Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole

I am always on the hunt for east week night dinners. Evenings can be tough for us because Graham is usually supper fussy and that darn witching hour lasts way longer than an hour. I'm always talking to friends and swapping recipes. Lately my sweet friend Megan has been giving me some great ideas for supper. She gave me this recipe that I made on Tuesday night. I adapted it slightly but for the most part kept it the same as how she cooks it.

Ingredients:
1 Lb. Chicken Breast (chopped or shredded)
1 Box Uncle Bens Wild Rice
1 Can Cream of Chicken (or Mushroom, or celery)
Sour Cream
chopped onion (I forgot about this)
3 Cups Broccoli (I used Fresh but frozen works too)
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
Bread crumbs (optional)

I find the easiest way for me to cook chicken if I'm using in a casserole is to use my crockpot. I get perfectly shredded chicken in a few hours. Just put your chicken in the crock pot and top with your favorite seasoning. Add in some chicken broth or water (I used water this time). You just need enough to cover the bottom of the crockpot. Don't fill it so full that it covers all the chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. It shreds so easily and is great in any casserole. I also will top with BBQ sauce and make sliders, or use for chicken tacos.

Cook the rice according to the directions on the box.

Chop the broccoli into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.

In a mixing bowl add the cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Once these are combined you can add in your chicken, broccoli, and cooked rice. You can also add in some chopped onion but I forgot this time. Stir everything together until it's all coated with the soup mixture.

Spray a 9x13 casserole dish and pour the mixture into the dish. You could easily divide this into two and freeze one or take to a friend!

I always use freshly grated cheese whenever possible. I find that it melts so much better and generally tastes much better than the pre-packaged kind. It doesn't take long at all and you can always grate the entire block and put in a baggie to save for later.

Top the mixture with cheese and if you choose some bread crumbs that you've mixed with melted butter. I didn't use very much topping this time and will add in more for the next time.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (if you are using fresh broccoli I would cook longer, my broccoli was still pretty crunchy after 30 minutes)  or until hot and bubbly.  Let it sit for a few minutes to set up a bit before serving.

If you cook the chicken ahead of time this really takes no time to throw together. I bought the Uncle Bens quick cook wild rice and it took all of 15 minutes to make. This make a pretty large casserole. We had some friends over and between the 4 adults we still had a good bit of leftovers.

So there you go, a quick meal that everyone in your family will like! Let me know if you try it and what you think!

*linking up with Annie for Thoughts for Thursday