Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Casserole

Here is a post that I started a couple of weeks ago and never completed!  I just rediscovered it, so I will try to recreate the dish for you.

I needed to make some dinner.  I had not many veggies left.  I had leftover rice. (At least, in my foggy brain mind, I think the rice was leftover.  Maybe I just whipped it up in my pressure cooker.)

I found two recipes (Chicken Divan and Broccoli Rice Casserole) in my handy-dandy Betty Crocker that I wanted to get married.  And become one. Forsake all others? Maybe we won't go that far.  It's only food after all, and I like broccoli in other things.  And rice, too.  Like, beans and rice. :-) And Broccoli Salad!


Recipe:
Two or three cups of cooked rice
A bunch of broccoli spears, cooked
leftover chicken (it may have actually been turkey) pulled out of the freezer (1-2 cups, shredded, cubed, diced, chopped, however you like it!)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour (Could use some gluten free flour, like rice flour in this)
3 TBS mayonaise (I use Spectrum cage free egg and expeller pressed oil-- use veganaise to make this vegan!)
1/2 cup(ish?) milk (I used unsweetened coconut milk)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
1 TBS lemon juice
salt
pepper

Cook rice. Cook broccoli. Defrost and cut up chicken. Melt butter. Add flour.  Cook a bit, til it starts to brown and smell nutty. (Not nutty crazy, like me, but nutty like almonds or something!) Add the milk, mayo, garlic, onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook until thickened, season to taste. Put rice, broccoli and chicken in 9x13 pan.  Pour sauce over it.  Cook for 20-30 minutes in 350* oven. Grate Parmesan cheese over just before serving (or don't, if you are going to dairy-free/ vegan route). 

This turned out way better than expected, and the pan was gone!  It can be gluten free. And dairy free.  AND vegan.  With minor adjustments.  It's free of MSG, and condensed soups, which many casseroles like this usually call for.

Enjoy!