Monterey Chicken & Rice Casserole - my whole family went crazy over this easy chicken casserole!! Even our super picky eaters! Chicken, rice, sour cream, cream of chicken, spinach, Monterey Jack Cheese, and french fried onions. Makes a great freezer meal! This is the most requested dinner in our house. #casserole #chickendinner #chickencasserole
1(10-oz)package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2cupsshredded Monterey Jack cheese,divided
2garlic clovesminced
1(6-oz)can French's French Fried Onions, divided
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, drained spinach, 1 cup cheese, garlic and 1/2 can of French's French Fried Onions.
Pour into prepared pan.
Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese and onions on top of rice mixture.
Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes.
Notes:
I used a whole rotisserie chicken for the cooked chopped chicken in this casserole.
I suggest using Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup in this dish to control the sodium.
For a gluten-free casserole, use gluten-free cream of chicken soup and omit the fried onions or swap them for crushed pork rinds.
You can make this casserole ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time if baking the casserole straight from the refrigerator.
You can make this casserole ahead of time and freeze the casserole unbaked for a quick meal later. To bake after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed below.
This makes a lot of food. You can easily half the recipe or split the casserole between two pans. Bake one and freeze one for later.
I used Monterey Jack cheese in this casserole. Feel free to substitute any cheese you prefer - Pepper Jack, provolone, white cheddar would all be good.
Generally, 1 cup of uncooked rice will equal 3 cups after cooking. You will need about 2½ cups of uncooked long-grain rice for this recipe.
I used cooked white rice in this casserole. You can substitute any rice you prefer - brown rice, jasmine, basmati will all work fine. Just make sure to add it to the casserole cooked.
Feel free to add onions, mushrooms, or artichokes to the casserole mixture.