Chicken Salad Casserole

Chicken Salad Casserole

I got this recipe from The Complete Guide to Country Cooking. It is light and refreshing and has quickly become one of my favorite comfort foods. It can be made in advance and baked later and can be served as the main or as a side dish.

You will need: By the way...I always use more veggies than called for!

• 2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken (if I don't have a rotisserie chicken on hand I will boil 2-3 chicken breasts with salt and pepper)
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 can of sliced water chestnuts, drained (optional)
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (tastes so much better than canned!)
• 3 tablespoons of onions, finely diced
• 1 1/2 a tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, UNdiluted
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (whether you use light or not use the real stuff not miraclewhip!)

TOPPING

• 2 tubes Ritz crackers, crumbled or
• 1 tube of Ritz crackers and 1/2 of a cup Panko bread crumbs for a crunchier topping.
• 2-3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional but good)

Directions

1. 
   1 In a large bowl, combine all wet ingredients and seasonings (lemon juice,rosemary,salt and pepper, chicken soup and mayo).Mix well.
2. 
   2 Add all dry ingredients into the wet mixture (chicken,rice,celery,mushrooms and chestnuts if you want them). Mix wet and dry ingredients until all is well covered and evenly mixed.
3. 3 Place the mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish (no need to grease).
4. 4 TOPPING: Melt the margarine or butter and add the crumbled ritz crackers and slivered almonds and mix well until a slightly moist crumbly texture is obtained. Sprinkle over the entire surface of the casserole.
5. 5 Bake your casserole at 375 for 30-45 minutes. You are basically heating your casserole up and slightly cooking the mushrooms and celery. The veggies should still have a slight bite. Enjoy!