Southern Chicken and Rice with a Cajun Twist

This is a quicker version of this Southern classic casserole with a Louisiana flare just in time for Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras. 

If you're anything like me, you like to do things as quickly and efficiently as possible. Sometimes you just don't have time to do some of the things you'd like to do, including extra prepping of meals. Sometimes you want to cut the cooking time down as much as possible to serve it up as quickly as possible for dinner. To make this dish just a bit more southern, I added some more southern spices with Cajun seasoning. If you aren't a fan of Cajun, you can always omit. 

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked, brown rice

4 cups water

3 cans chicken (shredded)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can chicken broth

1 package of frozen mushrooms (I used Birdseye recipe ready)

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 cup fiesta blend shredded cheese

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. 

First cook the rice as directed. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, soups, frozen mushrooms and spices. Add in the rice when it's done and mix. Add in shredded cheese. Pour in half the broth. I only used half of the can as you don't want it too soupy, but you want enough to help keep the casserole from become too dry. Add more if it looks too dry. Really depends on your oven and how well it cooks or whether it cooks evenly. 

Pour mixture into a large greased casserole dish (9x13). Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. 

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Serve with a couple of your favorite sides, maybe corn or green beans and a salad. Notice the Mardi Gras colors on the plate below!

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My husband Lance raved and raved about it and ended up eating seconds and even thirds of the chicken and rice.

Hope you enjoy this updated quick Cajun version such a Southern favorite. Let me know how yours turns out!