Melinda's Church Supper Chicken Casserole Maybe

Last night I put together a casserole and then realized that we couldn't/shouldn't eat it with all the other leftovers we had. Well, Mindy lives close by and I remember what it is like to have three toddlers so I texted to see if by any chance they would like this chicken and celery and rice casserole. She texted back that as she had piano lessons to give all the way to 5:30 it would be a blessing. NOW she wants the recipe and it was such a hodge podge I'm not sure it is repeatable! But here is a reconstruction thanks to internet history.

I made a Chicken and Dumplings crockpot for the recent church supper. It was also Cal's birthday and when I'd asked him several days earlier what he'd like for his birthday dinner he immediately thought of his grandmother's and mother's chicken and dumplings. I've never made it before. 

So I found this recipe on line by Paula Deen, and in search of simpler dumplings (not recommended, by the way) came upon Betty Crocker's. 

A few days after our church supper, the dumplings all gone, but good gravy and some chicken left, I cooked another piece of chicken, sauteed more celery and onion, and turned the leftovers into Cream of Chicken soup. Then I got "clever" and used the rest of the chicken broth I'd put aside during my crockpot prep to cook a cup of white rice, throwing it in the soup just before the rice and the soup were finished cooking. It was good as soon as the rice was plump, but next time we took some out of the refrigerated pan, we discovered the rice had stiffened up the soup to almost the consistency of oatmeal.

Now it was time to use it or lose it, so I turned it into a casserole by simply putting it in a casserole dish, topping it with a couple of newly fried up chicken thighs and french fried onions. I had to get Cal to help me deliver it to the Bush home because it was so soupy after baking a half hour that I was sure it would slosh over the side if no one was balancing it, keeping it level to earth itself. Explaining the casserole to Mindy, I suggested they might need to eat it as stew.

Certain no one will go through this process just to enjoy what Melinda says was "amazing" I will proceed to concoct a recipe out of the above.

Boil, then simmer until meat comes easily off the bones one chicken with 3 ribs of celery, one large onion, 2 bay leaves, one clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 T salt

Remove and cool enough to separate chicken from bones.

Use 3 cups of your leftover broth in which to boil 1-1/2 cups of rice.

Mix 4 cups of chicken with the rice in a 9 x 13 casserole dish (if this is too much then get out another dish, or use the leftovers in soup, or leave a comment on this recipe blog and I'll refine it myself.)

In either chicken fat or butter (about 1/4 cup) saute 3 more ribs of celery chopped and 1/2 a large onion chopped until tender. Work in 1/4 c flour to make a roue, then add 3 cups of your chicken broth to make a thick gravy. Mix in one can of cream of celery soup. Mix enough with your chicken and rice to richly soak the chicken and rice. Top with french fried onions and bake a half hour at 350. Use any leftover gravy for another casserole or make a cream of chicken soup.

A much simpler concoction that I invented as a young teen who had to cook for the family is to mix rice and chicken and celery with a can of cream of chicken soup and a can of cream of celery soup, and bake the whole thing until hot and bubbly.