There really isn’t anything more Comfort Food than Classic Chicken & Rice, especially if you make Homemade Cream of Chicken to go with it! My family has been eating a version of this since my teenager first started solid foods. This particular recipe is slightly elevated with a little more seasoning and finesse involved, but still gives you the feel of classic comfort food!
Back when my kids were younger, this was a quick meal that I could make and everyone would gobble up. I would empty 2-3 cans of cream of chicken into a sauce pan and put the chicken directly into the cream of chicken. Let it cook for about 40 minutes and then serve it over long grain white rice. To give this a slightly more grown up feel, I decided to first make the cream of chicken myself and second, bake the chicken with some extra seasonings so that it got a better depth of flavor.
Honestly, the only issue that my family had with this recipe was that I didn’t make enough of it! Which just goes to show that sometimes its the simplest recipes that really can make an impact on your family’s food memories.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Classic Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
- 3 cups Homemade Cream of Chicken see recipe below
- 3 cups Long Grain Rice
- 1½ qt Chicken Broth
For the Chicken
- 6 Chicken Thighs bone-in, skin removed
- 6 Chicken Drumsticks bone-in, skin removed
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Parsley plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375degF.
- Sprinkle both sides of chicken with seasonings. Place baking rack on a parchment paper covered baking sheet and spray it with cooking oil. Place chicken on rack and place in oven for 25 minutes.
- Flip each piece of chicken and return to oven for 20 minutes more.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add rice and chicken broth. Cover with lid and let cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, but do not remove lid until ready to serve.
- In a separate sauce pan, make Homemade Cream of Chicken using recipe below.
- In a shallow bowl, add portion of rice, place 1-2 pieces of chicken to one side and ladle cream of chicken over the top. Sprinkle with extra parsley.
Homemade Cream of Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp Poultry Seasoning
- 1 tsp Celery Salt
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, add butter and garlic powder. Once melted, whisk in flour, let cook for 2 minutes.
- Whisk in chicken broth and let cook for 2 minutes. Then whisk in poultry seasonings, celery salt, white pepper, and salt.
- Whisk in heavy cream and let cook for 2 minutes more. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Use as a replacement for any recipe that calls for canned cream of chicken.
Estelle Forrest’s self-published first cookbook – Homemade on a Weeknight: A Family Cookbook – was created after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
Estelle self-published a second cookbook – Burgers on a Weeknight – recently. It has over 60 delicious burger creations! You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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I make my own canned sub similar with cream and
strong broth from crockpot whole chicken (no water added).
Any cream of chicken recipe would be a great stand-in for this recipe. I always use flavor instead of water when able, as you do.
Thanks so much for linking up at the Unlimited Link Party 64. Pinned and/or shared!
yum. Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday