CREAMY CHICKEN & RICE CASSEROLE

I grew up on this recipe, my Grandmother got it from a lady from church at a pot luck a long time ago! She passed it down to my mom and it’s always been a family favorite. Quick and easy for school nights, and the leftovers are just as good! You can use less butter on top of course, my Momma and Mamaw always put the full stick on top (gotta love Southern ladies and their butter!)

I enjoyed this recipe as did the rest of the family. I used long grain white rice. Not instant. Boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. Substituted the water with chicken broth. Added a cup of sharp cheddar based on other suggestions.1/8 tsp cayenne and 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning. Omitted the salt due to the broth. This was a great simple recipe base , very tasty. Thank you for sharing. I will make it again and again.

My mom made this recipe all the time when I was growing up and I have always loved it. She made it with a few changes though which is how I prepare it as well. Instead of two cups of water I use one cup of water and one cup of milk. I layer the rice on the bottom, then the chicken and then I melt the half stick of butter and mix it in with the rest of the ingredients and pour all of that on top. Then I sprinkle a thick layer of parmesan cheese on top. This is my go-to recipe when I bring someone a meal and people always say they love it.

I loved this recipe. I was surprised by how yummy it was. I followed the recipe but customized it a little by adding 1/4 tsp each of basil, rosemary, and thyme and 1 tsp of garlic powder and 3 tsp chicken bouillon, since I had no broth. I also cut the butter in half because I was concerned it would be much too much. Like some of the other reviewers, I sprinkled about 1 cup of cheddar on top. The cheese and butter created the most delicious crust! I was impressed. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe! I will definitely be making this again. Edit: Forgot to mention I used regular long-grain white rice, not instant, if that matters. =)

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Chicken-flavor Rice-A-Roni (6 Ounce Box)
1 can Cream Of Mushroom Soup (10 Ounce Can)
1 container Sour Cream (8 Ounce Size)
1 whole Rotisserie Chicken
1 container French-fried Onions (6 Ounce Can)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare Rice-A-Roni according to package directions. While that is cooking, shred/cut up the chicken (I always use a rotisserie chicken, but you could use leftover chicken or some cooked and shredded breasts, whatever), removing meat from bones.
When Rice-A-Roni is done, add the can of soup and the sour cream, and stir to combine. Add the chicken and mix together. Spread mixture into a sprayed baking dish (9-by-13-inch pan), but you can use what you like for how thick you want it to be) and bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 40 minutes …