chicken and rice casserole is a deeply-comforting dish with variations upon its theme found in almost every cuisine throughout the world.  Generally, chicken and rice dishes are easy to make, can often be made ahead and a relaxed, slow-cooking approach allows flavours to mingle, amalgamate and intensify.

Spain, with its ubiquitous Paella, is an example of a recipe that can be adapted for a casserole.  Brown chicken pieces in a pan with plenty of olive oil, add chopped chorizo sausage, and a sofrito of onions, garlic and tomatoes then stir in a good handful or two of Bomba paella rice.  Spices are represented by the chorizo sausage but in addition, a couple of strands of Saffron is essential.  A litre of chicken stock completes the ensemble before transferring to a dish and baking for 40 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 180C.  Ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, stir in fresh vegetables such as peas and French beans along with a melange of crushed garlic and parsley.

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Travelling to Mexico sees Arroz con Pollo, a dish not too dissimilar to paella but one which typically utilizes the astringent heat of chillies and other indiginous vegetables such as capsicums and beans.  Following the paella-inspired recipe above but adding an abundance of chopped chillies to the sofrito, using long-grain rice in place of the short-grained Bomba then substituting half the stock for a bottle of beer, it is baked in a casserole dish the same way.  As a final flourish, garnish with chopped scallions (spring onions), a zingy salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

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For a more sedately English and autumnal take, brown the chicken pieces with a chopped onion and garlic clove before deglazing the pan with a small glass of robust white wine.  Add sliced mushrooms, long-grain rice then a litre of stock and transfer to a casserole dish.  Stir in more ‘woody’ herbs such as fresh thyme and marjoram along with a generous amount of freshly-ground black pepper.  As above, bake in the oven for 40 minutes.  Taking advantage of the seasons, also add small cubes of roasted squash, pumpkin or sweet potato.

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At its most basic, a chicken and rice casserole needn’t be boring or bland and with the addition of a few spices, fresh herbs and vegetables, it’s a perfect dish to make-ahead for a dinner-party, a social get-together or even just a comforting, mid-week supper for two.