Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Mid-November and cases are rising again. The second wave. We knew it was coming — everyone knew it was coming — and here it is. Ryan shifts have been getting harder again in the way they were in March and April: more calls, longer hours, the exhausted look he comes home with. I do not ask him to describe what he is seeing. He does not offer it. We have learned the shape of this together over the year.

I have been making soup at a pace that suggests I am trying to cure something with it, which I am. White bean and kale, lentil with lemon, chicken noodle from a leftover rotisserie carcass I had been keeping in the freezer. I put a pot on the stove most evenings now the way other people turn on the TV — it occupies my hands and it produces something good and the apartment smells like warmth. Ryan says he can tell what kind of week it is by what soup I am making. I said what kind of week is this. He said the chicken noodle kind. He was right.

Thanksgiving is in two weeks and Patty has sent three updated versions of the spreadsheet. The current version has me on stuffing, cranberry sauce, and now also sweet potatoes because she says someone dropped out of sweet potatoes. I said I did not know sweet potatoes could be dropped. She said someone is dropped. I said okay and added sweet potatoes to my list. The sweet potatoes will have brown sugar and orange zest and pecans on top, which is the version that exists in my head and which I have never actually made before. November is for improvising.

The blog post this week is about the chicken soup approach — starting from a carcass, which sounds grim and is actually the best kind of alchemy. Nothing wasted, everything transformed. The stock is better from the bones. This is a metaphor I do not need to spell out.

The chicken noodle soup got us through the week, but there was still meat left on that carcass after I pulled the stock — enough for another meal, which felt like a small mercy. This cheesy chicken and rice is what I made with it: simple, warm, the kind of thing that asks nothing of you and gives back a lot. Ryan came home to it on a Thursday and didn’t say anything for a moment, just stood in the kitchen doorway like he was letting the smell settle around him, and I knew it was exactly right.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (from rotisserie or leftover roast)
1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
2 cups chicken broth
1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Cook the rice. In a medium saucepan, combine rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 18 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes.
Mix the filling. In a large bowl, stir together the cooked rice, shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, peas (if using), garlic powder, and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper.
Assemble. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese over the top.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling.
Serve. Let rest for 5 minutes before scooping. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheesy Chicken and Rice — The Soup That Holds Everything Together