Was your lunch this yummy today? Mine was, but then I'm a leftovers-lady. :) I mentioned that we'd be eating turkey, broccoli and rice casserole on Monday and thought maybe you'd like to inspect my version of the recipe!
The old stand-by uses a can or two of cream-of-something soup, as so many of the casseroles of our mothers and grandmothers did. Of course, canned soup is not the healthiest or most natural thing you can put in your body, but it is such a yummy winter meal! Inspired by a few recipes I saw on Pinterest, I decided to try making my own cream base and adding cream cheese for the richness factor. I included some fresh lime juice for added dimension and, of course, lots of freshly ground black pepper! I suppose the original dish was quicker to make, but if you're used to making your own roux base for macaroni and cheese, this won't seem so bad. :)
Can-less Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice Casserole
1 head of broccoli
Approx. 1 pound of chicken, cooked
Approx. 2 cups rice, cooked (1 cup uncooked, and I usually use brown)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
Juice of half a lime
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 box (8 oz) cream cheese (easier if softener!)
Approx. 1 cup cheddar, shredded
1) Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces and steam. Cook rice and chicken, if necessary. Cut/pull chicken into bite-size pieces as well.
2) In a heavy saucepan (I prefer a Dutcj oven), melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until nice and fragrant.
3) Stir in milk all at once and cook several minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and boils.
4) Reduce heat and season with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cream cheese until smooth.
5) Remove from hear and stir in chicken, broccoli and rice! Pour into a greased casserole and top with shredded cheese.
6) Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes, until heated through and bubbling a little bit.
I hope you like dairy, because there's a lot of it in this dish! It might be fun to substitute chicken stock for some or all of the milk. Thankfully, my version is heavy on the broccoli, too. :)
Blue plate and sweet potato casserole optional but recommended. :)
