Chicken and rice casserole/Photo byGin Lee

Chicken and rice casserole

Today, I am preparing a tried-and-true recipe that is very similar to a casserole that my mom used to always make for our family. The casserole is very filling, economically friendly, and extremely delicious.

I cooked a whole chicken, so that my casserole had both dark and white meat combined. You can use whatever pieces you prefer, as well as the amount. My mom generally used leftover chicken pieces, or she used leg quarters. Sometimes she'd double the amount of rice and use less meat. So, that's always an option.

I didn't add mushrooms or broccoli to my casserole today, but either or both can be added for extra nutrition and additional flavor.

Instead of using canned cream of chicken (like mom always did) for the casserole, I will be making my homemade cream of chicken soup from my homemade soup mix.

Chicken and rice casserole/Photo byGin Lee

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, or about 3-4 cups of cooked shredded chicken
• 4-6 quarts of water, to cook the chicken in
• 8 chicken bouillon cubes, or 8 teaspoons of chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt
• 1-½ teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
• 2-4 cups of rice, pre-cooked (amount depends on your preference)
• 4 tablespoons of butter, to be stirred in the cooked rice
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon of celery flakes
• Cream of chicken soup (I made the equivalent of one can of cream of chicken soup)
• 1 cup of shredded cheese (Optional)

Instructions for the chicken and rice casserole:

In a spice dish, add one teaspoon of seasoning salt, one and a half teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper, one teaspoon of turmeric powder, a half of a teaspoon of cumin, one teaspoon of smoked paprika, and a half of a teaspoon of celery flakes; combine well. Set aside.

Place your chicken pieces into a stockpot and add the water, diced onion, minced garlic, and chicken bouillon. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then lower the temperature and simmer your chicken for about one hour and fifteen minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, cook your rice, then add the butter; stir and set it aside.

After the chicken is thoroughly cooked, reserve 1-¼ cup of the broth (use this instead of water when making the homemade cream of chicken soup, you may also want to use half this amount and half milk).

Now, take the cooked chicken out of the broth. Then take the meat off the chicken bones. (You can shred or chop the pieces of meat, or leave them in bigger chunks.) Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the chicken pieces and stir. Set aside.

Now, add the cream of chicken soup (or use one can of store-bought soup) to the cooked rice; stir well.

Preparing chicken and rice casserole/Photo byGin Lee

Next, transfer half of the rice mixture to a large casserole dish. Then layer the chicken on top and then add the remaining rice mixture and another layer of chicken on top. (If you'd prefer to skip this step, just mix the chicken into the rice; stir.) Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the casserole (optional).

Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil and place it in a 375 degrees F oven. Bake for twenty-five minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Note:

To make the casserole creamier, double the amount of cream of chicken soup.

You can use any type of packaged rice that you prefer and you can use any flavored rice such as Knorr chicken and broccoli, fried rice, etc..

Cream of cheddar, cream of broccoli, cream of celery, and cream of mushroom soup can also be used in place of the cream of chicken.