Comments on: One Hour Chicken and Oatmeal Rice Casserole

By: CJ McD

CJ McD — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:00:52 +0000

I, too, saute my rice. (pretty much always) It helps keep it from sticking to itself.

First sautee the onion, then add the rice, stirring frequently until is is lightly coated and translucent (the rice). Place in your baking dish. Then brown the thighs. When browned, place in the baking dish,; add the rest of the ingredients, cover with foil and pop in the oven. 10-15 minutes before done, check the liquid level. If coming along, uncover and let finish baking, allowing the edges to carmelize a bit.

Occasionally you have a “dud” prep, but I think your husband may be a bit spoiled by your excellent food. No complaints from the rest of the cowboys…was there?

By: kris

kris — Sun, 03 May 2009 22:19:55 +0000

Less liquid, and I usually mix in 2 cups of chedder cheese, yum.

By: pam

pam — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:42:06 +0000

Hi Lori. I have a similar recipe. One that I can just throw in the oven when I really don’t have time to spend in the kitchen.
To keep the rice from getting mushy . . . less water and cover with foil to let the rice ‘steam’. You can uncover for the last 10-15 minutes if desired.
I uncover and add cheese the last few minutes until cheese melts.

By: Pam

Pam — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:27:34 +0000

Seems to me that you used double the amount of rice you needed, that would make it all pastey. May I make some other suggestions for your next attempt? This can be a good dish. I would use a 13 x 9 pan that is slighty sprayed. Start with 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 can of cream of celery. With each stir in about 3/4 can of water. 1 cup rice. Mix all together in your pan. Add 1 cut-up whole chicken (that’s on the bone). About a half cup of so of frozen broccoli cuts. You want to be sure to not crowd your rice too much, every cup you use will need at least 1 1/2-or-2 cups liquid. (your chicken should be emersed at least half way in liquid on the largest piece, if not add a little water) Bake at 350* for 1 hour to 1 hour and ten minutes, of until chicken to browned nicely and cassarole is bubbling. Don’t allow it to dry out too much but make sure your chicken is done. Chicken is done when the juices run clear at fork poke. You can experiment with other things also. Like adding a few sliced fresh mushrooms, diced red or green pepper, or some other fresh or frozen vegetable to your liking. I hope you find my suggestions on your next attempt helpful, if not don’t give up, try different things for yourself, I’m sure you and husband will grow to love this easy supper idea.

By: jules p

jules p — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:34:35 +0000

looks great. i will try it.

By: Hannah B.

Hannah B. — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:03:22 +0000

Lori, I think you might want to try “dry-frying” the rice first, either with or without some butter or oil. That will seal the kernels so that they won’t absorb enoughliquid to turn them to mush. There is an example of a recipe that does this here:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/81/Oven-Baked-Chicken-and-Rice
I’ve noticed that a lot of rice recipes call for that step, whether made on the stove or in the oven. Hope that helps!

By: sito

sito — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:59:10 +0000

I always saute my rice till it starts to color/becomes fragrant when I’m using it in a casserole such as this. I don’t know if that makes a difference in the end result or not, but I generally have pretty good luck.

When I try a recipe that doesn’t turn out, I just tell my family to eat it anyway, as it has the same nutrition as it would if it were picture-perfect.

By: valmg

valmg — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:56:09 +0000

Unless it cooked too long, is it possible that it was a different type or grain of rice than the recipe called for?

By: Sharon B

Sharon B — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:06:26 +0000

I’ve made this quite a few times, so I checked my recipe for chicken and rice, and this is what I came up with. Looks like you may have doubled your recipe for your hungry crowd. Mine is for a 2 qt casserole size.
While I preheat the oven, I brown the 1 lb. of chicken thighs (or breasts)in a non-stick skillet. I used boneless, skinless thighs or breasts (or combination). I seasoned the chicken with Lowry’s seasoning salt, or you could use Mrs. Dash. I sprayed the casserole dish with Pam, and spread the 1 cup of rice over the bottom. Chopped onion goes on top of the rice, then the browned chicken. I mix the soup with 3/4 cup of milk & 3/4 cup of water, and pour that on top of the chicken. Cover everything with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. After 45 minutes, remove the foil. Chicken should be done and rice should be done, but not soggy. Hope this helps.

By: Mary C.

Mary C. — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:20:50 +0000

the only thing i can think of is that maybe the rice cooked too long, maybe you could use boneless thighs (skin or no skin) and brown them first so they are partially cooked then reduce the cooking time a little….just a thought, or maybe also use a firmer rice like jasmine rice, doesnt get a mushy. Also browning the chicken will give a better flavor overall to the dish…..