Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole

Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole

How does one write a foodie blog when one stops cooking anything new? Between camping, birthdays, and work, I’ve not had a chance to whip up any new creations lately. So for today’s blog, I give you my snoozer of a picture for this casserole recipe. I seriously need some food photography tips. I mean, how boring is this photo? And you can’t even see what’s under the crust. No spoon, fork, pretty towel, or ANYTHING to look at besides a round crusty topping.

OK, enough of my whining and on with the recipe. I beg you not to make this with canned cream soup. Pretty Please? I know this casserole dirties up quite a few pots and pans, but you can minimize the mess by using a deli-roasted chicken instead of cooking the chicken to make the chicken broth to make the cream soup base, because you’ll already have some stock in the freezer, right?

Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole

1 cup rice, uncooked
1 batch homemade cream of mushroom or chicken soup. Recipe here: http://bit.ly/AnHON3
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
Chicken broth, if needed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Olive oil spray
1 cup cornflakes, crushed, more if needed

Cook the rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, make a batch of cream soup, or defrost it if you have some stocked in the freezer. Steam the broccoli in the microwave with a little water and the lemon juice, or you may steam it by conventional methods. Once everything is all cooked up and ready, mix the cooked rice, cream soup, broccoli, chicken, and half the cheese in a large bowl. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little chicken broth until the desired consistency. Lightly spray a casserole dish with olive oil spray, then pour the mixture into it. In a baggie or on a plate, combine the crushed cornflakes and the rest of the cheese. Evenly coat the casserole with the topping. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about a half hour. Good comfort food!

P.S. I thought I would add that you can add 1/2 cup of sour cream (low-fat, regular, etc.) to make it creamier. I left it out this time for my hubby’s health.

Advertisement

I Love My Crock Pot

Chicken and Artichokes with Broccoli and Tomatoes

Not just any crock pot, but my faithful crock pot from the early 80s with the lovely orange and brown motif and the non-removable ceramic crock. For years I cursed the fact that it was an all-in-one appliance, and couldn’t wait to get a new one where I could put the crock in the dishwasher. But after having my first one stop working after a few years, and the replacement one for that cook everything on High no matter what setting I put it on, I have made peace with old faithful.

Old Faithful

We make crock pot meals a lot at our house. With both heads of household working full-time, it is great to be able to throw a bunch of ingredients in the pot in the morning and come home to the delicious aroma of dinner, ready and waiting when we are. Even if I’m working from home, it’s also nice I can put together something during a break and cook it on high and still have time to relax after work.

More often then not, our crock pot meals don’t follow a defined recipe, as it usually depends on what we happen to have in the fridge, freezer or pantry at the time. A few months ago I came across a sale on jarred artichoke hearts and bought several jars. We also happened to have some chicken breasts needing to be cooked, so I experimented and came up with the following recipe. We ended up serving it over noodles but I think rice would have been just as delicious. I also steamed some broccoli, chopped up some fresh tomatoes, and sprinkled Parmesan cheese over it. Mmm mmm good!

Chicken and Artichoke Crock Pot

One can or homemade recipe of cream of chicken soup. Recipe here: http://bit.ly/AnHON3
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 6.5 ounce jars of drained marinated artichoke hearts
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Lemon pepper
Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Blend

Mix the cream of chicken soup with the mayo, then stir in the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Add the two jars of artichokes and mix together. Season the chicken breasts with lemon pepper and garlic and herb seasoning, then place in crock pot. Pour the artichoke soup mixture over it and cook on High for three or four hours. Serve over rice or noodles, with vegetables of choice.