Chicken, Bacon, Cheddar, & Rice Casserole

I know I really try to present a positive face here, but I have to be honest.  I have good days, I have bad days, and I have INSANELY MANIC days, just like anyone else does.

And I'm pretty sure I will be having nothing but INSANELY MANIC days until Gavin starts his first day of kindergarten.  So if my posting becomes a little sporadic in the next couple weeks, please know it's not you. It's me.  It's me trying squeeze the living daylights out of these last two weeks of summer.  It's me trying to teach Gavin that stomping, screaming, and throwing a temper tantrum is not an appropriate reaction to my asking him to pick up his toys.  And it's me trying to keep my newly-walking Kieran from figuring out every child-safety lock I've put in place around here.  Because he can.  It's frightening.

Is it any wonder with all this insanity around me that I need such amazing comfort food right now?

Chicken, Bacon, Cheddar, & Rice Casserole
Recipe from What's Cooking in the Burbs
Prep time: 20 min   Cook time: 45 min total

4 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 ½ cups chicken stock
3 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups uncooked rice [Note: I used arborio because I didn't have enough long-grain. Use what you have]
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon [Note: I used 3 strips of bacon, but 4-5 would have been even more tasty]

1.  Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat and cook onions until translucent. Add garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper. Whisk in the flour and cook until the flour begins to brown a little, 2-3 minutes.

I love the smell of onions cooking in butter.

2.  Whisk the milk and stock into flour mixture.Turn heat to medium high and add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and continue to stir as mixture comes to a simmer.

It's a LOT of liquid, but trust me, it's necessary.

3.  Add rice and lower heat to medium low. Cook until the rice absorbs most, but not all, of the liquid and is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Wrong pic for this step but I just like taking pictures of bacon.

4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

5.  Add chicken and bacon to the rice mixture. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch casserole. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar on top of the casserole. Place in oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbling.

I split this between two 8x8 pans and put one in the freezer for later.

This casserole was just what I needed.  It's hearty, comforting, and TAAAAAAAAAAAASTY.  And I managed a little Get Ahead option by freezing half of it for another night.  I love that!!  Although I have to say the best part about this is that Gavin was so excited about it.  The entire time I was cooking he kept popping his head into the kitchen to check on my progress, or to say how excited he was about the bacon and chicken.  Gotta love it when a picky eater looks forward to dinnertime!

Gavin also helped chop onions with my new little manual food chopper.