It's too bad that I don't have very nice pictures of this casserole, because out of all the food I've recommended on this blog, this is probably the yummiest dish. The rice is so soft and cheesy, and everything is made is one dish. Since it was night time, the pictures don't do it justice. Being super OCD i'll probably make it again in the morning sometime soon just to get a good photo of it:) This recipe is an adaptation of the recipe by Jo Cooks, who i absolutely love.
INGREDIENTS
Olive oil
1/2 an onion (diced)
2 pieces of chicken thigh (cubed)
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup rice (uncooked) - original recipe calls for long grain rice, but i used short grain Japanese rice and it was great!
1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup (or use a homemade version of it, instructions below)
1 cup of chicken broth - original recipe uses 2 cups broth, which i felt would be too salty.
1 cup water
2 broccoli florets
1.5 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oil in a large pan, put in onion and chicken, cook till onion is translucent and chicken is browned. Add garlic, salt and pepper and cook 2 more minutes.
Add rice, condensed cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower to medium low heat. Clamp on the lid and cook for 20 mins. Give it a stir every 5 minutes to prevent burning. If there is not enough liquid before the rice is cooked, add more water or broth.
Once the rice is cooked fully, add broccoli and stir. If there is not enough liquid, add some water.
Once the broccoli is cooked, add half the cheese and stir.
Take off the heat, put into a baking dish, top with the remaining cheese and bake at 250 degrees celcius until the cheese is golden.
HOMEMADE CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP
Melt 3 tbsp butter in a small pot over medium-low heat, add 1/4 cup all purpose flour and mix until it turns into a paste.
Add 1/3 cup milk and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth. If it is too thick, add more liquid. The consistency should be like your normal canned condensed soup, thick like oatmeal.
Add 1/4 tsp onion powder.
I'd never had much aversion to tinned food before. Occasionally i love using canned beans, chick peas, corn and tinned salmon or tuna. They are so convenient and cheap! After my diagnosis I don't think i will continue to eat food from cans - hence the homemade condensed cream of chicken soup option you see here. Many cans have an inner coating that prevents the metal from rusting that consists of BPA, which is proven to cause hormonal imbalances and cancer risk. High levels of BPA are known to cause breast cancer and polycystic ovarian syndrome (HELLO IT'S ME!). Hormones are a real complex web of mysterious systems to all of us, it's hard to understand what exactly is safe or not. Under the encouragement of my family doctor in Vancouver, i took hormonal birth control for 12 years believing that it was completely safe with minimal risks of cancer. After experiencing many side effects from continual use such as urinary urgency (TMI but a HUGE HUGE problem that no one should have to experience), ovarian cysts, dry skin and eczema, dry eyes and dry mouth, I was urged by my OBGYN here in Hong Kong to discontinue using them in 2014, after which i experienced major hair loss and depression which took over a year to get back to normal. It has been 5 years now and i no longer have any of the symptoms i had while on the pill. I am not qualified to be giving any medical advice at all, but if i could give a suggestion to any young girl out there, try your best to take care of your body and prevent pregnancy the natural way, and investigate the risks before using any chemicals that could saturate or diminish the hormones in your body. Our endocrine system is just so complicated that a slight imbalance can influence our brain chemistry and ultimately other systems in our body. Treat your body like the temple that it is!
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