Chicken Wild Rice Casserole

This is a great recipe that incorporates comfort food, healthy ingredients and offers a chance to get creative with seasonings, flavors and spices.

Total Time: 2 Hours, 5 Minutes (Prep - 20 Minutes / Cook - 1 Hour, 45 Minutes)

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 onion

• 5 carrots

• 5 stalks of celery

• 1 cup wild rice

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

• 10 tablespoons butter, divided

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

• 4 tablespoons flour

• 2 cups milk

• 3-4 cups cubed bread, dry or day-old

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Chop the onion, carrots and celery. Place in a large baking dish. Add the wild rice and the broth. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes.

3. When the rice is almost done, melt four tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

4. Add the flour, salt and poultry seasoning and cook for one minute. Add the milk slowly, whisking to form a thick, creamy sauce.

5. Melt the remaining six tablespoons of butter and toss with the bread cubes. When the rice is done, remove the foil, add raw chicken and creamy sauce and stir to combine.

6. Arrange the bread in a layer on top. Turn the heat up to 450 degrees and bake uncovered for another 20-30 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink and the bread cubes are golden brown.

7. Top with salt, pepper and/or parsley for a pop of color.

Tips

* You can also make this without the bread topping if you want to cut down the carbs and the gluten.