Chicken and Rice: Joy of Cooking Chicken and Rice Casserole

I've found another chicken and rice recipe.  I have to confess, I haven't made this one as the calories are high for hubby's diet, but it's been on my desk for two weeks now and I wanted to share it. This one is from my Joy of Cooking calendar.  It uses leftover chicken, cooked rice, mushrooms and nuts, which I'd never think to do.

Joy of Cooking Chicken and Rice Casserole

6 tablespoons butter
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (3 cups)
1/2 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half
4 cups chopped cooked chicken
3 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 400°.  Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Melt 6Tbs butter in a large saucepan.  Stir in mushrooms and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).  Stir in flour until well blended.  Slowly add chicken broth and milk (or half-and-half).  Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook until the sauce is thickened and smooth (about 5 minutes).  Mix in the chicken, rice, and nuts.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.  Mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and 1 Tbsp melted butter and sprinkle on top.

Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

I'm hoping to make this over the weekend, as we're going snowshoeing and will burn some serious calories to make up for all that yummy sauce and rice!  I'm considering topping it with some French's Cheddar French Fried Onions I have in the pantry (I love those things!).

Snowshoeing at Creamer's Field