This tasty chicken and cauliflower casserole is a perfect weeknight dinner solution. Set it in the oven and come back in a half hour for a rich and creamy chicken dinner!
The chicken can be made ahead of time and so can the rice. I like to bake a few chicken breasts on Sunday nights and use them throughout the week for salads or dishes like this. I make my rice in the microwave in a rice cooker. I never thought I would use a microwave rice cooker that much but I find myself reaching for weekly or more often. It's amazing to make 6 cups of rice in 10 minutes! First, in a small saucepan, melt 1/4 C butter. Once the butter is melted you are going to whisk in the flour, making a roux. Next, stir in the half and half and cooking sherry. If you don't want to use sherry you can substitute water or chicken broth. Let this cook until it starts to thicken and bubble. Then let it cook for about 2 more minutes. Whisk in the cream of chicken soup until it's smooth. Remove from the burner and set aside. In a 13x9 baking pan, you are going to pour in the frozen cauliflower. Spoon the rice over the cauliflower. Then pour about half of your liquid mixture over the rice and cauliflower. Sprinkle the cubed chicken on top. Take the cheddar cheese and stir it into the liquid mixture that is still in the pan. Then pour that over the chicken. Melt 1 tbsp of butter and mix with the breadcrumbs. Spread over the top of the dish. Bake, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes to make sure everything is heated and the cheese has melted. Enjoy!