Creamy Chorizo & Chicken Casserole

A while back I made an awesome casserole.  It was so good that I completely forgot to take a picture of it, so I decided to use a picture of the next best thing... a happy monkey!  However now I have a picture of the casserole, and I've posted it!  I'll go ahead and put the monkey picture back in though, because it's a happy monkey. :)

The casserole recipe was posted by Big Girls Small Kitchen as an April Fool's joke.  It was listed as a supposed 100 calorie casserole.  I figured it was a joke after seeing the words Creamy and Chorizo in the same sentence, but kept reading to see what the recipe would be like.  It sounded interesting, so I gathered up everything and tried it out.  I did change up a few things along the way.  I used less cheese, breast meat instead of dark, and I used a full pound of chorizo.  I always substitute green onion for regular onion (Mr. Monkey won't eat regular onion), and I lacked fresh cilantro and lime juice.  The result was a creamy meal that was on par with snuggling up under your favorite warm blanket on a cold day.  It was so delicious, and it froze and reheated splendidly.

Creamy Chorizo & Chicken Casserole (Original Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chorizo
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3 green onions
• 3 cloves garlic, miniced
• 3 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 cups brown rice
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (Fiesta blend, cheddar, pepper jack, or monterey jack are good choices)

Directions:

1. Prepare rice per package instructions in a large pot.  When cooked, set to the side and keep covered so you can mix everything in the pot easily. 
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
3. Cut up chorizo and remove casing if it has it.  Also cut up the chicken and coat it in 1 tsp of the chili powder.
4. Cook both the chorizo and chicken in a large skillet over medium heat until chorizo is browned and chicken is no longer pink.
5. Remove chorizo and chicken from pan and place in the pot with the rice.  If there is excess fat in the pan, then drain all but 1 to 2 tbsp.
6. Add butter, garlic, and green onion to the pan and saute until onions and garlic are lightly browned and soft.
7. Add remaining chili powder, cumin, salt, and flour.  Stir until flour has been fully incorporated.
8. Stir in chicken broth and cook until thickened.
9. Add heavy cream and sour cream.  Simmer over medium low heat until thickened and well mixed.
10. Remove from heat and add the mixture to the pot with the cooked rice and meats.  Mix well in pot, and then spread into a large casserole dish.  Sprinkle cheese over top of the mixture.
11. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serves 6