot to help you put together this old family favorite casserole. With rice, chicken, ham, mushrooms, vegetables, cheese and a creamy sauce you’ve got all the makings of a great dinner.

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Favorite Company Casserole

I came across a recipe called favorite company casserole. As I read the recipe I realized it was very similar to a casserole my mom used to make when I was growing up. The author stated, “My guests like this casserole even if they don’t usually like all the ingredients in it! For instance, people who don’t care for broccoli don’t mind it in this dish. And I like the way it’s so easy to make and serve when company comes.” My mom’s version had chicken, ham, broccoli and a creamy mayo/curry sauce. My version of the recipe is a slightly different take on the original but it is still a favorite to make when company comes for dinner. This recipe serves 10-12 (but can be halved). The ingredients can be swapped out and you can get creative with what you have at home in the pantry and refrigerator.

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Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• 1 cup chicken broth–to cook the rice
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice–you can also use white rice, see below for how to adjust recipe
• 1 (8 oz) package sliced mushrooms–these are optional but if you choose to leave them out then increase broth to 1.25 cups
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs–you can also use 1-1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 cups frozen chopped spinach or broccoli–you can use any frozen veggies that you like but spinach and broccoli are my favorite choices
• 1 cup cubed ham–make hay and straw with leftover ham
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese–other choices are colby jack or mozzarella
• ½ cup mayonnaise–if you don’t like mayo you can use 1 cup sour cream instead of half a cup of sour cream
• ½ cup sour cream–or plain greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard–or plain yellow mustard
• 1 tsp curry powder–or turmeric or if you don’t like it you can leave it out
• 1 tsp lemon juice–for flavor
• 1 (10.5 ounce can) cream of chicken soup–or cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese–optional, you can also swap out for panko bread crumbs for a crispy topping

Instructions

1. Prepare rice, chicken and mushrooms: Pour broth into Instant Pot. Sprinkle in the rice. Dump in the mushrooms. Place chicken into Instant Pot. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 22 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
3. Chop chicken: Move chicken to a cutting board and chop. 
4. Add to baking dish: Stir the rice and mushroom mixture together and spread in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. 
5. Layer the chicken, spinach, ham and cheese on top. 
6. Creamy layer: In a small bowl stir together the mayo, sour cream, mustard, curry powder, lemon juice and cream of chicken. Spread the mixture over the top. 
7. Bake: Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. 
8. Serve: Scoop onto plates and enjoy!

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What kind of chicken can I use?

I cooked frozen, boneless skinless chicken thighs along with the rice. You can also use frozen or fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Another choice is to use cooked and chopped rotisserie chicken (no need to pressure cook).

What kind of vegetables can I use?

I used frozen spinach because Greg hates when broccoli is included in any sort of casserole (PTSD from his childhood 😂). But my favorite is a bag of frozen broccoli. Some other choices might be frozen cauliflower or peas. Really any bag of frozen vegetables can be used.

What kind of rice can I use?

I used long grain brown rice. However you can also use white rice. If you do use white rice then use fresh chicken that is cut into bite size pieces so that the rice and chicken can cook at the same rate. Cook white rice for 5 minutes (10 minute natural pressure release) and use 1.25 cups of broth.

I don’t like mayo…what else can I use?

If you don’t like mayonnaise you can use 1 cup of sour cream instead of half mayo and half sour cream.

I don’t like curry powder…what else can I use?

You can leave out the curry powder. You can also substitute it with a teaspoon of turmeric.

Can I make this ahead of time?

The way that I would make this ahead of time is to complete steps 1-6 and then cover the baking dish with foil. Refrigerate until ready to bake. Then bake for 5 minutes with the foil on, remove the foil and bake for 25 minutes, add parmesan and bake 5 more minutes.

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

If you have cooked rice (2 cups cooked) and cooked chicken (about 2-3 cups) already prepared you can layer the ingredients into your 6 quart slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours.

Can I make this in the Instant Pot with the air fryer lid?

If you’d rather bake this casserole in your Instant Pot that has an air fryer lid you can do that. You can use the bake setting at 300 degrees for 15 minutes and then add the parmesan and bake for 5 more minutes.

Can I halve this recipe?

This recipe makes a large 9×13 inch pan that serves 10-12 people. You can easily halve this recipe and bake in a 9×9 inch pan instead. Just halve all the ingredients and keep the same cooking time.

More Instant Pot Old Fashioned Casserole Recipes…

Instant Pot Mamaw’s Casserole

Instant Pot Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Instant Pot Cherokee Casserole

Instant Pot Southern Meatloaf Casserole

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc. Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.