Broccoli Chicken Rice Casserole

[Mike]

Last year was the first time I'd ever planted broccoli. I've never been a huge fan of it, personally. After growing it myself, however, my mind was drastically changed! Broccoli was the top vegetable in terms of difference from store bought, out of everything we grew last year. The taste was not as bitter as I remember from store-bought, and the flavor was much, MUCH more prominent.

We cooked this recipe, just to kinda hide the broccoli taste a bit, but it was still so strong and, the best part, it was a great surprise! In fact, we've made this again since then, and we even added extra broccoli.

Ingredients​

2 1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade is best)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cups white rice, uncooked (we used long grain)
2 cups broccoli florets (if it's garden fresh, use more and thank me later)
2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded (substitute for just about any cooked chicken)
1 10.5oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp dried thyme (hoping to try it with garden fresh this year)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded cheese (we used sharp cheddar)

For the topping

1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed
2 Tbsp melted butter

Directions​

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Add the chicken broth, olive oil, and rice to a large pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 6 minutes.
3. Add the broccoli and cook for an additional 9 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
4. Leave the rice covered but turn off the heat and let it stand for around 10 minutes.
5. Add the chicken, cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, thyme, garlic powder, half the cheese, salt and pepper to the pot and mix well. Taste for seasoning.
6. Add everything to a lightly greased 9x13 pan and top with the remainder of the cheese.
7. Cover and bake for 15 minutes.

Topping​

1. Combine your crushed Ritz crackers and melted butter.
2. Sprinkle all of the crumbled cracker topping over the casserole
3. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes.
4. Enjoy!

The next time we make this (soon, I hope) I'll add some photos to the thread but, even when I do, they won't do it justice. This casserole is awesome! That's coming from someone who isn't a huge fan of casseroles and, until growing my own, wasn't a fan of broccoli either.