The Best Chicken Bake

Time :55

Yield :10 servings

Recipe Background

Really now? The Best Chicken Bake? How can we be so sure? Well, it's obvious! Tender broccoli, fluffy rice, a luxurious and savory cream sauce, melty cheese, and crunchy breadcrumbs all combine to create an automatic formula for amazing. And then on top of that, we go ahead and add some juicy and delicious chicken! Doesn't that just spell heartwarming? We think so! So, The Best Chicken Bake is THE best, hands down!

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup cooking sherry or water
2 (10.75-ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup undiluted
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen cut or chopped broccoli thawed
1 cup rice cooked
3-4 cups chicken cubed and cooked
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
fresh parsley optional, to taste, minced, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of the butter over medium heat.
Add the flour, stirring until blended and golden-brown.
Add the half-and-half and the cooking sherry, stirring until thickened and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
Blend in the cream of chicken soup until smooth.
Transfer the saucepan from the heat.
Place the broccoli in a 13x9-inch baking dish.
Cover the broccoli with the rice and 1/2 of the sauce.
Top the sauce layer with the chicken.
Stir the shredded cheese into the remaining sauce and pour the mixture over the chicken.
Melt the remaining butter and toss it with the breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the casserole.
Bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 35-45 minutes.
Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.