Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

I was desperate for something different, but still pretty easy the other night. I found this recipe to use as a starting point. And of course I had to change it like I always do!

I started off by getting 3 cups of rice (dry) to 4 cups of chicken broth and 1.5 cups of water going in the rice cooker.

While that was cooking I made the cheese soup just how it is in the recipe - it was my first time ever making cheese soup! Not only that, but my first time ever making a roux! It was pretty easy, actually.

Cheddar Cheese Soup: (directly from the site)
Makes the equivalent of one can (10 ¾ ounces) of condensed cheddar cheese soup

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup whole milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan on low heat.

2. Gradually add flour and whisk constantly until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

3. Slowly add milk, whisking to maintain smoothness.

4. Cook this mixture over low heat until thickened, whisking as it cooks (about 5-7 minutes).

5. Add the cheese and stir until smooth and well blended.

For the casserole I blended together the majority of the rice (I didn't quite use all of it, I wasn't entirely sure how much I would use and leftovers rarely go to waste around here!) and about 1.5-2 lbs of chicken breast all chopped into roughly 1" cubes, the cheese soup that I made, broccoli cut into bite sized pieces, and a can of condensed cream of chicken soup. I stirred all of that together and then added about a teaspoon and a half of minced garlic and a sprinkling of chili powder, and a sprinkling of parsley. Stir it all up again and then sprinkled on the french fried onions and a little bit more chili powder. A very light barely there dusting this time. Then popped it into the oven at 350 for 25 minutes.

While that was baking I used a medium sized pot to cook about half a large bag of baby carrots in butter and honey over medium heat. They need to be stirred semi frequently so that they all cook equally.

Thankfully it all finished cooking at almost exactly the same time! But sadly I took NO pictures of it. Since the main food was all a complete experiment for me I didn't take any. I should really know better by now. I think there have only been a couple of dinners I have made in the last 10 years that have NOT been worth remembering again!

Note to self: Always take pictures!! But if you clicked on the link above it looked pretty similar to their picture.