Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

My recipe looks very different from the recipe picture. Here
The recipe calls for 2 cups of wild rice and 2 cups of white rice. We do not care for that much rice, so I only used 1 cup of rice and I did not prepare my rice before I added it to the casserole. We really liked it this way, but you might want to try Picky Palate's version. I will add ( ) to my version.



Printable Version
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast ( I used rotisserie chicken from grocery store)
2 cups steamed white rice (I used 1 cup of raw rice)
16 oz prepared wild rice (I did not use this)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
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Ingredients for Cheese Sauce
4 Tablespoons butter (I used 3)
1/4 cup all purpose flour (I used about 3 T)
1/4 teaspoon each of kosher salt and black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Top with 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
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Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Saute onions, celery, and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chicken, both rices,( I added the cup of raw rice at this point) salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Reduce heat to low. You just want to cooked long enough to coat the rice.
2. To prepare cheese sauce, melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper. Then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously. Whisk until thick and nearly boiling. Then stir in cheese until melted. Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture then transfer to a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Top with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.