Marilyn's Chicken Casserole

Most chicken-and-wild-rice casseroles lean on canned cream of mushroom soup as a shortcut. This one builds a real bechamel-style cream sauce from scratch with butter, flour, and a half-and-half plus chicken broth combination, which is the difference between a casserole that tastes home-cooked and one that tastes vaguely processed.

Wild rice is the structural backbone. Its chewy texture and earthy flavor stand up to the creamy sauce without going mushy the way long-grain white rice tends to in baked casseroles. Chicken breast chunks cook through during the 30-minute bake, picking up flavor from the surrounding sauce.

Almonds and mushrooms are the textural counterpoints. Slivered almonds toast up in the bake, adding nutty crunch, while the mushrooms release earthy umami into the cream sauce as everything bubbles together.

Pro Tips

• Use a wild rice blend if you can find it, pure wild rice can take 45 minutes to cook and the box-and-seasoning blends speed things up considerably.
• Toast the slivered almonds for 5 minutes at 350°F (175°C) before adding for a deeper, more aromatic crunch.
• Cook the onions until translucent, not browned, the cream sauce should stay pale.
• Sprinkle a little extra cheese or panko on top for the last 10 minutes of baking if you want a crusty browned top.

Variations

• Sub leftover rotisserie chicken for raw breast and bake just 20 minutes for a quick weeknight version.
• Add a cup of frozen peas in the last 10 minutes for color and sweetness.
• Stir in 2 tablespoons of dry sherry or white wine to the sauce for a more elegant flavor profile.