Sunday, April 22, 2012

Chicken and rice casserole with cream of mushroom soup

This casserole can be made ahead and frozen in anticipation of busy weeknights. It's well-rounded nutritionally and mildly flavoured - great for those with kids. It was a staple in our household when I was growing up, except nowadays I like it with a sprinkle of hot sauce. It's also incredibly versatile - try macaroni noodles instead of rice, canned tuna instead of chicken, or another flavour of 'cream of' soup. Different types of vegetables - like mushrooms -  and cheese - like mozzarella -  also work well. The recipe below makes enough to serve two people with a bit left over.  

To make casserole:

Cook 1 cup of rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking,
slice 1 sweet onion and trim and cut 1/2 large bunch of asparagus into 2-inch pieces. Spread vegetables into a single layer on a baking sheet and brush with a small amount of olive oil. Place three boneless, skinless breasts onto another baking sheet. Cut the top off a bulb of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Place vegetables, garlic and chicken in the oven and bake at 350. While they're cooking, grate 1 1/2 sharp cheese, such as Gruyรจre.

Turn the chicken and vegetables after 10-12 minutes. Remove the chicken after another 10-12 minutes or when fully cooked. Increase the temperature to 400 and cook the vegetables and garlic for a further 10 minutes. The vegetables should be starting to brown and the garlic should come out easily when squeezed. Dice the chicken into 1 inch cubes.

In an oven-proof casserole dish, combine rice, chicken, vegetables and cheese. Add 1/2 cup of frozen peas. Squeeze in roasted garlic. Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and mix well (2 cans will make this extra-creamy). Season with pepper to taste. Spread Panko breadcrumbs over top. If serving right away, return to oven at 350F without a cover for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Otherwise place in freezer until ready to serve. Then defrost and follow last step.



{Adding the frozen peas and roasted onion and asparagus to the cooked rice}

 {Adding the chicken, cheese and garlic}

3 comments:

  1. kat, my mom totally made a version of this growing up, except she did broccoli instead of peas. my grandma did it with peas, but with tuna fish instead of chicken. i'm sure your recipe is better though. when i answer your question about when i feel creatively inspired, i'll leave you a comment with my post link. ;)

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  2. this is an easy quick meal for a busy day. And a great way to use left over macaroni or rice. The cheese makes it a kids' favorite too

    mongs
    mythriftycloset,blogspot.com

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  3. This looks like a dish that Mr. A and I would enjoy.

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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