The Best Chicken Casserole

This is the best chicken casserole I ever made. My mother-in-law gave me the recipe. It's easy to make and allows for plenty of leftovers.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 12-16

Ingredients

• 2 (2 lb)  roasted deli chicken
• 1  cup dry sherry
• 3 1⁄4 cups canned chicken broth
• 1⁄2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  celery salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 (6 ounce) packages  long grain and wild rice blend
• 2 (8 ounce) packages  sliced mushrooms
• 1  bunch scallion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream
• 1 (10 3/4ounce) can  cream of mushroom soup
• 1 1⁄2 cups  Ritz crackers, crushed (about 1 sleeve of crackers)
• 1 (6 ounce) can  French-fried onions, crushed
• 3⁄4 cup butter
• 1⁄4 teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Pick off all the chicken in shredded pieces and set aside for later.
2. In a small bowl, combine the celery salt, curry powder, pepper, poultry seasoning, and onion powder. Set aside for later.
3. Cook rice according to package but substitute dry sherry and chicken broth for the water and olive oil. Add ingredients from step 2 when adding rice.
4. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and scallions and saute for 10 minutes or until tender.
5. Stir in rice, chicken, sour cream, and soup. Spoon mixture evenly into 2 8x8 casserole dishes.
6. In a medium bowl, stir together crushed crackers, fried onions, 1/4 cup melted butter, paprika, and garlic powder.
7. Sprinkle top of casserole evenly with cracker mixture.
8. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes then uncover and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more.