Chicken, Mushroom, Broccoli, and Rice Casserole

Chicken, Mushroom, Broccoli, and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 (4 oz) box of Farmhouse Long Grain & Wild Rice (or your favorite brand), prepared per instructions
• 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 lb mushrooms, quartered
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 1 cup of broccoli florets
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed (I use leftover roasted chicken meat)
• 1 (10¾-oz) can of Cream of Chicken soup
• 1 (10¾-oz) can of Cream of Celery soup
• ½-¾ cup mayonnaise, to taste
• 1 (6-oz) can of sliced water chestnuts, drained & diced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Topping Ingredient Options (optional): 

• Crispy fried onions
• Ritz crackers, crushed
• Panko crumbs

How to Make a Chicken, Mushroom, Broccoli, and Rice Casserole:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the box of rice in a small saucepan according to the package instructions. Set aside to cool until needed.

In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of butter or oil and cook the mushrooms until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside until needed.

Add the remaining tablespoon of butter or oil to the large skillet and cook the onions and celery, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Using a steamer, steam the broccoli until fork-tender, then set it aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the rice, mushrooms, onion, celery, broccoli, chicken, cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, mayonnaise, water chestnuts, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper to taste, together and mix well.

Pour into a baking dish and heat uncovered for 30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy.

Side Note: For added decadence and/or texture, top the casserole with French’s crispy fried onions, crushed Ritz crackers, or panko crumbs after the first 15 minutes of baking. Continue baking for the remaining 15 minutes.