A Different Spin on Chicken and Rice Casserole

Chicken and rice casserole is one of those staple comfort foods that everyone has tasted. There are variations on it depending on who is preparing the meal, but for the most part, the recipes tend to be made similarly, and nearly always including cream of chicken soup.

As we all know, that isn't the healthiest choice in ingredients and it is also highly processed.  So about two years ago when I started making an active choice to avoid as many processed foods as possible and also to start changing our diet for our health, I came across this recipe in one of my many cookbooks.  We tried it once and it has been the way that I've prepared chicken and rice casserole ever since that time!

So what do you need?  Gather up:

1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
3 cups white rice (you could substitute brown, but I haven't quite mastered the cook time difference with that yet!)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 cups chicken broth
2-3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen peas


In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper.  Add the chopped chicken to the bowl, stirring to coat well and then cover and let marinate at room temperature for about half an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Now is a good time to chop up your veggies while you are allowing the chicken to marinate.

Use a large oven safe pot or a Dutch oven and heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  When it is hot, add the onion and saute until golden.  Add the garlic and saute for a few seconds until fragrant.  Next stir in the ginger well.  Toss in your chicken AND the marinade and cook until it is just starting to brown.

Turn the heat down to medium and then add the paprika, mixing well.  Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly for around two minutes.

Add the chicken broth and the carrots and bring to a boil.   Cover and place in the oven.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Add your peas and bake for about 5 more minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

Ta da!  A fantastic, tasty, and healthy dish!

Occasionally we give it an Asian-inspired taste by adding duck or shrimp, or soy sauce.  It's a very versatile dish that you could personalize in a number of ways to suit the tastes of your family.

How do you prepare chicken and rice casserole?

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