Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with French Onions

One of my favorite dinners growing up was this casserole that my mom would make. I remember as a kid that I didn't really care too much for veggies, but now that I'm older I'm willing to eat them more appreciative of them.

But mostly it's the French onions. So good.

I've kept the recipe basically the same as my mom's, but with a few different techniques and spices.

Here's what you'll need:

• Spices: curry powder, black pepper, salt (sea salt or regular)
• two (2) medium chicken breasts
• vegetable oil
• rice
• two (2) cans of cream of broccoli soup and (1 1/2 cups) fresh/frozen broccoli or three (3) cups of homemade broccoli soup
• french onions

To start, cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. You want them to be bite-sized. Before placing the chicken in the skillet, season it with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Turn on the oven to 425 degrees F.

 After the chicken is cut and seasoned, begin heating up a non-stick, 10'' skillet. (I used a Calphalon nonstick skillet below.) Depending on what kind of stove or cook-top you have, this will take about three minutes. Before putting in the oil, let your hand hover over the middle of the skillet a few inches above the pan. You should be able to feel the heat radiating from the pan. Pour about 3 tablespoons of oil into the skillet.

Let the oil heat briefly before putting in the chicken. You want the oil to be slightly heated to that the chicken will brown lightly without overcooking, but you don't want it too hot. (Otherwise, when you put the chicken in the oil will splatter a bit and you risk getting "popped" by the oil.)

At this point you should start cooking the rice. Depending on what kind of rice, the cooking time will vary. You'll want about 2-3 cups of cooked rice for this. **FLAVOR TIP** Salt your rice while it is cooking for better flavor. You need about 1/2 tsp for the rice.

Cook the chicken until it is lightly browned. Remove from stove. Take the cream of broccoli soup and the broccoli and put them in a medium pot. Cook on medium and remove from heat when heated through. (I had some leftover homemade broccoli soup on hand, so I used that instead.)

When rice is cooked, you can begin the assembly process. Pour half the cooked rice into a casserole dish. Add half of the cooked chicken and half of the soup/broccoli mix. Mix together with a wooden spoon until blended.

Season this layer with salt, pepper, and curry powder to taste. I basically just sprinkle enough to cover the casserole. Then, pour about 1/3 of the can of French onions over the top of the first layer.

Repeat the layer process again, but do not mix the top layer. Instead, use the soup mixture to cover the top of the casserole. Cover the top layer with another 1/3 of the can of French onions. Put in the oven for 18-20 minutes.

If your oven cooks on the "hot" side, you may need to adjust the cooking time so you don't burn the top. This casserole serves four (4) comfortably, but can also serve up to six (6). Makes great leftovers too! I love this casserole, but mostly I love that my mom shared it with me. Enjoy!