There’s nothing about this Mississippi Chicken Bake that you won’t like! The chicken is braised in a homemade broth, so it’s extra flavorful. The rice is cooked in that same broth for a truly savory, poultry-tasting experience. The sauce is filled with delicious and creamy mushrooms. And all of that gets a crunchy and beautifully seasoned topping. The Mississippi Chicken Bake is basically a big river of flavor, flowing down to your tastebuds!
Ingredients
- 2 (3-pound) whole chickens
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup dry sherry
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 (6-ounce) packages long-grain and wild rice mix
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened, plus 1/4 cup, melted, divided
- 2 (8-ounce) packages mushrooms, sliced
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 1/2 cups round buttery crackers, crushed and measured after crushing
- 1 (6-ounce) can French fried onions, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Step 1 –Add the chickens, the water, the sherry, the celery, the onion, the salt, the curry powder, the pepper, and the poultry seasoning to a large Dutch oven.
Step 2 –Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
Step 3 –Cover the Dutch oven and let simmer until the chickens are cooked through, about 1 hour.
Step 4 –Transfer the chickens from the Dutch oven, reserving the broth in the Dutch oven.
Step 5 –Let the chickens cool.
Step 6 –Pour the broth through a fine wire mesh strainer into an 8-cup liquid measuring cup, discarding the solids.
Step 7 –Cook the rice according to the package directions, using the reserved chicken broth in place of water and without using butter (if it’s called for).
Step 8 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 9 –Skin, bone, and coarsely chop or shred the chickens.
Step 10 –Melt 1/2 cup of the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
Step 11 –Add the mushrooms and the green onions to the Dutch oven and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
Step 12 –Stir in the rice, the chicken, the sour cream, and the cream of mushroom soup.
Step 13 –Spoon the mixture into three 8-9-inch square baking dishes or one 15×10-inch casserole dish.
Step 14 –Stir the crushed crackers and the French fried onions together.
Step 15 –Stir the 1/4 cup of melted butter, the paprika, and the garlic powder into the cracker mixture.
Step 16 –Sprinkle the casserole evenly with the cracker mixture.
Step 17 –Bake, covered, for 20-30 minutes.
Step 18 –Uncover and bake until bubbly, about 5-10 minutes.
Step 19 –Serve.
