Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Sunday – Chicken and Cheesy Rice Casserole w/ Salad

We really enjoyed this meal.  Very easy to make and is good when you don’t feel like cooking a complex meal.  The longest part is the prep time spent chopping veggies and chicken.  It took me 45 minutes from prep to serve. 

Ultimately, I ended up making several changes to the recipe.  The changes began because I had a very hard time finding the wild rice without a ton of seasonings in it.  Then as I started making the dish I changed things as I went along.

Next time if I can find the wild rice, I’ll follow the recipe exactly and see how it comes out. 

My changes:

~         I used all brown rice instead.

~         2 cups of breast meat wasn’t enough meat for us so I ended up using all of meat from the rotisserie chicken (except the wing meat, it was too tough). 

~         Used garlic powder instead of garlic salt.

~         I used freshly cracked ground black pepper.

~         I also used shredded Three Cheddar Mix in the cheese sauce.

~         Less butter in cheese sauce. I used 3 Tbsp.

~         I wanted to make a little more cheese sauce so I used ½ cup more chicken broth in the sauce.

~         Topped it with a ½ cup more cheese. We like things cheesy!

Chicken and Cheesy Rice Casserole (Adapted from Picky Palate):

Prep time:  10 mins       Cook Time:  35-40 mins

3 Tablespoons EVOO

1 medium red onion, finely diced

3 stalks celery, finely diced

½ cup of shredded carrots, diced smaller

1 Tablespoons pre-minced garlic

Meat from 1 whole rotisserie chicken (no skin and no wing meat), chopped

4 cups steamed brown rice (made in rice cooker w/ low sodium chicken broth)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Cheese Sauce:

3 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 cups shredded Three Cheddar Mix

Top with 2 Cups shredded Medium Cheddar Cheese

1.     Prep all vegetables and put into bowl.  Prep chicken and place into a bowl.

2.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil in a oven proof deep skillet over medium heat.  Sauté onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in chicken, rice, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Reduce heat to low.

3.     To prepare cheese sauce melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.  Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in cheese until melted.  Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture in the same pot. Top with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through.  Serve.

6-8 servings

Source: Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Recipe Rating: 5 Forks