Chicken Curry Rice Casserole
So rich and creamy and flavorful. You would never guess it costs less than a buck fifty a person.
Chicken Curry Rice Casserole is courtesy of Becky Duke. She contributed it to the Norris Choir Sister City Project community cookbook, and it is so delicious. Packed with creamy rich flavor, absorbed by soft rice and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs, it has all the characteristics of a classic vintage casserole. And I’m going to show you the absolute best way to get the most bang for your buck as well as the most flavor and nutrition possible.
So, the recipe calls 2 cups of cooked chicken and 3 1/4 cups broth. It would be easy to just buy some cooked chicken and a carton of broth, but that’s how casseroles get misunderstood as being expensive. If you just go out and buy those, it adds up fast, but there is a better way to get what you need, have a bunch leftover for other recipes, and enjoy a much, much tastier dish with more nutrients and flavor. I’ll show you how.
The key is buying a whole chicken instead of parts. I know whole chickens can be intimidating for a lot of cooks, and I get it. I don’t like breaking down whole birds, either. In fact, I always leave it to my partner, my own personal butchering expert. But, don’t worry, for this recipe, you won’t need to break it down at all. You can just leave it entirely whole.
We’re going to use it to make a bone broth, so all you need to do is just drop it in a large enough pot and you’re set.
Now for the flavors. This is an important trick. Not really a trick, more like a practice. I keep what I call a broth bowl in my freezer at all times. So what’s a broth bowl? Well, it’s trash mostly. Scraps and ends and pieces of broth friendly veggies I chop up for other things.
Onion skins and root ends, left over carrot sticks I didn’t eat, unusable celery ends…trash. I usually have the stems of fresh herbs I didn’t use, like the base of parsley stems, or the woody stems of thyme I stripped the leaves from, but I’ve been making a lot of broth lately, so my broth bowl is a little skimpy.
All I usually have to add is a few bay leaves, and about a tablespoon salt and some pepper. That means, essentially free broth made while cooking a chicken. Doesn’t get cheaper.
So, add water, then bring to a boil simmer, covered for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Then, remove your chicken and let it cool until you can handle it. The meat should absolutely fall off the bone at this point, so it should be super easy.
Put the bones and all the unusable meat and skin and cartilage back in the broth, and top off the water to fill the pot. You don’t have to, but I add a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar to the water. It won’t change the flavor, but it does help break down the bones a bit more, adding more rich flavor and nutrients to the broth. Bring it back to boil, and simmer for at least 2 hours, 4 hours is best if you have time.
Once that’s done, strain out the bones, and enjoy the uniquely special delicious smell of chicken bone broth. Did you ever come home from school as a kid, and smell something heavenly even before you got in the house, and think ‘awesome! I’m so glad that’s coming from my house!’ To me, homemade chicken broth perfectly captures that moment.
So, my chicken made 10 cups of liquid gold, and the recipe only needs 3 1/4 cups, so measure out what you need, and enjoy using the rest for all the countless ways broth can be used.
For the meat, the dark meat was almost perfectly just the right amount of meat needed (2 cups), so I get to save the all the white meat for something else. So, here we are with free broth, and only having used about a third of the cooked meat for this recipe.
I know it takes some time, but you can make it ahead of time when it’s convenient, and it is super economical. I love knowing how efficiently I used the chicken and what was otherwise veggie trash. Nothing makes me happier.
So, it’s time to start make that casserole. To start, cook brown rice in 2 1/2 cups broth for about 45 minutes. Don’t worry if all the broth doesn’t get absorbed, or even if the rice is a little undercooked. It can finish in the oven.
Set that aside to blend the soup and remaining broth together in a large bowl. Then add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder. I love curry powder, so I doubled it, but feel free to follow the recipe. Mix it well, then add the rice and chicken.
Once it’s nice and blended, transfer it to your casserole dish. Top with cheddar cheese, and breadcrumbs.
And since I spent some time talking about making your own broth, I’ll mention to make sure you don’t go out and buy breadcrumbs. No judgement, but buying breadcrumbs goes against the whole purpose of breadcrumbs in cooking. I’d bet you have a few slices left of every loaf, or the stale ends of baguettes you didn’t get to finish. Just toss those in the freezer before they get moldy. Just like the broth bowl stash I keep, those stale ends will be waiting for you to thaw and toss in the food processor for a tasty, crunchy topping ready on demand.
And now our casserole is ready to go in the oven. An hour later, you will have a bubbly delicious golden rich casserole ready to enjoy.
And because we were smart with our ingredients, it only cost $1.47 a portion! That’s right, we only used $7.33 of ingredients to make this entire casserole that serves 5. Even with a veggie side, you’re looking at feeding a whole family of 5 a delicious hot meal for less than $10. That’s pretty awesome.
So, thank you Becky, for sharing your delicious recipe in your community’s cookbook. It was absolutely delicious, and I hope it inspires you to save vintage community cookbooks, and to cook more old recipes.
KITCHENWARE USED IN THIS RECIPE
VINTAGE PYREX
Homestead from the 1970’s
Other Recipes in this Series
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Viva La Chicken Casserole
A classic creamy chicken casserole everyone grew up with a version of.
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Bride’s Pride Casserole
A surprisingly fresh casserole with Asian flavors, packed with veggies.
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Sea Shell Casserole
A meaty, delicious pasta casserole the whole family will love.
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Cheese Grits Casserole
Delicious, cheap, and satisfying. Everything a great casserole should be!
