Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients
* 4 tbsp unsalted butter
* 1 onion, chopped fine
* 1 tsp salt
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1/4 cup AP flour
* 6 cups chicken broth
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* 1.5 cups long grain rice
* 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
* 1 lb of frozen carrots & peas medley
* 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
* 4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, roughly torn
* 2 tbs unsalted butter, melted
* 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
* salt and pepper, to taste
* lemon wedges, if desired

Directions
1. Melt butter in a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and 1 tsp salt and cook until softened and lightly browned.
2. Stir in the garlic and cayenne pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.
4. Slowly whisk in broth and cream until the sauce has thickened.
5. Add the chicken to the pot.  Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and partially cover the pot (I left it about 80% covered).  Cook until the chicken is fully cooked through, approximately 10-15 minutes.  Remove the chicken and let it cool on a cutting board.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred or cut it into bite size pieces.
6. Stir the rice in the pot, fully cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes.  Every 5 minutes open the pot to stir the rice to avoid it from sticking to the bottom.  After 20 minutes, taste the rice and see if it is tender.  Most of the liquid should have been absorbed.
7. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cheese, peas & carrots, lemon juice, and chicken.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.  Transfer the mixture into two greased 7 x 11 baking dishes, or one 9 x 13 baking pan. 
8. If you will be eating this in the future -wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap and store for up to 2 days in the fridge, or wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to one month.  If you freeze it, let it thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking.
9. Combine the sandwich bread, melted butter and parsley in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse the mixture until well combined as coarse crumbs.
10.  Top the casserole(s) with the crumb mixture.  Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake in 400 degree oven for about 1 hour, or until bubbling and heated though.  (If you are serving this the day you make it, your cooking time will be reduced because you will be starting with a warm casserole).
11. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the crumb topping is browned and crisp, about 15-20 minutes.
12. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired, and enjoy!

Notes
Oh my goodness!  I was not expecting anything fabulous, but the ingredients sounded like something my family would enjoy, and the thought of getting two dinners out of one prep and freezing one for later sounded great to me.  Well- WE LOVED IT!  The flavor was fantastic, and both casserole dishes were plenty full.  I honestly think it might be a bit too much for one 9x13 pan!  The lemon juice and cayenne pepper gave the flavor a sophistication and brightness I was just not expecting from a chicken and rice casserole.  This is definitely a keeper and my family will be THRILLED when I pull this out of the freezer and they see it thawing in the fridge!

The preparation is very hands on, and Owen and I worked together to make this.  Checking on the rice and stirring it every 5 minutes did require 2 kitchen timers.  We had one set for 20 minutes, and then a second set for 5 minutes.  This ensured that we stirred it well (it did have a tendency to get stuck to the bottom of the pot), but we did not overcook the rice.  At 20 minutes our rice was done and we did not need the additional 5 minutes before adding back in the additional ingredients.  When you make this you can be the judge of how long your rice needs to cook.  Keep in mind it will continue to cook in the oven so you don't want the rice to be completely done! There should still be a little bite and chew to the rice.

I would absolutely suggest you serve it with the additional lemon wedges.  A little spritz of fresh lemon juice on the hot casserole just brightens it even further. This casserole is certainly comfort food, but I would venture to say the flavor was more upscale then I expected.  It was absolutely delicious and I look forward to making the second casserole. 

One last note - I did use the entire set of crumbs on one 7 x 11 casserole; when I defrost the other I will need to make another set of crumbs.  My family loves crumb toppings, so I knew not to hold back on that!  It was the right call for us.