Chicken with Mushroom Rice (Alex Gallegos/for The Gazette)

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When I think back to weeknight dinners growing up, one of my fondest memories was of a simple dish my family used to make: rice and chicken combined with a can of condensed soup and a packet of dry soup mix to create deliciously flavorful rice.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, I wondered if I could make the same thing, but make my own dry soup mix and my own cream of mushroom soup. These are the results of that endeavor.

Recipe

Chicken with Mushroom Rice

Prep Time: 60 minutes

Cook Time: 90 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

Onion Soup Mix

1/3 cup dried onion flakes

3 tablespoons beef bouillon

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

Cream of Mushroom Soup

4 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced

8 ounces mushrooms, diced

1 rib celery, diced

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup of flour

1 (14.5-oz) can chicken broth

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Casserole

8 chicken thighs

1 1/2 cups rice

Instructions

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Melt butter until foamy. Add onion and mushrooms with a pinch of salt and cook on medium heat until tender.

Add celery. Saute until volume is approximately reduced by half.

Add garlic, tarragon, and olive oil. Sprinkle with flour, stir to combine and cook 1-2 minutes until flour takes on a light golden color.

Add chicken broth and cream, and bring to a simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Finish with Worcestershire and salt and pepper.

To make casserole, mix dry soup mix ingredients with prepared mushroom soup and rice.

Top with chicken thighs, add salt and pepper, cover, and cook at 350°F for 1 1/2 hours or until rice is cooked and chicken reaches 165°F. Stir and serve.

Source: Alex Gallegos

I know the list of required ingredients is somewhat long, but don’t be intimidated – essentially, this is three recipes in one. The dry soup mix can be made days in advance and stored in a container. If you just want to use this recipe as a dried onion soup mix, you can mix it with sour cream to make dip, or boil it with 4 cups of water for 5 minutes and enjoy.

Next is the cream of mushroom soup. Same thing, this recipe is perfectly fine on its own. Make this on a cold winter day and you’re sure to get a good response.

But the real magic happens if you stir all of them together with the rice, top with the chicken, lightly salt and pepper them, and bake. The rice comes out with a smooth, almost risotto-like consistency. Absolutely delicious, and a great way to make some components at home that you would normally get out of a can.

Alex Gallegos is an enthusiastic home cook who enjoys trying new recipes and learning new techniques. Find this recipe and others like it at PlatefulsOfFlavors.com.