Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole (Cooking With Paula Deen Magazine)

NELady's Note:

From Cooking with Paula Deen Magazine, March/April 2011. This is how the magazine described the dish: This casserole has all the flavors of Chicken Cordon Bleu--chicken, ham, and cheese--without all that messy rolling and stuffing! We liked the dish, though it wasn't as creamy as we expected. I followed the recipe as written (copied original recipe below) but added a handful of shredded cheddar cheese to the top of the casserole when it was done and baked for another couple of minutes until the cheese was melted. I also used more ham than the recipe called for because I needed to use up the leftovers. Cook time in my over was about 1 hour for the rice to be tender (recipe calls for 45 minutes).

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 1.0 Casserole

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 3/4 cup prediced ham
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11x7-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is tender. Add chicken and ham; cook until heated through. Add rice, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken broth, milk, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes.
3. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake for 45 minutes or until rice is tender.