Spinach Tomato Chicken Rice Casserole

Chicken and rice casserole is a staple in most families' recipe repetiore. I know it is in mine. But...it can be, well, boring. I know. So I made a little variation of the classic, so it's still easy, still accessible to most home cooks, and delicious. I told my mom I was making it, and she said that it sounded complicated, but it's not. I promise. Mom, you could totally make this. And so can all my lovely readers. :)

I don't know what your "classic" chicken and rice casserole consists of, but most of the recipes I've come across include chicken, rice, and some sort of creamed soup or something, and maybe a few other ingredients along the way. Well...instead of cream of chicken or mushroom soup, I make a sort of cream sauce instead. You'll see. Other than that, it's pretty much a dump and bake type meal. You'll see. My recipe here makes a 1.5 quart dish, but you can just add more of the ingredients to a larger dish and it'll work the same.

Ingredients:
-Rice, 3 cups when uncooked for my version, but make more if you need to
-Chicken Breast-I used one really large one, but adjust to your family's needs
-1/2-3/4 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
-canned, diced tomatoes, drained of their liquid (I actually only used about half the can, but add more if desired)
-1/4 cup butter
-3 tablespoons flour
-1 cup cream
-1 cup milk (I used 2%)
-1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-1 tablespoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon onion powder

Directions:
Cook the rice according to package directions. Set aside in a large mixing bowl or the baking dish you're going to use.

Chop the uncooked chicken breast(s) into chunks, approximately 1-2 inch cubes. Add them to the rice in the bowl or dish.

Add the tomatoes and spinach to the rice as well.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Let it cook, stirring frequently, for another few minutes. Add the cream and milk, stirring to combine well. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the cheeses, stirring constantly, until they have melted well into the sauce. Add the garlic and onion powder, stirring to incorporate it well. Dump the sauce over the rice and other ingredients, and stir to combine everything well. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, and level it out for even baking. Sprinkle some shredded mozzarella over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through and the cheese melted and browned on top. Serve and enjoy!

See...I told you it was easy. :)