Chicken Spectacular Casserole

Hattie Kemp

Deciding what to eat for dinner is a daily dilemma we all face.

Packaged macaroni and cheese and the ever-popular Ramen noodles, staples of the average college student’s diet, are cheap and easy to prepare but not very nutritious and can become very boring.

On the other hand, eating out and buying frozen pre-made meals can be quite expensive.

Never fear, for this week I have come to your rescue with a delicious easy-to-fix recipe I believe you will enjoy.

I have given options for using canned or precooked chicken, but it would be cheaper for you to cook it yourself as I do.

Chicken Spectacular Casserole
6-8 servings
Supplies Needed:
Medium-sized saucepan with lid
Measuring cups for dry and wet ingredients
Measuring spoons
Medium or large mixing bowl
Large spoon
Cutting board
Knife
2-quart-sized casserole
Ingredients:
1 package (6 ounces) Uncle Bens Long Grain and Wild Rice mix (original or herb-roasted chicken flavor).
2 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon margarine
1 can (16 ounces) chicken, drained and broken into small pieces (You can substitute 3, 5-oz. cans, 2, 10-oz. cans or just 1, 12.5-oz. can. You need 1½-2 cups of cooked chicken.
1 can (10.5 ounces) low-fat cream of chicken soup (I use Walmart Great Value brand.)
1 can (16 ounces) cut green beans, drained (Any type of cut is fine.)
1 cup of mayonnaise (I use a low-fat type made with olive oil.)
½ cup chopped celery (about ½ a stalk)
½ cup chopped onion (You can substitute 1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion, saving time and tears.)
Cooking spray (I use Walmart Great Value canola oil spray.)

(This recipe will be good without the celery and/or the onions but more flavorful with them.)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
If using the celery, wash then chop ½ cup into small ¼-inch pieces. Place into saucepan.
If using the onion, peel then chop ½ cup into small ¼-inch pieces. Place into saucepan.

Open rice-mix package and pour rice and contents of seasoning packet into saucepan.

Measure 2 ¼ cups of water and pour into saucepan, along with one tablespoon of margarine. Stir well. Heat on stove on medium high. When mixture starts to boil, lower temperature to low and cover with lid. Set a timer for 20 minutes. When timer goes off, check to see if all the moisture has evaporated from rice. If it has not, replace lid and cook for five more minutes.

While the rice is cooking, place the soup and mayonnaise in a mixing bowl, stirring to combine. Then add the drained chicken. Using the spoon or your fingers, break apart the chicken into small pieces and stir thoroughly. Add the drained green beans and stir.

When rice is done, add it to the chicken mixture and stir. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish, which has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.