Southern chicken casserole is a super easy dish that I have been making for several years. A friend had this cookbook of recipes from around the world that she shared with me when we were doing a homeschool project. I happened to find this recipe when I was looking for Chinese food recipes. This is clearly not from China!

I haven’t made it in awhile, but Travis came home this weekend and I knew he would enjoy it. I have modified the original recipe a bit- the way the recipe was written there is just too much creamy stuff! This is a great make ahead dish and it is perfect for a potluck. It’s a bit of a hassle because you have to cook the chicken and rice first, but after that it comes together quickly.

Southern Chicken Casserole

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
4 cups cooked rice, cooled
2 cups celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 can sliced water chestnuts, chopped
1 cup sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
Salt and pepper to taste
1 package Stove Top stuffing
2 1/2 ounces olive oil

Mix first 8 ingredients. Place into a greased 9 x 13″ pan. Mix stuffing mix with olive oil and pour over the top of the chicken and rice mixture. Cover with foil and bake at 350* for approximately 45 minutes. I keep the casserole covered so the stuffing doesn’t get too brown. You can remove the foil if it doesn’t seem to be getting brown enough for your liking.