My Mom's Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

Submitted by LA286570

"I could eat a whole pan of this. ..I've found that the texture of the sauce comes out grainy when I use pre-shredded bags of cheese - for best results, use a good quality block of cheese and grate it yourself. ..I hope you enjoy this! It's pure comfort food to me."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 (1 lb) bag frozen broccoli florets or (1 lb) bag frozen broccoli cuts
• 1 1⁄2 cups raw white rice
• salt
• paprika

• For the sauce

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese or 8 ounces cracker barrel white cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Start the broccoli and rice:

3. Cook broccoli and rice as per the package instructions.
4. When broccoli is done, drain, let cool and dice.
5. Mix chicken, broccoli, and rice in a greased 9 x 13 pan.

6. For the sauce:

7. Heat half and half in microwave til bubbles appear around sides of bowl, but it does not boil. Set aside.
8. Melt butter in small saucepan.
9. Add flour and stir crazily til incorporated but not browned.
10. Add half and half.
11. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking continuously.
12. Reduce heat, and gradually add cheese, whisking to incorporate, til melted.
13. Add cream of mushroom soup gradually, whisking til incorporated.
14. Pour sauce over the dry ingredients and combine well.
15. Season to taste with salt.
16. Cover casserole with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
17. Uncover and let bake 15 minutes.
18. Garnish with paprika.

Reviews

[Michelle70]

This was very tasty. I like the idea of making a cheese sauce instead of just adding the shredded cheese. I made some changes for my taste. I sauteed onions and garlic and added it to the mixture. I steamed the broccoli until it was crisp tender to prevent it from turning to mush while baking. I did make the cheese sauce with a shredded cheese blend from a bag. If the sauce is made properly, there will be no "grainy" texture. The flour and butter needs to be cooked for a few minutes to ensure there is no raw taste. The half-and-half must be add at room temperature. Stir gently until the sauce can coat the back of a spoon. You can then add the cheese slowly and mix gently until well blended. Thus a perfect cheese sauce. This a great comfort food that I enjoyed as a child.

 

[PBF6095]

The kids and I thought it was terrific, great for nights when you want comfort carbs. My husband thought it was on the bland side (but still he went back for seconds). I made half the recipe and we still had left over with our family of five. I made it with whole milk instead of the half and half because that's what I had on hand, and it was still very much creamy and good. I'll make this again (maybe when my husband is out of town and I just need the kids to eat and go to bed!) It was very easy to make, another plus. Thanks!!

 

[reynolds.810s]

Making homemade cheese sauce adds a great touch. I add a little more seasoning to it, and usually use cream of chicken, and sharp cheddar cheese. Great recipe

 

[spartanfish]

This was good, but I might make extra cheese sauce next time and put it all in a bigger pan. It seems like the rice and chicken absorbed most of my sauce and the casserole ended up a little dry even though it initially looked like there was a lot of sauce. Thanks for the recipe!

 

[Clark6122]

This is really yummy! I used whole grain rice and didn't chop my broccoli, left if as florets, and put cheese on top. This was a favorite and we will have it again.