Chicken-Wild Rice Casserole

By hmickler

Ingredients

• 2 (3 pound) whole broiler-fryer chickens
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup dry sherry
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 2 (6 ounce) packages long-grain and wild rice with seasonings
• 3 cup commercial sour cream
• 1 (10 1/2 ounces) can cream of mushroom soup

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Place chickens in a deep kettle, add water, sherry, salt, curry powder, onion, and celery. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Remove from heat; strain broth. Refrigerate chicken and broth at once, without cooling.

When chicken is cool, remove meat from bones, discard skin. Cut meat into bite sized pieces. Rinse mushrooms and pat dry, slice and saute in butter until golden, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. (Reserve enough whole caps to garnish top of casserole, they man be sauteed along with the sliced mushrooms.)

Measure chicken broth, use as part of liquid for cooking rice, following directions for firm rice on the package. Combine chicken, mushrooms, and rice in 3-1/2 or 4 quart casserole. Blend in sour cream and mushroom soup and toss with chicken-rice mixture. Arrange reserved mushroom caps in circle over top of casserole. Cover, refrigerate overnight if desired. To heat, bake ciovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour. The casserole may be completely prepared and frozen ahead of time.