Chicken Spectacular – Easy Casserole

Chicken Spectacular Recipe

This is an easy casserole to make. Just basically mix up all the ingredients and throw in the oven! Well, starting with rotisserie chicken gets you a head start right off the blocks.

Ingredients

3 cups chopped chicken

1 pkg Ben’s Original Ready Rice Long Grain & Wild

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 T butter

1 4 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained

14.5 can french cut green beans, drained

4 oz jar pimento

1 can Cream of Celery Soup

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Putting it Together

This easy chicken casserole has a lot of ingredients, but they are all pretty basic. Except maybe for Ben’s Original Rice. My recipe was rather old and it called for a box of Uncle Ben’s Rice. I know the name changed recently to Ben’s Original Rice, but the only selection I had to choose from at the grocery was the package of ready rice.

Now, this package may not have yielded as much as an old box would have but I didn’t have anything to compare it to. So I just went with it. That’s the good thing about making a casserole like this. You can change things up here and there and still have a good outcome.

The only other preparation for this easy casserole is chopping the chicken, chopping the onion, and sauteing it. The rest is just open or measure and pour, mix it up and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top. Bake in the oven at 350° for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Chicken Spectacular works great as a main dish, just add a salad. Or you can use it as a side dish as well. The recipe is quite large, so I was able to place it in two pans. One, for now, one for the freezer)))

Rotisserie Chicken

Now, you don’t have to use a rotisserie chicken, I like to because it makes putting together a recipe like this quick and easy. I’m not a fan, however, of taking the chicken off the bone! If the grocery stores would just offer rotisserie chicken but go ahead and take it off the bone! Wouldn’t that be great))) Walmart….Sams….are you listening!

Update:

The Piggly Wiggly was listening! Or was already selling rotisserie chicken off the bone and I just didn’t know it! But anyway, I sure am glad to know))) So if you live in Pontotoc….check out the Pig!

I did run across this video on how to remove the meat from rotisserie chicken and thought it was worth sharing.

Here’s another recipe using a rotisserie or leftover roast chicken. A chicken salad that is great for a sandwich, stuffed tomato, or just on a bed of lettuce.

What I Would Do Next Time

Personally, I think the casserole would be more appetizing without the french style green beans. I’m just not a fan of green beans cooked any other way than basic.

Basic green beans for me would be 2-3 bags of frozen green beans, placed over bacon that has been partially cooked, a little water added, and simmered until very tender. Then cooked a little longer to get the liquid out. Served with other vegetables and cornbread.

My husband will eat them any way you fix them, but something like green bean casserole…..just doesn’t appeal to me. So, if I were making Chicken Spectacular just for me….the green beans would be left sitting on the shelf.

The other thing I might try differently would be to search for a box of the regular long-grain wild rice that you cook on the stove versus the microwavable bag. This was the first time I had used it, but it was all I had.

I didn’t measure it once it was cooked but I think the servings might have been a bit smaller than the old box of Uncle Ben’s.

Serve it Hot!

The casserole has a tangy taste that I love, and I love the texture of the water chestnuts. Now I know everyone may not be a fan of water chestnuts, but we like them. And I love pimento in almost anything.

Oh, one more thing that probably added to the tangy taste was the mayonnaise. Now, if you have followed my blog, you have heard me mention that I only use Kraft or Blue Plate.

Well, my friend Bettye only uses Duke’s. So my husband said if Bettye likes that, we’re going to try it. So sure enough we did, and sure enough, we liked it! It does have more of a bite to it. So we have abandoned Kraft and become Duke’s fans)))

Shhhh…..she doesn’t have to know she was right, that can stay between us)))