Monterey Chicken Rice-A-Roni Casserole

Photo from
Plain Chicken

Mother’s Day was yesterday, and it’s always a hard one for me. The day usually starts with sadness, but somehow by the end, the memories come flooding back — the kind that make me laugh, smile, and miss my mom all at the same time.

And somehow, like so many memories in my life, they always circle back to food.

Mom loved to cook. Dad did too. Our kitchen was always busy growing up, and every once in a while Mom would channel her full 1970s casserole-era energy and throw together a dish with a handful of ingredients that made you question her at first… but somehow worked perfectly together in the end. Back then casseroles were practical, comforting, and big enough to feed the family for days.

This recipe is a similar version to hers. I actually still have the handwritten recipe tucked away in her old gray recipe box. Her version included broccoli, but otherwise the flavors are almost identical. I decided to make it in her memory this weekend. The only snag? I realized halfway through Sunday that I didn’t actually have the chicken. So after a quick lunch break grocery run today, dinner plans were back on track.

Since it’s just me these days, I cut the recipe in half. Honestly, I’m still not entirely sure how the original fits into a 9x13 pan using only one package of Rice-A-Roni — although it does call for four cups of chicken, so maybe the original recipe leaned heavier on the chicken. My smaller version definitely became more about the rice than the chicken, but honestly, that’s not a bad thing.

This tasted exactly like the casseroles I remember from childhood: simple, comforting, filling, and surprisingly satisfying. Nothing fancy. Nothing trendy. Just the kind of meal that feels nostalgic from the very first bite.

Will I make it again anytime soon? Probably not. But for one evening (and one leftover), it felt good to sit with those memories, eat a meal that reminded me of Mom, and think about all the love that used to come out of her kitchen.

I miss her every single day.

Monterey Chicken Rice-A-Roni Casserole

Recipe from Plain Chicken

Serves 6

• 1 box chicken flavor Rice-A-Roni
• 1 (10.75-oz) can cream of chicken soup
• ½ c sour cream
• 1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 c cooked chopped chicken
• 1½ c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 (6-oz) can French fried onions, divided

Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Prepare Rice-A-Roni according to package directions. Add soup, sour cream, spinach, garlic, chicken, cheese, and half of the fried onions. Stir to combine.

Spread rice mixture into prepared pan. Top rice with the remaining fried onions.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.