Chicken and rice made special

When it comes to chicken casserole dishes, good as they are, we tend to make them in the same fashion over and over again. However, they are easy to make and are popular. Still, you may be looking for something unique to make using chicken. If you like chicken and are a fan of curry, I have something special for you!

The recipe I'm sharing is for "Chicken-Rice Squares". This is a special chicken dish that would be very fitting to serve to company, for a Sunday lunch or just anytime you'd like something "out of the ordinary". This recipe begins with a cream sauce, which is combined with chicken and other ingredients. As I mentioned, curry powder is added, along with cooked rice, and it's all combined in a baking dish. Once baked, it's cut into squares and served hot.

You'll see that the recipe calls for cream. This can be whipping cream or half-and-half, depending upon your preference and what you may already have on hand. When you cook your chicken, make sure to save the broth, since this recipe calls for 1-1/4 cups of it. If, for some reason, you have to improvise with the broth, you can dissolve two chicken bouillon cubes in water and proceed from there.

Even if you don't care for curry (and a lot of people don't) you could omit the curry and it would still be a very tasty and different dish. Serve this with a green vegetable, a fruit salad, some fresh bread and a good dessert, and that squares away your meal! The leftovers will be good reheated the next day, too.

Last year, I ran a recipe for another chicken, rice and curry dish called "Curried Chicken Salad". Just in case you didn't get it, here's the link to this recipe:

www.examiner.com/article/let-s-make-lunch-for-mom

Venture outside the routine of ordinary chicken dishes and discover a special and unique flavor combination!

CHICKEN-RICE SQUARES

• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1-1/4 cups chicken broth (or 2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 1-1/4 cups boiling water)
• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 cups minced cooked chicken
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 2 tablespoons chopped pimiento
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• 3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• 2/3 cup buttered bread crumbs

Saute onions in butter until soft. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and curry powder. Add chicken broth and cream, stirring constantly until smooth. Cook until thickened. Combine chicken, rice, pimiento, parsley and eggs. Fold sauce into mixture. Turn into a shallow greased 10x6 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve hot. Yield: 6 servings.