Cheesy Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

I was intrigued when stumbling upon this recipe on pinterest.  The description had something to do with, "You had me at no mayo, no cream soup...."  I clicked on the recipe & thought, that is easy enough & sounds delicious, so I made it & I was not disappointed.  I like my cream soups, & mayo, don't get me wrong; I think half of my recipes use at least the cream soup, but this casserole is flavorful & oh so cheesy.  So not quite sure if you are saving any calories, or fat for that matter.  But it still has that creamy pleasing texture for your palate.

Cheesy Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

Recipe by Picky Palate & barely altered by: Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

Filling:

• 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you can use a lot less if you put it in your oil spritzer & use that to coat the pan)
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled & diced
• 2 Tbsp fresh minced garlic (I think I did about 5 cloves)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 cups shredded chicken breast (I cheated & used a 13oz can of chicken, not equal to 2 cups, but it was enough for me)
• 2 cups steamed white rice (I used minute white rice)
• 2 cups prepared wild rice
• I bought a wild rice mixture from Walmart & put it in my slow cooker in the morning.  The package said to cook it 50 minutes on the stovetop, & it took 2 1/2 hours in my slow cooker on low using the exact measurements of rice to water as if I were doing it on the stovetop.  Turned out fluffy & moist.  I then put it in the fridge until I was ready to make my casserole, but if you plan ahead you can do it just before you put the casserole together.  Or if you have a Trader Joes, they have a prepared wild rice that you can purchase.

Cheese Sauce:

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used mild)
• Top with 1 cup (+) shredded cheddar cheese (I used medium)

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.  Heat oil in a pot (or heavily spray pot with oil spritzer) over medium heat.  Saute onion, celery & carrots until softened; about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic, salt, pepper, & garlic powder.  Cook for 1 minute.  Stir in chicken & both prepared rices.  Reduce heat to low & keep warm.
2. For cheese sauce: melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk flour, salt & pepper, then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.  Whisk until thick & nearly boiling.  Remove from heat & stir in cheese until melted.  
3. Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture, fold to coat everything, then transfer to a greased 9x13" baking dish.  Top with additional cheddar cheese & bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly & cheese is melted through.  Serve.  Makes 8-10 servings.

I was intrigued when stumbling upon this recipe on pinterest.  The description had something to do with, "You had me at no mayo, no cream soup...."  I clicked on the recipe & thought, that is easy enough & sounds delicious, so I made it & I was not disappointed.  I like my cream soups, & mayo, don't get me wrong; I think half of my recipes use at least the cream soup, but this casserole is flavorful & oh so cheesy.  So not quite sure if you are saving any calories, or fat for that matter.  But it still has that creamy pleasing texture for your palate.

Cheesy Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

Recipe by Picky Palate & barely altered by: Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

Filling:

• 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you can use a lot less if you put it in your oil spritzer & use that to coat the pan)
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled & diced
• 2 Tbsp fresh minced garlic (I think I did about 5 cloves)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 cups shredded chicken breast (I cheated & used a 13oz can of chicken, not equal to 2 cups, but it was enough for me)
• 2 cups steamed white rice (I used minute white rice)
• 2 cups prepared wild rice
• I bought a wild rice mixture from Walmart & put it in my slow cooker in the morning.  The package said to cook it 50 minutes on the stovetop, & it took 2 1/2 hours in my slow cooker on low using the exact measurements of rice to water as if I were doing it on the stovetop.  Turned out fluffy & moist.  I then put it in the fridge until I was ready to make my casserole, but if you plan ahead you can do it just before you put the casserole together.  Or if you have a Trader Joes, they have a prepared wild rice that you can purchase.

Cheese Sauce:

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used mild)
• Top with 1 cup (+) shredded cheddar cheese (I used medium)

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.  Heat oil in a pot (or heavily spray pot with oil spritzer) over medium heat.  Saute onion, celery & carrots until softened; about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic, salt, pepper, & garlic powder.  Cook for 1 minute.  Stir in chicken & both prepared rices.  Reduce heat to low & keep warm.
2. For cheese sauce: melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk flour, salt & pepper, then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.  Whisk until thick & nearly boiling.  Remove from heat & stir in cheese until melted.  
3. Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture, fold to coat everything, then transfer to a greased 9x13" baking dish.  Top with additional cheddar cheese & bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly & cheese is melted through.  Serve.  Makes 8-10 servings.