Chicken Casserole

The other evening I offered to make Patrick a casserole. I asked if he had any suggestions. For example, would he want it to be pasta-based or meat-based? Any particular veggies? And so forth... well this is what he wanted: a creamy, chicken casserole with mushrooms and onions and something crunchy on top. Pretty basic, I thought. I'm a stickler for recipes and even though I love trying new things in the kitchen they're usually from recipes. I was having trouble finding a recipe that fit all these criteria. Finally Patrick said, "you don't really need a recipe for this, do you?" So I decided to experiment! Originally I had just wanted to put all the raw ingredients in a casserole dish and then cook! I opted to cook the ingredients and then warm it all up because I didn't want to gamble with cooking times! Here's my concoction. I think I'll name it in honor of Patrick! ha!

Patrick's Requested "Creamy-Chicken-Mushroom-Onions-Something Crunchy on top" Casserole
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 lb chicken breast or tenderloins*
1/2 carton of mushrooms*
1/2 medium onion*
1/2 frozen box chopped broccoli*
1 can cream of chicken (or any variety) soup -- get the healthy one!!
2 single serving cartons MINUTE Ready to Serve Brown Rice**
(or approx 2c cooked brown rice)
1 bag Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
desired seasonings

Directions
1. Slice onions and mushrooms. Begin sauteing in a skillet with olive oil. Add seasonings. I used salt, pepper, and a rosemary garlic blend. Meanwhile begin cooking broccoli.
2. Slice chicken in bite size pieces. After onions and mushrooms have softened add chicken to skillet. Season chicken and cook until done. Meanwhile cook rice in microwave (only takes a minute!).
3. Combine onions, mushrooms, and chicken mixture with rice, broccoli, and cream of chicken soup in a bowl. Place in 9x9 casserole dish. Top with stuffing mix.
4. Warm in a preheated 350 oven for about 20 minutes.

My Notes
*I halved the chicken, onions, mushrooms, and broccoli for two reasons. Reason One was because I knew just two people would be eating this casserole. If you do include all the ingredients use a larger casserole dish! Reason Two was because I knew I could save the halved ingredients for another meal later on in the week... possibly chicken fried rice! Be on the lookout for this recipe!
**I found these amazing Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice cartons! I'd highly recommend them. They turned out perfect. But if you'd prefer to cook the rice that's absolutely fine.

I'd definitely make this again and maybe even experiment again!