Chicken and Rice Casserole

I nearly skipped step 2 and I'm so glad that I didn't!  I really believe the depth of flavors start with this step.  So yes, this is not a recipe for a busy weeknight.  But on a Sunday, I was able to do step 2 earlier in the day and the assemble the casserole closer to the bake time.  For those who are familiar, Costco carries a frozen chicken and rice dish, and this is very similar with much less fat and sodium.  Even my picky daughter cleaned her plate.  So how to make it a five star?  Next time I'll add some sliced mushrooms in with the onion and maybe switch the herb from rosemary to thyme or herbs de provence.  FYI, we got about 6 servings (1.25 cups) out of this.

There is no way that one serving of this dish has 23 grams of protein. If this makes four servings, there would only be 2 ounces of chicken per serving. Wonder if all the numbers are off?

Look, use rotisserie chicken...or make your own shredded up chicken. Make a medium white sauce....that's 2 T flour 2 T Butter and 2 c milk....can reduce milk if you like...blend in cheese I also would probably do my sauce using half stock half milk....or whatever. Saute your veggies...squash sounds lovely...add whatever veggies to taste...onions, mushrooms etc...saute it all up in butter....then go ahead and combine it all. Why this is written to be so labor intensive is ridiculous...doesn't make you a good cook to have it read like a surgical procedure!

I really enjoyed this casserole and I will definitely make this again. Instead of using a chicken breast, I just boiled a few boneless, skinless, chicken breast and shredded them. I also added fresh garlic along with the onion. I added the shredded chicken and the chicken broth and let it reduce with the chicken in the broth. I also seasoned the creamy sauce made with milk. I added salt, pepper. a pinch of red pepper flakes, and some seasoning salt. I also used a casserole cheese mix rather than the fresh Romano the recipe called for.The key to this casserole is seasoning, otherwise it'll turn out pretty bland.  

ALSO, I would mix everything together and then layer the zucchini on the main mixture, then add the cheese on top. 

I really enjoyed this.  True it was a little time taking.. BUT  it was very very good.  I would add more salt.  I added garlic salt and it was mucho better!

I agree with the other reviews...too much work for an OK receive. Prob wont make again.

I agree that this was a little too labor intensivre for the end result. There's got to be easier recipes. It was OK, but I probably won't save it.

I really enjoyed this casserole, but wow, was it time-intensive. It took me about 2 hours of involved cooking time to get this ready and in the oven. I did make a few changes, I used about double the amount of squash and zucchini, and added mushrooms to the mix as well. I also used one boneless skinless chicken breast in place of half a bone-in chicken and it came out just fine. Because of the additional veggies, I found that 1 1/2 cups milk mixture wasn't enough, so I doubled it and it worked perfectly. I used a 9x13 pan and didn't bother broiling. It made 8 servings. I think next time it might be a good idea to double the chicken though. The end result was really delicious, but this is definitely not a quick dish.

It does go into the oven very soupy - don't expect the 2% milk to thicken much with just some flour - but it comes out great. I used my own stock, added a tomato as was suggested below, and used Asiago cheese in place of Romano.  

Just want to note that making the white sauce without butter in the binder will not really lead to its getting thick even after more like 10 minutes. This may not matter but led to some confusion.

I LOVE the butternut in this casserole.. Very different from my usual broccoli chicken casserole. I used coconut oil instead of butter and used mozzarella cheese instead and turned out great.

This recipe was a pain! I cook a lot and even with the short cuts other reviewers mentioned this was just not worth the trouble. Don't get me wrong, it was good but not worth the effort or the dirty dishes. It's just a casserole. If I'm going to spend this much time in the kitchen, it won't be making this.

I really liked this for a casserole. Although, I wouldn't serve a casserole for a special occasion no matter how tasty it was. It came together very well and was a satisfying dish. Everyone lapped it up. I don't usually make casseroles, but I enjoyed this and will make it again. I used wild rice, but otherwise followed the recipe as written.

I thought this was a good recipe but nothing special. I felt like it took a while to make for what you got in the end. I would substitute rotisserie chicken to cut down on the cooking time. I liked the color of the yellow squash and zucchini. This would be a good weeknight meal.

I would not say excellent, but was a nice dish. I used steamed broccoli instead of squash and zucchini, and did not mix all the ingredients together, but layered them into the baking pot (rice, broccoli, chicken, sauce). I added some garlic, which proved to be a good idea.

I like the rosemary in this; makes it standout from other chicken & rice recipes. I also like that it doesn't have that disgusting can cream of 'whatever' soup in it...yuck! I also used boneless, skinless chicken breast, used about 14 ounces, instead of 8 ounces, brown rice instead of white, and non-fat milk in place of 2%. Delicious; will definitely make this again;-).

Enjoyed this immensely and less labor intensive than you might think. Preparing the rice ahead of time and using cooked chicken cuts down on the prep significantly. I used one skillet and just did everything in order. Did the diced onions and chicken broth, then once I added that to the bowl used same skillet for the squash, then did the milk, flour and cheese after that. I used brown basmati rice, fat free half and half instead of 2%, Wondra flour to avoid lumps and shredded Parmesan because that's what I had in the house. My husband doesn't like rosemary so I used Herbes de Provence instead. A definite keeper, it was very flavorful and easy to prepare.

Not fantastic, but not bad. I used frozen broccoli and skipped the step where you boil it. I just mixed the frozen broccoli in with the chicken and went from there. Served over egg noodles with a lettuce salad. I will make this dish again. Nice b/c you can do parts of it ahead of time and assemble for a nice supper. Not "worthy of a special occasion" as it says under this post, (I can interpret reviews on my own and I suspect most people can, myrecipes.com/CookingLight.com) but a nice way to feed the hungry family after a busy day.

This was delicious. I used boneless chicken breast, brown rice, olive oil instead of butter, added 8 oz sliced mushrooms with the squash, and used fat-free evaporated milk. Instead of rosemary, I used Costco's organic salt-free seasoning mix. Broiling at the end makes it perfect.

My husband and I thought this was very tasty, I would make it again. I used the same pot for all the steps, so it wasn't too much in terms of dishes. I used homemade chicken stock and white rice that was already seasoned (with onions, garlic, oil and salt), so that might have made a difference in flavor. Very tasty, I agree broiling at the end is key.

I actually really like this dish. The only thing I substituted was wild long grain rice for the white rice and it turned out really good. I would do the same thing if I made this again. I think the broiling at the end was pretty key to the taste. Made a large amount and re-heated well for lunch the next day.

You know it's a good recipe when your guests want to take leftovers home with them.

Needed a new fresh take on some boring chicken and thought that I would give this dish a try. It ended up excellent! It was flavorful, creamy and rich, definitely will be a staple dish in my home, adult and kid friendly! It didn't take an extremely long time to make; 1 hour start to finish. I changed up some of the steps and added/omitted some ingredients and it turned out great. I added garlic to the onions when I sauted them, used boneless skinless chicken, added white wine vinegar (can also use dry white wine) to the onion broth mixture during the time it cooks down, omitted the rosemary all together as my husband isn't a fan of rosemary, and used parmasean reggiano instead of romano, as I didn't have any romano grated at the time. I also used a multi-grain rice blend which I cooked with chicken stock, and I added freshly diced tomato to the mix prior to baking. This one will not only be a weeknight staple, but I would definitely make this for guests.

We really enjoyed - but I used the recipe to get rid of leftovers. I had grilled chicken breasts and brown and wild rice that had been cooked in chicken broth. I cooked the onions and added slightly more than the 1/4 cup chicken broth - only reduced slightly. I had more chicken than called for so I upped the amounts of other things - my proportions may have been a little different - but it didn't seem to matter. It made great leftovers for lunch. Served with corn on the cob.

This recipe was OK. It would have been much better with cream of chicken instead of the flour/cheese mix. I won't make it again.

I try a lot of new recipes and most of them are keepers-I keep the recipe and make it again. This is one that my family and I did not like at all. It reminded me of the old 1970's casseroles topped with potato chips. The veggies were mushy and it just tasted like processed food. This recipe (and most of the dish) went straight to the garbage.

My whole family loves this recipe! It's a good deal of work but for a huge payout. It is creamy and delicious and fairly inexpensive. It was even better as leftovers. Love this one! If you think it needs more flavor, I would suggest using more pepper on the chicken.

I found this recipe in my August Cooking Light mag and feel in love. It does take several steps but read through and see you can do a few together (cook chicken/rice at the same time and then do the milk/veggies at the same time). It should take 2 pans total plus your casserole dish. I doubled the cheese and chicken but kept everything else the same - turns out great every time!

Really, really good. I subbed in 8 oz of ground turkey breast, brown rice and whole wheat flour. Instead of the rosemary I used 2 tsp of salt free italian seasoning. I also added in about 3 cloves of sauteed garlic. I would definitely make this again. I love that I could make it a day in advance and that way when I got home from work we can just throw it in the oven to finish cooking.

Great inexpensive meal! Super creamy and filling.

This was really good and makes a lot of food for 4 servings! I think it could serve 6 if you served it with a garden salad. I would definitely advise cooking the chicken and rice the night before. Then, the day of, sautee the onion in a pan along with the squash (I also added mushrooms). Add about 2/3 cup broth and simmer until it reduces to 1/2 cup. Pour this mixture into a bowl with the cold rice and shredded chicken (bonus: I find cold chicken easier to shred than warm). Then follow the rest of the recipe as written. I also suggest putting the milk in the saucepan first, then slowly whisking in the flour (rather than vice versa). This prevents clumps of flour from forming.

This was really good and easy!

I agree w/ others that this is a time consuming recipe to make. However, the end result is worth it. I substituted an italian seasoning blend for the rosemary. Next time, I'll try using rotisserie chicken meat in order to cut down on time. I cooked the rice the day before which helped w/ the prep.

I followed the recipe exactly and it took nearly 2 hours for a meal that was not that special. My husband said it was missing "flavor," and I even doubled the amount of fresh rosemary. I would not make this again without major modifications.

Delicious, surprisingly kid friendly, and much quicker to make than a glance at the recipe suggests. (Had mine on the table in 45 min. from start time!) The write-up on this one is overly complicated, and there are steps that can be combined. Here's the short version: 1. Cook the rice; preheat the oven to 400. 2. Meanwhile, chop and saute the onion. 3. Slice 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast the long way into strips. Add strips in to saute with the onion; season. 4. When chicken is brown on one side, turn. After 3 min., add broth. Let simmer. Keep an eye on chicken; when done, remove, let rest till you have a free moment, and then cut up or shred. 5. Slice and saute zucchini. 6. Put flour in saucepan. Gradually add milk. Boil 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 c. cheese. 7. Prep fresh rosemary. 8. Stir everything prepped so far together. Stir in salt. 9. Grease 12x8 casserole dish and pour in mixture. Top with remaining 1/4 c. cheese. 10. Bake 15-20 min. at 400. Broil 3-5 min. till brown. Yum!

This recipe was a hit in my house -- I substituted 2 medium carrots for the yellow squash to up the kid-friendly quotient. I understand the other reviewers complaints about clean up -- however -- I saved a pot by making the cream sauce in the same pot I used to make the rice (I transferred the rice to a bowl.) I would also suggest using dishwasher safe bowls -- and then you only really have 2 pots and a casserole dish to clean. Otherwise, I didn't think it needed alot more attention than, say, a risotto. I think next time I would make it ahead and just heat it up in the evening.

The dish has good flavor, and it's a great way to use some left over veggies (I ended up using some eggplant in mine in addition to the zuchini and squash). The problem with the dish is that it had so many steps and used up so many dishes in the process. The end result needed to taste much better than it did for the work to be worthwhile (and I had even pre-chopped all my veggies the day before). I enjoyed it, but I would never make it again.

I thought this was a very tasty cassserole, however, it took a considerable amount of effort to prepare. It seemed like I dirtied several dishes and pans by the time I was done. Between the prep time, the actual cooking time that requires you to stand by the stove constantly and the clean up time, I'm not sure how often I would actually make this. It did turn out well, though.

I would definitely make again. Only thing...I would have my husband around to clean up after me as I'm cooking.

So good. I'm making my fiancé a believer in healthy food! I substituted dried Rosemary, brown rice, leftover chicken and eggplant.