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Test Kitchen Approved

Mississippi Chicken Bake

Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

Yield: 16 servings

About

There's nothing about this Mississippi Chicken Bake that you won't like! The chicken is braised in a homemade broth, so it's extra flavorful. The rice is cooked in that same broth for a truly savory, poultry-tasting experience. The sauce is filled with delicious and creamy mushrooms. And all of that gets a crunchy and beautifully seasoned topping. The Mississippi Chicken Bake is basically a big river of flavor, flowing down to your tastebuds!

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Ingredients

  • 2 (3-pound) whole chickens
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup dry sherry
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 2 (6-ounce) packages long-grain and wild rice mix
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened, plus 1/4 cup, melted, divided
  • 2 (8-ounce) packages mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
  • 1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 1/2 cups round buttery crackers, crushed and measured after crushing
  • 1 (6-ounce) can French fried onions, crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Step 1 -Add the chickens, the water, the sherry, the celery, the onion, the salt, the curry powder, the pepper, and the poultry seasoning to a large Dutch oven.

Step 2 -Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.

Step 3 -Cover the Dutch oven and let simmer until the chickens are cooked through, about 1 hour.

Step 4 -Transfer the chickens from the Dutch oven, reserving the broth in the Dutch oven.

Step 5 -Let the chickens cool.

Step 6 -Pour the broth through a fine wire mesh strainer into an 8-cup liquid measuring cup, discarding the solids.

Step 7 -Cook the rice according to the package directions, using the reserved chicken broth in place of water and without using butter (if it's called for).

Step 8 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 9 -Skin, bone, and coarsely chop or shred the chickens.

Step 10 -Melt 1/2 cup of the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.

Step 11 -Add the mushrooms and the green onions to the Dutch oven and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.

Step 12 -Stir in the rice, the chicken, the sour cream, and the cream of mushroom soup.

Step 13 -Spoon the mixture into three 8-9-inch square baking dishes or one 15x10-inch casserole dish.

Step 14 -Stir the crushed crackers and the French fried onions together.

Step 15 -Stir the 1/4 cup of melted butter, the paprika, and the garlic powder into the cracker mixture.

Step 16 -Sprinkle the casserole evenly with the cracker mixture.

Step 17 -Bake, covered, for 20-30 minutes.

Step 18 -Uncover and bake until bubbly, about 5-10 minutes.

Step 19 -Serve.

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