Chicken & Rice Casserole

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chicken fat (schmaltz)
celery--as much as you like
onion--as much as you like
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth (part reserved stock)
1 cup milk
salt and pepper
2 packets G Washington Golden or 1 boullion cube
2 boil in bag white rice bags
3 cups cooked diced chicken
2 cups sliced sauteed mushrooms
1 cup baby broccoli florets
buttered bread crumbs


Bake 2 chicken breasts and 2 thighs skin on. When done, save all broth and fat that has accumulated in pan. Cool. Separate chicken fat (schmaltz) from broth and save both. Remove skin from chicken and discard. Chop chicken into bite size pieces. Cover with some chicken broth and refrigerate if you're not going to use it right away. (I baked my chicken the night before.)

Melt butter & schmaltz over low heat in a medium saucepan; add onion and celery and cook until translucent. Salt and pepper. Stir in flour, blending well with a wire whisk. Add chicken broth/stock, milk, G. Washington or boullion cube, and salt and pepper again to taste. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, simmer but don't boil for 1 minute. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Spread half of the rice in the bottom of the baking dish; top with half of the chicken, half of the sliced mushrooms and half the broccoli.

Pour in half of the sauce. Repeat layers; sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs to cover. Bake at 350? for 35-45 minutes. I got about 6 servings out of this...big servings.

For bread crumbs I used 2 slices of bread left out for a couple of hours then I rubbed them between my hands til they got *breadcrumby* and 8 townhouse crackers, crushed, mixed with 1/3 cup butter.

It's really important to bake your chicken and save the juices and separate the stock from the schmaltz when cool. Canned chicken broth just won't supply the same flavour.
Posted by Donna on Monday, October 11, 2004 at 09:32 AM
Filed in: Casseroles • ◊ Permalink


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