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Mom's Chicken and Rice Casserole

Source of Recipe

From "Back Around the Table" by David Venable


Recipe Introduction

"As I've said, Mom made a lot of freezer-to-oven-to-table casseroles when I was growing up. One of us kids would pop a frozen casserole into the oven so by the time Mom got home from work, all she had to do was prepare a green vegetable. I can picture us eating this casserole around our kitchen table with Mom, still dressed in her white nurse's uniform. This dish is classic Venable family comfort food."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ Vegetable oil spray
â—¦ 4 cups water
â—¦ 2 cups long-grain white rice
â—¦ 1 tablespoon canola oil
â—¦ 1 cup small-diced onions
â—¦ 1 clove garlic minced
â—¦ 1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, meat shredded
â—¦ 2 (10 ¾-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
â—¦ ½ cup mayonnaise
â—¦ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
â—¦ ½ cup chicken broth
â—¦ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
â—¦ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 cup panko bread crumbs
â—¦ ½ cup slivered almonds
â—¦ 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a 4-quart baking dish with vegetable oil spray.

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in the rice and bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low so the water doesn't boil over, and simmer until the water is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, heat the canola oil in a skillet.
Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.

Put the shredded chicken, cooked rice, sautéed onions and garlic, cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chicken broth, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir to combine the ingredients. Evenly spread the chicken-rice mixture in the prepared baking dish.

Combine the bread crumbs, almonds, and butter in a bowl. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the chicken and rice. Bake for about 1 hour, or until hot, bubbly, and brown on top.
Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 to 8 servings