Comforting Chicken Casserole

Not quite a year ago Sumner called me and asked what I thought about starting a Book Club. I love to read and to discuss books, so I was very excited thought it was a great idea! Sure enough there were several other people who felt the same way and shortly thereafter the Edgewood Book Club was underway. (It is an open Book Club, so new members are welcome anytime. If you are interested in joining just email me.) About every six weeks we get together at one of the members homes and eat, drink a glass of wine, and discuss the most recent book. I have really enjoyed the camaraderie and reading books that I may not have picked out on my own.

This week it was my turn to host and therefore I was responsible for the main course. We have been really busy lately and I had the Bachelorette on Monday and a meeting on Tuesday night, so I needed a dish that could be made ahead and wouldn’t take a lot of time or work to make. Russ suggested Chicken Tetrazzini which can be made ahead of time, but is still a fair amount of work and a little time consuming. I talked to Mom and she mentioned one of her casseroles, Chicken Spectacular. I don’t tend to make a lot of casseroles, so I tend to forget that my Mother has lots of wonderful casserole recipes that I grew up eating and find just as yummy and comforting now as I did then. Sometime soon I need to go copy more of Mom’s casserole recipes down and give them a try.

To make Mom’s Chicken Spectacular you start by boiling chicken breasts (I used bone in, skin on breasts) in water until they are just cooked through. Then remove them from the water, let them cool, and shred the chicken. Next cook the curry rice by using the chicken stock from cooking the chicken instead of water. Once the rice is cooked, combine the chicken and other ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined. Then spread the mixture into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes to one hour or until warm all the way through.

The Chicken Spectacular was wonderful! It not only worked well for my hectic schedule this week, but it was tasty, filling, warm and true comfort food. Everyone at book club seemed to enjoy it and Russ and I plan to polish off the leftovers for lunch this week. The combination of rice, chicken and green beans is excellent and the curry from the rice gives the dish a real warmth and depth to it. Be sure and include the water chestnuts as the crunch they add really balances out the soft texture of the dish. The only change I would make next time is to add one more can of green beans. I don’t think you have to, but I would prefer a few more beans in it. This may require additional cream of celery or mayonnaise to be added to keep the consistency and prevent it from being too dry. This was very yummy and it would be great to make ahead and freeze if you want to stock your freezer. Russ rates the casserole a 9.

Mom’s Chicken Spectacular

Ingredients:
Chicken (3 to 4 breasts depending on the size), cooked and shredded
1 can Del Monte seasoned French green beans, drained (I plan to use 2 cans next time)
1 small box of curried rice
1 can of water chestnuts, sliced and cut into quarters
3 to 5 Tablespoons chopped onion
1 can of cream of celery soup
¾ to 1 cup of mayonnaise
1 medium size jar of pimento, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the chicken in water. Once it is cooked, remove it from the water, allow to cool, and shred. Use the water from cooking the chicken to cook the rice following the directions on the package (just replacing water with the chicken stock). Once the rice is cooked, combine all ingredients, and mix until they are combined. Spread the mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 40 minutes to one hour or until it is warm all the way through. Bake uncovered, however, check it periodically and if it is getting too brown on top then cover the dish with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.