My Comfort Casserole
As long as I can remember, my mom has made this casserole for the family and it was always one of my favorite dishes. It is my comfort food which I still make to this day. When I first moved out and I was learning how to cook, this is one of the first dishes that I learned how to make. I make it when I need to whip something up quickly, comfort friends with food, or just need leftovers to last a couple of days. It has passed my test, my husband's test, and I have fed it to several of my friends so I thought that I should finally share!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of shredded chicken (This was approximately 3 chicken thighs for me.)
Chicken broth (Enough for cooking the chicken)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of milk
1 cup of cooked rice
3/4 cup of frozen chopped broccoli (I typically eyeball this...)
2 cups of sharp shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Optional:
Rolls/bread (This meal tastes delicious with a side of bread or rolls. My diet just doesn't allow it!)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook the chicken in a pan on the stovetop in a little bit of chicken broth (for moisture and flavoring).
3. Cook the rice according to the directions.
4. While the rice and chicken are cooking, in a mixing bowl combine: the onion, cream of mushroom soup, milk, salt and pepper, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
5. Once the chicken has finished cooking, shred the chicken and add to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
6. Once the rice has finished cooking, add to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
7. Stir all of the ingredients.
8. Spray a 9x13 pan and add all of the ingredients from the mixing bowl.
9. Cook in the oven for 30.
10. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the additional 1 cup of the shredded cheese on top.
11. Cook an additional 20-30 minutes until the cheese has melted and the casserole has thickened/settled.
12. Let the casserole settle approximately 5 minutes outside of the oven before eating it. Enjoy!
Chris' rating: 4/5.