Chicken and Rice Casserole

Forgotten Chicken. Remember that?

That was not a joke. Forgotten chicken is a real thing and I’m asking you if you seriously remember it. I don’t, but Bjork does. And he mentioned it the other day, how much he ironically remembered and loved and missed having Forgotten Chicken as a kid.

I thought I should do a nice wife thing and make it for him. It was also a nice self thing:

1. There was enough for every meal all week. NO MORE COOKING! I mean, woops. I mostly do like to cook.
2. It forced me to make my own homemade condensed cream of chicken soup, which was easy and wonderful and I’ll do it again, possibly forever.
3. It was so customizable. I could have even added vegetables. Could. Have.
4. It was intensely cozy and comforting.

Raw chicken shot? Doin’ it.

And now you know how to do the complex step of laying the chicken breasts over the rice mixture and lightly sprinkling them with your favorite seasoning, preferably southwest hickory or chipotle flavored. Like I said, com-plex.

One thing to know. This yummy chicken and rice casserole needs to bake for a loooong time.

That’s sort of sad if you live in the Philippines, but really happy if you live anywhere else. Except, like, Mexico or something.

It’s worth the wait. Go watch TV. Read a book. Put your feet up and dream about making salted maple pecan pie bars again, for the fifth time this month. As in it’s like, December 5th. And if you DO live in the Philippines or Mexico or any other warm-ish place, just turn your fans to Level Three. You’ll soon be lost in a big bowl of this goodness so don’t even worry about it.

You’re probably wondering if it’s worth venturing into the hot oven around 00:45:00 to remove the foil, even though your face will start dripping off and you will probably burn your hand? Yes, it is. Oh wait, you guys use real potholders instead of dishtowels? SMART.

Anyways, take that foil offa there because the top gets crunchy and browned and crispy when it’s left uncovered. And I’m telling you, I couldn’t love that golden browned crispified top layer more.

And then, like a true casserole lover, smother it with cheese or sour cream or something really bad for you.

No, it doesn’t have to be bad for you.

But actually yes it does, because it’s delicious.

I inlcluded the instructions for yesterday’s homemade condensed cream of chicken soup in this recipe, so if you follow these instructions you’ll already be making your own! If you want to use canned cream of chicken soup, there is a note about that in the ingredient list, too.

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Chicken and Rice Casserole

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4.3 from 51 reviews

• Author: Pinch of Yum
• Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Description

This chicken and rice casserole is frequently requested by my husband who grew up calling it “Forgotten Chicken.” Simple and satisfying!

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Ingredients

Scale1/2x1x2x

For the sauce:

• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used 2 cans)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon seasoning mix (or 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. parsley)

(You can sub 2 cans of cream of chicken soup for the homemade sauce.)

For the casserole

• 1 ½ cups uncooked brown rice, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons seasoning mix of your choice for the flavor of the casserole – my favorite was a smoked hickory southwestern seasoning
• 1 cup water
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

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Instructions

1. Make the sauce: combine the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of the milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and seasonings into the milk until a smooth, thick mixture forms. Pour the flour and milk mixture into the saucepan over low heat and stir continuously, whisking as the mixture simmers. Continue to simmer and stir/whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick, 5-10 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch square baking dish – it really sticks to the sides.
3. In a large bowl, combine the uncooked rice, condensed soup from step 1, 1 tablespoon seasoning, and water. Pour into prepared dish.
4. Arrange chicken pieces over the top and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of seasoning.
5. Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove foil; bake for an additional 30-45 minutes or until rice and chicken are cooked through and top is slightly browned. Allow to cool for 15 minutes; shred chicken into small pieces and stir to combine with the rice. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or shredded cheese.

Notes

A few commenters mentioned their rice not cooking all the way through, so you might want to just add a little extra liquid (about 1/2 cup) and keep the pan covered with foil for the entire baking time. Be aware that covering the dish helps it cook faster, while leaving it uncovered gets that nice browned texture on the chicken. I used a combination of both as mentioned.

Add water or milk as you reheat it to bring it bake to its original creaminess. Nutrition information is for 8 servings.

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 90 mins
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: chicken and rice casserole, chicken casserole, rice casserole, casserole recipe

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Have I made this in the Crockpot yet?  Sadly, no. Only 23 times in the oven.

But it seems like a very wise thing to do.

I’ll keep you posted.