There are probably more recipes for chicken and rice casseroles than Carter has little liver pills (remember that saying?). Church and club recipe books are filled with them, and most are delicious.
Last week, I experimented with a recipe and it too turned out well – except I want to make a few comments about the chicken that goes in the casserole.
Lots of recipes call for boneless, skinless chicken breasts and most cooks buy their chicken like that – meaning they pay about twice as much than if they bought whole breasts and they miss out on a lot of flavor.
Chicken breasts, bone-in and skin-on, are among the best buys in the grocery store. For about $3 or $4, you can buy two huge breast portions and that’s what I used with my casserole recipe. Plus, I bought a package of six chicken thighs, another great value and with the dark meat, a tasty addition to the casserole.
First, and I pulled off all the skin from the breasts and thighs, and with a sharp knife, I ran the blade around the rib bones of the breasts and the thighbone to get my filets. I left a little meat on all the bones and sealed those parts in a Zip Lock bag and put them in the freezer. Next time I need a little stock or something to help make chicken gravy, I’ll get the scraps out and boil them. Waste not, want not.
There is nothing else particularly new or exciting in this recipe, but it is a great comfort food dish – sure to please almost every palette.
Chicken Rice Casserole
2 large breast portions (skin on, bone in)
6 whole thighs
1 can cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 bags of Boil-In Rice
1 soup can chicken stock
1 soup can water
Salt & Pepper to taste
Remove skin and bones from chicken and cut into bite-size portions. Boil the rice first, about 5 minutes, then add all ingredients to a large casserole dish and mix well. Cook with foil on for 60 minutes at 400 degrees, then 15 additional minutes with foil removed. Easy, tasty and economical. Enjoy!