Chicken and Rice Casserole

I was trying to replicate a classic recipe my grandma used to make us. It was so good. This is close, but not the same. I will definitely keep trying though! Since it wasn't the same, I didn't love it, but my husband and 8 year old were HUGE fans. When your 8 year old eats something without complaining, you know you've done a good job.  This is the recipe for how I made it tonight, but at the end, I'll write some possible modifications, and you can look at the pictures and judge for yourself!

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, cubed
2 cups of water
2 cups of instant brown rice
1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of celery soup
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of butter, sliced thinly
about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cheddar cheese 

Directions :
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Mix together chicken, water, rice, and soups in the casserole dish (do it gently or you'll slosh stuff out)
3. Add salt and pepper over the top of it.
4. Arrange butter slices evenly apart on top.
5. Bake for approx 60 minutes.
6. Take out dish, and sprinkle cheese all over the top, put back in the oven for approx. 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving.


Now for some pictures!
First here are the ingredients minus the cheese and water.

 

This is how it looked after adding everything, and lastly the soup. Kind of gross looking.

 This is how it looked all stirred together with the butter on top.

And the finished product:

Now I haven't TRIED these suggestions, but this what I might possibly do in the future. For one, I would either add an additional cup of rice and water OR omit the cream of chicken soup. I would also add some chopped celery and fresh mushrooms to it. The next time I make it, I will try these modifications and report back on my findings. :)

But don't forget! My husband and 8 year old son LOVED it just the way it was, so I'd suggest making it that way first, then messing around with it to see how you might like to change it.