MacNaughton Chicken Rice Casserole

Best Easy Chicken Recipes & Chicken Casserole Recipes

This chicken rice casserole is a long-time favorite in the MacNaughton family. You won't find any better easy chicken recipes or chicken casserole recipes than this one...

I guess you might not really call this a thrown together meal, since I do use a recipe, but it does go together quickly and with the variations I list below the recipe, it can be thrown together even faster.

And it's just so good, I had to include it on my first recipe website! So there!

Chicken Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

2 to 4 chicken breasts or boneless thighs
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cups cooked white rice
Salt & pepper to taste

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 can cream soup
2/3 cup mayonnaise
Crushed potato chips

Directions:

Cook the rice until done, following your usual routine. Boil the eggs too. I usually just throw the eggs in with the rice and cook them together. Might seem weird and messy, but it works.

Cook the chicken either on top of the stove, by boiling in some water or in a casserole in the microwave with water. Either way, cook the celery and onion with the chicken.

When the chicken is done, strain the broth out, retaining it and cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Combine all ingredients together (except the chips) in a 2-quart casserole.

Top with crushed potato chips and bake at 325 for about 30 to 60 minutes.

I know the hard boiled egg and the chips probably sounds a bit weird, but those 2 ingredients are truly what sets this casserole apart. Try them once... I guarantee you're going to love it!

Variations

Use brown rice instead of white
Use leftover cooked chicken or store-bought chicken breast strips
Add in some curry or other seasonings
Use any kind of creamed soup... cream of chicken, cream of celery, cream of mushroom...
Add in other vegetables, such as mushrooms or broccoli
Substitute sour cream for the mayo (but it won't taste as rich)
Add in or top with grated cheese

There really are many ways you could go with this recipe (as you can see by the list below), so once you've tried the original, feel free to let go with your imagination. You really can't go wrong, if you use the thrown together principles. I'm betting, though, that you'll keep coming back to this golden oldie.