chicken and rice casserole

this is another one that goes pretty far back to the beginning when the beautiful mrs. tas and i were just starting out. it's another easy, week-night recipe that's good for a young family on a budget, and it can also be jazzed up pretty well if a person wants to take this dish uptown, using herbs, seasonings or modfied techniques. it has evolved over the years and i will chronicle that evolution here with three different methods. as always, it makes a "heckuvalot" with leftovers for lunches.

here's the basic recipe that we have been using forever:

quote:

Chicken & Rice Casserole

• One whole chicken
• 6-8 servings of Minute-Rice, prepared according to package directions
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• A sprinkle or two of your favorite seasoning (we use Cavender’s Greek Seasoning)
• 2 cans your favorite vegetables (we use peas)
• 8 oz. (small block) cheddar cheese, grated and divided (the sharper the better)

Boil the chicken until it’s done (I wish I could be more precise; the meat will be loose on the bone and won’t be reddish or pink), checking occasionally and turning over as necessary. Be sure to add water if it boils down enough to expose chicken.

When the chicken is done, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Completely de-bone chicken and chop or shred meat into small pieces. Discard bones, skin, gristle and anything else that is not meat. Prepare the rice. For extra flavor, you can use the water from boiling the chicken, but be sure to skim the fat off first.

In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, rice, seasoning (to your taste), mushroom soup and vegetables. Mix well, then stir in half of the cheese. Dump mixture into a large baking pan and spread evenly. Top with cheese and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until cheese is golden-brown.

Serve with hot rolls. Be sure to save some for lunch the next day.

not long ago, i decided to try this same recipe using a smoked chicken rather than a boiled one. here were the deviations from the normal recipe:

quote:

chicken: smoked instead of boiled using my greek rub consisting of equal parts salt, black pepper and oregano. squirted lemon juice all over it, then rubbed it down and cooked on ECB with kingsford charcoal briquettes that had hickory shavings imbedded - no other wood or smoke other than that. resulted in a mild smoke that was not overpowering. brushed with olive oil while cooking.

rice: i prefer to use "real" rice, but minute rice is quick and easy when you have a lot of kids. since the chicken was rubbed down with salt, pepper and oregano, i added no other seasoning to rice other than a little garlic and onion powder.

veggies - i used a 1-lb bag of a frozen veggie blend from our local store (western family). the package SAID scandinavian blend, but it looked greek or italian to me: chopped green beans, carrots, onions. zucchini and peas.

cheese: usually use cheddar, but this time used a bag of kraft velveeta. put 1/2 in the rice/chicken mixture and the other half on top.

this turned out pretty dang good - the seasoning was just right, since it was dispersed throughout the casserole, and the mild smoke aroma and a bit of flavor permeated just enough to remind a person of bacon in the background. all-in-all, i think it was quite a success.

here it is right out of the oven:



with casseroles, lasagna etc., i generally wait about 5 minutes from oven to plate. since the entire meal was in the casserole, here's a picture of it in a bowl. looks pretty good, but it tasted even better!



i took these pictures quite a while ago, outlining one process process we use when making this casserole.

keep in mind that this is a very versatile method, and you can make it as described in the original recipe, or as described below in the dutch oven - or probably anywhere in between. the chicken can be boiled, baked or roasted or even smoked, as demonstrated above. you might buy a prepared rotisserie chicken, or use leftovers, as well. naturally, you don't have to use peas for a vegetable, as we did - you can add whatever you prefer. cheese (or the type of cheese, for that matter) is optional. basically, when it comes to this dish and how to make it, use what you have according to your preferences, utilising a method that works for what you have or what you prefer, and it will be good.

in the following example, i simply roasted the chicken in the dutch oven on a bed consisting of a couple of coarsely-chopped onions until it looked about like this:



then, while one of the kids de-boned the chicken and chopped any large pieces of meat into bite-sized chunks, i browned another chopped onion:



this step probably wasn't entirely necessary, since we already had the roasted onions from preparing the chicken, but it was ok. i also added a couple of minced cloves of garlic when the onions were nearly carmelised.

next, i added enough broth (stock or water could also be used) to the de-fatted roasting juices of the chicken so that i had enough liquid for the amount of rice i was making, then deglazed the dutch oven with it:



and then added my rice (brown, in this case):



i let the rice simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, until it had absorbed the water, then added the chicken:



a large (family-sized) can of cream-of-mushroom soup:



and some frozen peas:



then, i added half a "small" bag of shredded cheddar cheese, reserving the rest for topping the casserole:



somewhere in here, i also added salt and pepper to taste; then i stirred everything together:



and then topped with the reserved cheese:



from there, i baked the casserole in the oven at 350 for 30 or 45 minutes, until it looked about done. if you want a really good casserole, then you want to see a little bit of browning and "crisping" in the rice around the edges. also, i did find that for the last 5 or 10 minutes, it helps to put the broiler on (heat from above) in order to toast the cheese, if you like it that way. this is not necessary with a casserole or baking dish, but with a deep dutch-type oven, it is a good idea.

i didn't get a picture of the result, but it looked like a round version of the top picture in this thread, and tasted very, very good!

Dude can cook !!!

quote:

Dude can cook !!!

YES He can

Id love to sample just about everything he has posted here.


Maybe he will send us some


Cal30

thanks, guys - it's all easy stuff ~ usually, if you can boil water, you can make it!