Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Casserole — Down-Home Comfort

Virginia Willis' Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole for FoodNetwork.com

Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole

Virginia Willis' Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole for FoodNetwork.com

Photo by: Virginia Willis ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Right Reserved

Virginia Willis, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Right Reserved

Somewhere along the way when women were being “liberated” from the kitchen, processed and convenience foods became dinner du jour. One-pot casseroles became a go-to for many busy moms and families. One of my favorites growing up was Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Casserole. What’s not to love? It’s filling chicken and rice with creamy gravy, topped with cheese. It’s real down-home comfort.

Most often this indulgent casserole is made with frozen broccoli and a couple of familiar red-and-white cans of cream of mushroom soup. This version is made with fresh, wholesome ingredients. It takes just a smidgen more time, but the results are absolutely extraordinary. I’m pretty adamant that down-home comfort can be made without bags and boxes.

The truth of the matter is that all too often those shortcuts aren’t really timesavers and they are packed with salt and food additives. I personally really like recipes with ingredients that you can pronounce and don’t need a degree in chemistry to decipher. That gives me a very deep, satisfying feeling of comfort.

Virginia Willis' Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole for FoodNetwork.com

Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole

Virginia Willis' Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole for FoodNetwork.com

Photo by: Virginia Willis ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Right Reserved

Virginia Willis, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Right Reserved

The technique that I am using is to make a roux, then a modified bechamel sauce. A bechamel is one of the French five “mother sauces.” French chef Antonin Careme evolved an intricate methodology by which hundreds of sauces were each classified under one of five “mother sauces”: bechamel, veloute, Espagnole, Hollandaise and tomate. Bechamel is a white sauce made by stirring heated milk into a butter-flour roux. In this instance, we’re increasing the savory flavor by adding a bit of stock to replace some of the milk.

Regardless of the liquid, the thickness of the sauce depends on the proportion of flour and butter to milk. The proportions for a thin sauce are 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour per 1 cup of milk; a medium sauce uses 2 tablespoons each of butter and flour; a thick sauce, 3 tablespoons each. A thick bechamel is the base for a savory souffle. Bechamel is one of the most useful sauces, and it is exactly what that red and white can grew to replace.

Bon Appétit, Y’all!

Related Links:

Georgia-born, French-trained Chef Virginia Willis has cooked lapin Normandie with Julia Child in France, prepared lunch for President Clinton and harvested capers in the shadow of a smoldering volcano in Sicily, but it all started in her grandmother’s country kitchen. A Southern food authority, she is the author of Bon Appétit, Y’all and Basic to Brilliant, Y’all, among others. Follow her continuing exploits at VirginiaWillis.com.

Next Up

Cheesy Summer Squash Casserole — Down-Home Comfort

This recipe is just cheesy and rich enough to let the delicate flavor of the squash shine through.

KFC Brings Back Its Mind-Boggling Bunless Chicken Sandwich, The Double Down

People have been clamoring for its return after its decade-long absence.

Grilled Apple Cider Chicken — Down-Home Comfort

I love to grill throughout the year, but in the summer it’s just practical to keep the heat out of the kitchen. Burgers and brats are brilliant, and steaks and seafood are stupendous, but my absolute favorite is cheap and cheerful chicken.

Blueberry Delight — Down-Home Comfort

Blueberries are the Disney version of summer fruit, round and gentle like a bouncing sing-along ball. They bring to mind fingers stained purple-blue, fruity tarts, pies and cobblers, and warm, fresh-from-the-oven muffins.

Tailgate Chili — Down-Home Comfort

I think the perfect tailgate food just might be chili. The one thing that can be agreed upon is that anyone who loves making chili thinks that theirs is the greatest. Well, that and that their team is the best.

Scalloped Potatoes — Down-Home Comfort

Scalloped Potatoes. Potatoes au Gratin. Potato Cheese Casserole. Potato Cheese Bake. Many names describe this mouthwatering, golden-brown, bubbly dish of down-home comfort.

Summer Succotash — Down-Home Comfort

Succotash is essentially an all-American stir-fry.

New-South Chicken and Dumplings — Down-Home Comfort

Scratch chicken and dumplings in about half an hour — now that’s down-home comfort.

Make-Ahead Sausage and Cheese Grits Casserole — Down-Home Comfort

Grits are easy to prepare, can be a main meal or a side dish, will hold for hours in a low oven and reheat wonderfully as leftovers, even in the microwave.

Chocolate Meringue Pie — Down-Home Comfort

Some folks like sweets, some folks like chocolate. The chocolate meringue pie is the best of both worlds. Try this on your sweetie for some down-home comfort.