Family Favorites - October 2019: Gluten-Free Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole (Wheat, Nut, Egg and Fish-Free, Can Be Soy and Milk-Free)

I decided to keep posting a family favorite recipe from the blog (with any adaptions that we use regularly, if applicable) on the fourth Friday or Saturday of every month this year.  This recipe will be one that we make quite often and that we all enjoy greatly.  This post is the tenth Family Favorites recipe of 2019.

If you have a recipe on your blog that you consider a family favorite that you'd like to share, please comment below with a link to the recipe, and I'll make sure to pop on over and visit your site to check it out (and leave a comment), and hopefully some of my other readers will, too.

This month's Family Favorite recipe is Gluten-Free Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole.  This is simply a re-posting of my original recipe with a few tips and tricks added in.

This recipe is a family favorite for many reasons.  One, it is super easy to make which is what I'm all about!  Two, it makes a great side or main dish and you can customize it, so you have lots of options with it.  Three, my whole family loves it because it is filling and tastes great.  Basically, it ticks all the right boxes for us - creamy, hardy, and full of flavor.

This recipe is wheat, nut, egg and fish-free (if all your ingredients are), and can be soy and milk-free (see variations).

Gluten-Free Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole

1/3 Cup full-fat, salted butter

1/3 Cup gluten-free, cup-for-cup flour

(We normally use Pamela's Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour or Namaste Gluten-Free Perfect Flour Blend.)

2 to 3 Cups gluten-free chicken stock

(We normally use Pacific brand or Meijer brand, and we always use the 3 Cups.)

2 to 3 Cups milk

(We normally use whole milk, but you can use what you have on hand, and we always use the 3 Cups.)

1 Tablespoon parsley flakes*

1 teaspoon onion salt*

1/2 teaspoon salt

(We normally use Pink Himalayan Sea Salt.) 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper*

1/2 teaspoon celery salt*

1/4 teaspoon paprika*

1 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 1/2 to 2 Cups rice, white, brown or a rice blend (NOT cooked and NOT Minute Rice)

(We normally use a wild rice blend whenever possible, and we always use the 2 Cups.)

*-We normally use McCormick brand spices whenever possible.

1. Preheat oven to 350^oF.
     
2. In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.
     
3. Add flour to the melted butter; stir and cook for 1 minute.
     
4. Add the chicken stock and milk to the butter mixture in the sauce pan, mix well, and heat the mixture until bubbly; remove from heat.  (Note: The amount of stock and milk you use depends on how much sauce you want in your rice.  If you want it saucy, use 3 Cups of each.  If not, use 2 Cups of each.  Also, you don't have to boil the sauce.  You just want it to be thoroughly mixed together and heated through until it just starts to boil.)
     
5. Add the liquid mixture to a large bowl with the other spices, shredded chicken and rice, and mix well. (Note: The amount of rice you use depends on how much you want.  If you want a lot of rice, use 2 Cups.  If not, use 1 1/2 Cups.  Also, I highly recommend using a wild rice blend which is just a few different kinds of rice vs. one type.  It tastes the best this way, in my opinion.)
    
6. Pour mixture into a greased, 9x13 glass pan and bake in the prepared oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through.

Makes 1 9x13 pan, which is a minimum of 12 good-sized portions.

Variations (Please keep your individual dietary needs in mind when using substitutions.  Thank you!):

• Milk-Free: Use dairy-free butter and milk (SoDelicious, Earth Balance, and Melt are some good allergy-friendly brands, and you can check out some more here).  You can leave the milk out, but you will need to up the stock amount to 4 to 6 Cups.  Make sure you use a milk-free option to grease the pan, as well.
    
• Soy-Free: Neither the Pamela's Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour or the Namaste Gluten-Free Perfect Flour Blend that we use claim to contain soy, but Pamela's contains guar gum and Namaste contains xanthan gum, both of which can cause issues with people who have soy sensitivities and allergies.  Because it is quite difficult to find a gluten-free flour blend that does not contain guar gum or xanthan gum (which can also cause issues for people with soy allergies/sensitivities), I won't claim this recipe is soy-free already.  You can use regular flour (if you can have it) or a soy-free, gluten-free flour of your choice.  I have also used potato starch or corn starch in place of the gluten-free flour with success.  You'll have to make sure all your ingredients are soy-free, too.
• Vegan/Vegetarian Options: If you are vegan/vegetarian, you can leave out the chicken and substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock, leave out the milk (as mentioned above), and use a vegan/vegetarian spread for the butter and to grease the pan with.
    
• Add Some Veggies: If you desire, you can add frozen or fresh veggies to this casserole.  Broccoli and cauliflower are especially good additions.  I'd start with 8 to 16 oz. and adjust according to preference.
     
• Add Some Cheese: If you want to put some shredded cheese on top, you definitely can.  I'd start with 1 to 2 Cups and then adjust according to preference.
    
• More Meat: If you want to add more shredded chicken to this recipe, you can, but I'd not add more than one more cook, shredded chicken breast.
    
• Add Some Almonds: If you like the idea of adding almonds to the dish or are used to adding them to rice dishes, you could add some slivered almonds when you add the shredded chicken (or leave the chicken out and use just almonds) and bake as directed.
    
• More Add-In and Substitution Ideas: You could add in or substitute fresh or canned mushrooms.  You could substitute beef stock for the chicken stock and use cooked hamburger or steak cut into bite-sized pieces for the chicken.  You can add garlic or garlic salt if you want that flavor in there.  You can add rosemary and/or thyme, if desired.  You could substitute ham for the chicken.  You could even sub a Ranch Seasoning Packet or an Italian Dressing Seasoning Packet (the dry mixes) for all the spices for a new twist on the recipe, if you can have those mixes.  Basically, you can use any stock you want with any meat you want (or leave the meat out), adjust the spices to your personal liking (you could even make it spicy by adding jalapenos or by using salsa in place of the milk and leave out all other spices except for the parsley flakes), and make it your own.  That's a winner right there, if I do say so myself! :)
    
• Make Ahead: You can make this dish ahead easily.  Just do steps 1 - 5, pour the rice in the greased, 9x13 glass pan, cover with foil and stick it in the fridge until you are ready to bake!  I've only ever made it ahead in the morning, but I am sure you could do it the night before as well.  I'm not sure I would make it ahead any more than overnight, though, because I have a feeling it would mess with the rice's texture, but am not 100% on that (If you try it and find out otherwise, let me know!).  I have also not tried turning this into a freezer meal using a foil pan, but if you try it, let me know how it turns out!

And there you have it - an easy recipe that you can easily customize and make your own!

I hope you will give this recipe a try soon and that it becomes a family favorite for you, too!