Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole

This has become one of our favorite casseroles.
When I had my second son, a sweet neighbor brought us this casserole.
After my family raved about it, I had to ask this neighbor for her recipe.
We have made it countless times since.
This casserole used to last us two meals,
but now that my boys are older and eat more then me it last us one meal.
I like to serve this with a fresh green salad and rolls.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole

What you need:

-1, 6.9 oz. package of Chicken Flavored Rice-a-Roni with chicken broth and herbs
-1 tbsp butter
-2 1/4 cups hot water
-1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
-1 cup sliced mushrooms
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-3/4 cup sour cream
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 can lowfat cream of mushroom soup
-1 cup partly steamed broccoli

Topping:
-1 tbsp butter
-1/2 tsp poppy seeds
-1/4 cup crushed multigrain crackers (such as Ritz)

How To Make:

1. Cook Rice-a-Roni in a non-stick skillet according to package directions using 1 tbsp of butter and 2 1/4 cups of hat water. After cooked remove from Skillet and set aside. Wipe Skillet.

2. Coat skillet with cooking spray, place over high heat until hot. Add chicken and cook until just about done, then add the mushrooms and garlic powder. Saute until chicken and mushrooms are cooked.

3. In a large bowl combine the cooked rice, cooked chicken mixture, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, barely steamed broccoli, and black pepper.

4. Prepare a 2 qt casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray, then spoon the mixture into the dish.

5. For the topping combine cracker crumbs, melted butter, and poppy seeds. sprinkle over top.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, uncovered.

enjoy!