Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Casserole
This recipe is perfect for those days...Those days in which you have a million projects on your list and as you cross off the last task you realize the list continues on the back of the paper.
Those days when the kids decide they actually want to "help".
Those days when a pair of yoga pants, hair thrown up messily, and a good book or a steaming hot bath are all you can dream of.
Those days...the ones where you are short on time and energy.
This recipe is perfect because it is quick, requires little work, and the kids can successfully help you make it. This is one of our family favorites so, I always make a big batch ensuring that there are leftovers.
Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Casserole
printable recipe Serves: 4-8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 4-6 hours
Ingredients:
Defrost the chicken until it is mostly thawed, but, still firm enough to slice into strips nicely. Depending on how long you have to keep the chicken in the crockpot, this next step is not a necessity. Personally, I slice my chicken because it allows it to cook faster. The goal is to give the chicken enough time in the crock pot that it will shred on its own.
Now it is time to start layering the items in the crockpot. Start off with one can of cream of soup. Evenly spread it along the bottom. This will help evenly soak your items and prevent the meal from being dry.
The chicken comes next....
(sorry for the blurry picture)
Top with the frozen broccoli. There is no wrong or right amount, just make sure it is at least two decent handfuls.
When my kids are helping I pull out all of our frozen veggies and let them have fun picking out which vegetables they want in their dinner. Bonus is that they won't complain over eating those veggies at the table!
Add your next can of cream of soup...
Pour in mushrooms. Do not drain.
Cover and turn crock pot on. Low heat if you plan on having it cook 6+ hours. High heat for 4-5 hours.
After about 3 hours on high heat it should look something remotely close to this:
Stir. The chicken should be soft enough to fall apart on it's own. If not give it a little help with your spoon. If it takes too much effort, it needs more time.
The casserole at this point needs to look nice and soupy. If there is not enough water in your crock pot, add a cup of water. The amount of water in the crock pot is going to control how much rice you can add to your dish. If your dish looks dry and you do not want to add water, you can also cook the rice on the stove top. I prefer this method because it is less dishes and the kids love being able to pour in the rice!
Check to make sure your chicken is thoroughly cooked before adding rice. Add 1/2 cup of rice at a time.
If it looks like this you need to add more rice.
Until it is a thick consistency very similar to this:
There still needs to be some liquid in the mixture so the rice has something to absorb. Not enough for it to look like soup though. Cover, put on low heat, and let it cook for 15 more minutes. After 15 minutes there should be no more liquid left in the crock pot (if there is you didn't add enough rice...add some now and wait a bit longer). Once liquid is completely absorbed add a handful or two of cheese.
Serve and enjoy!
tips: after serving cover crock pot immediately or move meal into another container. It will dry out quickly if left in the crock pot.
