Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole

I think my mom found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine a long time ago. If you are looking for ultimate comfort food, you have come to the right recipe. If you are looking for a healthy recipe, RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!! This is so good though and does not contain any "cream of ... soups." A lot of times I make it for my friends who have babies. Actually, this is the only time I make it. It's a special occasion! I just brought this to a friend yesterday and she said her boys said it was the best food ever! So, now you have to give this a try. This can probably easily feed 8 people so that is why I make it for friends. I will make a small loaf pan size for my husband and I, then I put the rest in a 9x13 inch pan for friends! Works out great!

• 4 cups cooked rice (I used brown rice and you can't tell a difference. Great time to get some whole grains, may be the healthiest thing in this recipe!)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk (I used skim and it still thickened beautifully!)
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
• 12 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 2 cups sour cream

Optional Cracker topping:

• 1 1/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Start out by spreading the rice in the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch pan. In a large saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour until smooth. Do this over medium heat as not to burn the butter/flour. Add milk, chicken bouillon granules, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir 2-3 minutes until thickened. Reduce heat and add Velveeta cheese and sour cream. Continue to stir until cheese is melted. Add chicken and mix well. Remove from heat and pour over rice. (At this point, if you are planning to add the cracker topping, mix crackers and butter and evenly spread over casserole.) Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-30 minutes until heated through.


***This dish can be made ahead and served later. Just keep these things in mind. First, you will need to add cooking time as it will be cold out of the refrigerator. Second, it will not be as creamy because the rice will absorb some of the cheese mixture. It still turns out great, but just a few things to keep in mind***