The conversation at my house last night:
“Gary, what do you want for dinner tonight?”
“I don’t know. What do you want?”
“Oh, I don’t know. What do you want?”
Sound familiar?
I named off some possibilities, but nothing moved us—until I asked, “How about a casserole?” Yes. I had finally answered the dinner quiz question. Gary loves casseroles, and so do I every now and then. I guess they remind us of the comfort food of our childhood. Instead of using a processed cream soup, I made an easy, all-natural cream sauce. I used whole milk, but you could go healthier by adding a lighter milk, or you could go all-out indulgent and use half-and-half or cream. I opted for brown rice, and instead of the traditional bread crumb topping, I added sliced almonds for a little crunch.
Chicken and Cheddar Casserole
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 ½ cups grated Cheddar cheese, divided
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
3 cups cooked white or brown rice
3 cups cooked chopped chicken
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Sliced or slivered almonds (optional)
Sliced green onions (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring to prevent garlic from burning. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Pour in stock, and cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Add milk, 1 cup of the cheese, and season to taste. Cook until cheese is melted. Add chicken, rice, and parsley.
Pour mixture into a casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes until casserole is bubbly. Top each serving with almonds and green onions if desired.
Gary went back for seconds—three times.
