Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

Classic comfort food. Serves 6-8.

1-1/2 pounds, boneless chicken breasts

3 stalks celery, sliced

3 carrots, sliced into coins/discs

1 chicken bouillon cube (see notes)

1 box Rice-A-Roni Wild Rice mix (made as specified on box, except omit butter)

2 cups cooked brown rice (or 1 bag of Boil-in-Bag rice, see step #2)

6 oz. Sour Cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1-1/2 cups reserved chicken broth/stock (see notes on step #1)

1/4 tsp. Celery Salt

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Ritz Crackers, 1 sleeve, crushed (about 1-1/2 cups approx)

4 TBSP Butter, melted

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Place chicken breasts, chopped celery, carrots and chicken bouillon in large pot. Add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Drain, reserve 1-1/2 cups of broth and set aside. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Set aside along with the cooked vegetables.

2. While chicken is cooking, cook the Wild Rice mix according to package directions (omit the butter).

3. Make the brown rice; I like to use 1 bag of Boil-in-Bag rice. Cook according to directions on the box.

4. In a large bowl, stir together the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, reserved broth and seasonings. Mix in the cooked wild rice, brown rice and shredded cheese. Add the chopped chicken and vegetables.

5. Spoon mixture into a greased 9x13 casserole dish.

6. Crush Ritz crackers and mix with the melted butter. Sprinkle crackers over the top of the casserole.

7. Bake in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!

NOTES:

I use Better Than Bouillon chicken base. 1 tsp = 1 Bouillon cube.

Feel free to use whatever brown rice you prefer. I like to use the boil-in-bag variety, it's quick and easy!

You can sub Panko bread crumbs for the Ritz crackers, although I love the salty and buttery texture of Ritz :)

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