Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

In addition to soup, hot casserole dishes seem to grace my table with their presence more during the winter. I guess it's partly because they're usually decently hardy and usually served piping hot, both things I tend to crave when it's cold.

This is a bit of a variation on a typical chicken and rice casserole, and I think it turned out pretty well. I hope you enjoy it as well. :)

Ingredients:
-1 cup raw cubed chicken breast meat
-1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
-2 cups cooked rice (I used instant white rice, but use whatever you like)
-3 tablespoons butter
-2 tablespoons flour
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
-1 tablespoon onion powder
-salt and pepper to taste
-shredded cheese to top the casserole (I probably used about 1 cup-ish of colby jack)

Directions:
Combine the rice, chicken, and broccoli in a 2 qt or so casserole dish.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Continue cooking the roux, stirring frequently, for a couple minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream and cook sauce until slightly thickened. Add the milk and whisk it in, continuing to cook the saice until it thickens slightly once again.

Add in the onion powder and salt and pepper. Whisk to combine well. Reduce heat to low and cook another couple minutes until the sauce is thickened a bit but still a pourable consistency.

Pour the sauce over the casserole ingredients already in the casserole dish. Stir slightly to let the sauce coat as much as possible of the other ingredients.

Top with the shredded cheese.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, the cheese is melted, and everything is hot and yummy.

Serve immediately and enjoy!