In The Kitchen: Chicken & Rice Casserole
So, I made this casserole for the fam two days ago. It was DELICIOUS. I'm not really a casserole type of of person, but I've been wanting to add more dishes to my arsenal that my family can eat off of for 2-3 days, i.e. giving me less cooking days out of the week. I decided to find a casserole recipe from the queen of comfort food cooking herself, Paula Deen. I searched through Foodnetwork.com, and this is what I found. I have to admit, when I read through the ingredients, I was a little skeptical. Water chesnuts? Pimento? Didn't sound like any comfort food that I'd ever had before. Paula Deen has never let me down before, so I decided to take a leap of faith, and I'm glad I did. The hubs asked that I make this a "regular". Did I mention that this was so delicious?!
Chicken & Rice Casserole
Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
* 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
* 3 cups diced, cooked chicken
* 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans green beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
* 1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1 (6-ounce) box long-grain wild rice, cooked according to package directions
* 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
* Pinch salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat butter or oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients to bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined.
Pour into a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.
Tips & Mods
-I used chicken breasts & thighs that I'd baked in the oven prior to making the casserole. Just seasoned them with a little salt and pepper.
-I only used one can of green beans. In my opinion, that was enough. Next time, I will steam fresh green beans prior to making the casserole--better color, and more crunch.
-I doubled the cheese. No explanation needed, I'm sure. haha
-I used cream of chicken soup instead of cream of celery. I'd forgotten to buy the cream of celery and happened to have cream of chicken in the cupboard, thank God.
-After putting everything in the casserole dish, I topped it with the remainder of the cheese and crushed Ritz crackers. A "topping" tends to make casseroles look better. It also gives a little bit of crunch.
-As I read through the reviews of this dish, I saw that people were making their own variations (broccoli instead of green beans, different kinds of cheeses, adding mushrooms, etc.) with great results. I definitely think this casserole is a good base to experiment with, and I intend to in the future. I like to try recipes out as-written (for the most part) initially, just to get a better idea of how it was originally intended before I alter it.
Hope you guys enjoy this as much as we did!
Recipe can be found HERE.
Chicken & Rice Casserole
Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
* 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
* 3 cups diced, cooked chicken
* 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans green beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
* 1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1 (6-ounce) box long-grain wild rice, cooked according to package directions
* 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
* Pinch salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat butter or oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients to bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined.
Pour into a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.
 |
| I don't think I've ever cooked with water chestnuts before, aside from pre-made stir fry. |
 |
| Green beans, water chestnuts, pimento and sauteed onion |
 |
| Rice & cheese added. |
 |
| Mayo & cream of chicken soup added. |
 |
| Last but not least--the chicken! Breast & thigh meat. |
 |
| Ready for the oven. Topped with extra cheese and crushed Ritz crackers. My own little twist. |
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| Turned out spectacular. Creamy gooey-goodness! |
-I used chicken breasts & thighs that I'd baked in the oven prior to making the casserole. Just seasoned them with a little salt and pepper.
-I only used one can of green beans. In my opinion, that was enough. Next time, I will steam fresh green beans prior to making the casserole--better color, and more crunch.
-I doubled the cheese. No explanation needed, I'm sure. haha
-I used cream of chicken soup instead of cream of celery. I'd forgotten to buy the cream of celery and happened to have cream of chicken in the cupboard, thank God.
-After putting everything in the casserole dish, I topped it with the remainder of the cheese and crushed Ritz crackers. A "topping" tends to make casseroles look better. It also gives a little bit of crunch.
-As I read through the reviews of this dish, I saw that people were making their own variations (broccoli instead of green beans, different kinds of cheeses, adding mushrooms, etc.) with great results. I definitely think this casserole is a good base to experiment with, and I intend to in the future. I like to try recipes out as-written (for the most part) initially, just to get a better idea of how it was originally intended before I alter it.
Hope you guys enjoy this as much as we did!
Recipe can be found HERE.