Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients with Pre-Baked Chicken:

2 cups already-cooked chicken plus pan drippings

1 1/2 – 2 cups chicken broth

2 cups cooked white or brown rice

1 large onion halved and then sliced thinly

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp flour

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (I like to just chop up the ends of some sliced bread in a cuisinart).

Preparation with Pre-Baked Chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Shred leftover chicken and set aside in a bowl.

3. Add oil to a hot pan and add the onions. Cook on medium heat for two minutes.

4. Add the shredded chicken along with the pan drippings from the previous night’s baking of said chicken (including about a tablespoon of that glorious chicken fat if you have some).

5. When drippings are incorporated into the chicken and onions, add the butter, flour, thyme, paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until everything is fully incorporated.

6. Add chicken stock and mushrooms and mix thoroughly.

7. Simmer for 5-10 minutes on low heat with the cover on.

8. Incorporate sour cream and then add the rice, mixing fully. If the mixture seems thick, add in another 1/2 cup chicken stock.

9. If baking in a separate dish, this is the time to butter the inside and then set the mixture inside, topping with the breadcrumbs. If baking in the same pan you used to cook the ingredients, (which is my preference) then just top with the bread crumbs and set in the oven.

10. Bake for 20 minutes and then serve with a nice salad or steamed vegetable.

cooking the chicken

Ingredients Using Fresh Chicken:

2 chicken breasts or 4 thighs raw and on the bone

1 cup water

1/2 – 1 cup chicken broth

2 cups cooked white or brown rice

1 large onion halved and then sliced thinly

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp flour

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (I like to just chop up the ends of some sliced bread in a cuisinart).

Preparation Using Fresh Chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place oil in a hot pan and then lay the chicken inside. Season with a smattering of salt and pepper.

3. When chicken is slightly browned on the outside, add in the water and cover so everything steams. Cook for five minutes on medium heat.

4. Remove chicken and broth from the pan and then add in the onions. Add in a little more oil and then cook on medium heat for two minutes.

5. While the onions cook, strip the chicken from the bone and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. It’s okay if the chicken isn’t fully cooked.

6. Mix the chicken into the onions and add in the butter, flour, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir until everything is fully incorporated.

7. Add chicken broth you just created while steaming the chicken plus 1/2 cup chicken stock plus the mushrooms and mix thoroughly.

8. Simmer for 5-10 minutes on low heat with the cover on.

9. Incorporate sour cream and then add the rice, mixing fully. If the mixture seems thick, add in another 1/2 cup chicken stock.

10. If baking in a separate dish, this is the time to butter the inside and then set the mixture inside, topping with the breadcrumbs. If baking in the same pan you used to cook the ingredients, (which is my preference) then just top with the bread crumbs and set in the oven.

11. Bake for 20 minutes and then serve with a nice salad or steamed vegetable.