Chicken Artichoke and Rice casserole

Here's another recipe I've adapted from a small Pillsbury recipe booklet. It's elegant enough for company. It would be a lovely recipe to use for some of that leftover turkey.

This recipe serves 10-12 but you can easily halve it to serve 4 or 5.

White Sauce*

• 6 Tbsp. margarine or butter
• 6 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper ( I often use Montreal Steak Spice)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk

*2 cans of undiluted cream of chicken soup can be substituted for the white Sauce.

Casserole:

• 1 1/2 cups julienne cut (2 x 1/4 x 1/4") carrots
• 1/2 cup julienne cut green peppers
• 1/2 cup julienne cut red or yellow peppers
• 1/3 cup green onions cut into 1" strips
• 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 2 1/2 cups cooked chicken cut into strips
• 3 or 4 strips bacon, crsply cooked and crumbled
• 8 oz. shredded cheese ( mozzarella or swiss or montery jack or combination)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked white rice*
• 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice*
• 1 or 2 14 oz. cans artichoke hearts, drained, and sliced
• 1/4 cup grated Prmesan cheese
• Dried parsley flakes

* I cook 1 cup of a rice blend (found at Costco) which cooks up to 3 cups rice.

For Sauce:

1. Melt margarine in medium saucepan over medium heat (or in microwavable bowl) Stir in flour, salt and pepper.
2. Cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly, stirring constantly.
3. Gradually add milk and chicken broth, and cook stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. (or cook for one minute intervals in microwave, stirring well after each interval)

For the Casserole:

1. Heat oven to 350º. Grease 9x13" baking dish.
2. In large skillet over medium high heat, cook and stir carrots, and peppers in 1 Tbsp. butter until crip tender, adding green onions about half way.
3. Stir in white sauce, 1/2 cup milk, sherry, chicken, bacon and cheese. Blend well and remove from heat.
4. Combine white and wild rice and spread evenly over bottom of greased baking dish.
5. Arrange artichokes over rice.
6. Spoon chicken/sauce mixture evenly over artichokes. (Dish can be covered at this point and refrigerated up to 24 hours)
7. Spinkle with grated parmesan and parsley
8. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until casserole is throughly heated and begins to brown.