The Inspiration for Chicken and Rice Casserole
August 25, 2016
A few years ago, I created this dish and believe it is simply the best chicken and rice casserole! One of the ladies, at the bank where I worked, brought a chicken and rice casserole on food day. It had come from the freezer department at the grocery. To disguise that, she had placed it in her own casserole dish and baked it! Everyone ‘assumed’ she had made it. Clever!
Never having had this casserole before, as I ate, I realized that chicken and rice casserole had the possibility of being very good. This one, however, was pretty bland. The crunch of the slivered almonds in it was an interesting surprise. Contemplating how this dish could be improved, my search was on for a recipe.
This is the culmination of bits and pieces from a few different recipes, changing ingredients a little, and the end result is a very flavorful recipe.
Remembering this casserole, the other day, I hurriedly searched through my binders of recipes and could not find it.
Yesterday, as Memphis slept, I searched the binder with main dishes in its page by page. There it was, a torn piece of paper with the handwritten recipe, ingredients on the front, and directions on the back. The evidence of some of the ingredients having been scratched out and changed was still there. Print recipe ◄.
Add More Flavor to The Chicken and Rice Casserole
One thing that hit me with the ‘frozen’ casserole was that the meat lacked much flavor. First, season the chicken tenderloins in this recipe before cooking and before adding them to the casserole. That is one of the reasons this is the best recipe for chicken and rice casserole!
Not only does the chicken have flavor! By including the leftover goodness, from cooking them in the skillet to make the sauce, the sauce is even more flavorful. The leftover particles in the bottom of the pan are called fond.
See that? ▲ That is flavor left in the bottom of the pan!
Add the butter, flour, and thyme to this goodness in the pan to make a nice roux. Adding the combination of milk and chicken broth creates an even more flavorful sauce.
Then, just cut the chicken tenders into bite-size pieces and add to the sauce.
In most of the recipe’s, frozen carrots are added. While frozen peas are delicious, I am not a fan of frozen carrots. They seem to be spongy. Yuk!
Instead, I used fresh carrots sautéed in a tablespoon of butter. Then, add a tablespoon of water, and cover the skillet with a lid until the carrots are crisp-tender. (It does not take long!) The carrots continue to cook tender in the oven.
After layering the rice, the vegetables, and the almond slivers, pour the meat and sauce on top. Follow up with grated cheese and soft breadcrumbs, that are tossed with melted butter. Could it be much simpler?
If you are looking for a flavorful one-dish meal, this chicken and rice casserole could be it! It can actually be prepared a few hours in advance and then baked for less than a half-hour. I am pretty much convinced this is Simply the Best Chicken and Rice Casserole!
Chicken And Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 Tblsp. Butter
- 3 Tblsp. Flour
- 1/2 tsp. Thyme
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Milk
- 8 cooked and sliced cooked Chicken Tenders*
- 1/2 cup Slivered Almonds
- 2 cups cooked Rice
- 1 cup frozen Peas
- 1 cup sliced Carrots – (Cooked in a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of water until crisp-tender. Cover with a lid when it comes to a boil. Lower heat.)
- 1/2 cup soft Bread Crumbs (1 slice of bread, processed)
- 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°
*Cooked Chicken Tenders
Season 8 Chicken Tenders with salt, pepper, and seasoning salt on one side. (I use “Tastefully Simple” Seasoned Salt.)
Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, add the meat, seasoned side down, sear on one side, and allow to cook halfway through.
Season the top side and turn over. Lower the heat and cook through. This will only take a few minutes.
Remove the chicken to a plate.
Melt the butter in the same skillet used to cook the tenderloins, leaving the drippings from cooking. Add the flour and thyme. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and the milk.
Continue cooking and stirring until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Stir in the chicken pieces.
Spread the cooked rice in a 2-quart casserole dish, which has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
Layer the peas and the sautéed carrots evenly over the rice. Sprinkle the slivered almonds on top of the carrots.
Spread the chicken mixture over the vegetables.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the chicken mixture.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and toss with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs over the cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350°.
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