Chicken & Rice Casserole

This is my version of Chicken & Rice Casserole. My friend Thad could eat this every day. Everytime he visits, this is what he wants me to cook. This recipe came from my mom but like always, I put my own twist on it. I never follow a recipe exactly like you are supposed to. I use recipes as a guide but do them my way and make them my own.

This recipe is creamy and oh so yummy. The good thing about it is that you will have leftovers the next day as long as you don't have a Thad like I do. If you have a Thad then it will be gone in a few hours. I have bad stomach trouble so this is something that is very easy on the stomach. This is comfort food for sure. Okay on to the recipe.....


Ingredients:

2 lbs. Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 lb. Creole Rice or Regular Rice (Creole tastes Best)
1 can Cream of Chicken (10 3/4 oz.)
1 can Cream of Mushroom (10 3/4 oz.)
4 stalks Celery
3 tbsp. Garlic or Minced Garlic
4-5 strands of Green Onions
1 Shallot or Small Onion
4 tbsp. Butter (Salted/Unsalted)
4tbsp. Olive Oil (Extra Virgin is best)
2 cup Mayonnaise
10 Slices Provolone Cheese
10 Slices Colby Jack Cheese

Add your chicken to a pot of water. Season your water really good. I normally season my water with garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, salt, and pepper. You are going to make your own stock. While your chicken is boiling, go ahead and chop up your garlic, green onions, celery, and shallot/small onion. Add butter and olive oil to a sauté pan. Once melted, add your vegetables you just chopped up. You are going to sauté them until they are soft and translucent. Now if you don't like the taste of Olive Oil then use 1 stick of butter and leave out the Olive Oil. By this time, your chicken should be done. Once your chicken is done, remove your chicken from the water. KEEP the water. DO NOT drain the water. You may need to add a bit more water to the pot but once your water starts boiling, you are going to add your rice to it. This gives the rice flavor. You created stock from boiling your chicken in seasoned water. Trust me, the rice is going to taste flavorful and yummy.

You are going to need a large baking dish. I normally buy the disposable aluminum baking pans. I use a roaster pan or the lasagna pan. Don't get the really big lasagna pans. That will be way too big. You need something long or either something deep. I usually get one that is 15inches by something.

Go ahead and pull apart your chicken or shred it with a fork. Once your rice is done, go ahead and strain it and give it a good rinse. Add your rice, shredded chicken, sauteed vegetables, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, and mayonnaise to the baking dish and mix well. I normally use my hands to mix everything together. Yes it is very messy but at least everything is blended well. Give it a taste and see if it needs any seasoning. If it needs some seasoning then go ahead and season it a bit. Spread it out evenly in the pan and top with cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 mins at 350. Serve with some yeast rolls and enjoy!

Chicken Carbonara My Way

This recipe is done my way. It is sooooo creamy and good! It is loaded with fat so if you are allergic to fat then don't try it. Just click the x at the top of the page and get out of here. I can feel my hips getting bigger as I eat this delicious bowl of pasta.

Now let me say that my kids are not big on some cheeses. They don't like alot of parmesan or asiago type cheeses. So I invented this recipe so that we both can enjoy it. On to the recipe....


Ingredients:

1.25 lbs of Chicken Breast
1 Onion
3 cloves Garlic
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tbsp. Butter (Salted/Unsalted)
1/2 lb Bacon (Center Cut is Best)
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
4 oz. Cream Cheese
1 lb. Farfalle Pasta
1 cup of Mushrooms (Optional)
1/2 cup Chicken Broth (If you don't use your own)


Go ahead and add your bacon to the oven at 400 for 30mins or you can fry it in a pan. Some ovens will vary so keep an eye on it. You want it to be crispy. Once the bacon is done, drain the fat and let it sit on some paper towels. While your bacon is in the oven or frying, go ahead and chop up the onion and garlic.

Add 4-6 quarts of water to a pot. Add your chicken. Season your water really good because you are going to make your own chicken broth. I usually season my water with Salt, Pepper, Seasoned Salt, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder. Boil your chicken in your water until your chicken is done. Remove your chicken from your water. DO NOT empty your water. You are going to add your pasta to your water. You may need to add a little bit more water to your pot to boil your pasta. Boil your pasta until it is al dente. Drain pasta and let it sit. I give mine a little rinse so it doesn't stick to my strainer. Reserve 1/2 cup of water/broth from the pot before you empty your pot. If you don't want to use your own chicken broth then you can substitute it for 1/2 cup of store bought Chicken Broth.

In a sauté pan, add 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once melted, add your onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté until the onions and garlic are translucent. Add 1/2 cup of Chicken Broth to pan and let evaporate. Add 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream, 4 oz. Cream Cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese to your pan and let simmer until your sauce is to the consistency that you want. You can season your sauce a bit but don't season it too much because you are going to add bacon at the end and it has salt in it. Once your sauce is to the consistency that you want, add in your chicken, let it simmer for another 5 mins then add in your pasta. Give it a good stir until your pasta is coated with your sauce really good. Crumble up your bacon on top of your pasta and serve. Enjoy!

Seafood Chowder

This is one of my favorite recipes and one that is requested of me to cook. Everyone is always wanting this. The good thing about this recipe is that you have leftovers! If you are like me, you don't really want to cook every night especially when you have something to do the next day. This recipe is one that my Granny never got to try. She passed away before I started making this dish but I know if she were alive she would absolutely love it!

WARNING! This recipe along with just about all of my other recipes are not for dieters! If you are allergic to fat then proceed with caution lol :-) Okay so at least I am using half and half instead of heavy whipping cream in this dish. Things could always be worse you know ;-) You have to understand that I come from the South. Here in the South, we cook with lots of butter, whipping cream, etc. I promise this will be delicious and you won't be sorry you made it! Okay enough chit chat, let's start with the recipe.

You can use any combination of seafood that you want with this recipe. It all tastes really good. You can use only shrimp, only crawfish, only lump crab, etc. If you do it that way then you are going to need to use 2 lbs. of whatever you decide to use. If you do the combination then use 1 lb. of each.

Ingredients:

1 stick Butter (Salted or Unsalted)

1 bunch Green Onions

1 tbsp Garlic/Minced Garlic

1 can New England Clam Chowder (10 3/4 oz.)

1 can Cream of Potato (10 3/4 oz.)

2 cans Whole Kernel Corn w/juice (15 oz.)

1 package Cream Cheese Softened (8 oz.)

1 pint Half and Half

1 lb. Crawfish Tails

1 lb. Shrimp

1-2 tbsp Tony Chachere's

Chop up your green onions and garlic, if you are using fresh garlic. Peel your shrimp and give them a good rinse. I normally get a strainer and rinse my crawfish tails really well too unless I am using fresh tails, then don't worry about rinsing those. Melt your butter in a sauté pan. Add your green onions and garlic. Once the green onions and garlic are translucent, add your crawfish tails and shrimp in. Sauté those until they are just opaque.

Empty your items that you just sauteed in a pot that you are going to cook your chowder in. Add in your New England Clam Chowder, Cream of Potato, 2 cans of Corn w/juice, and Cream Cheese in the pot. Give it a good stir. Pour in the half and half. Add 1-2 tbsp. of Tony Chachere's in for seasoning. Stir and cook on low for 30mins. Serve over rice or noodles.

I eat this over jasmine rice that has been cleaned and cooked in a rice cooker. I have never tried it with noodles so I am not sure how the noodles would taste. I know the jasmine rice is to die for. Trust me, you will want to eat this over jasmine rice as well.

This is simple and very good! You will have leftovers for tomorrow night. Enjoy!