CHICKEN AND RICE BAKE 5-MINUTES PREP
KICKED-UP CHICKEN AND RICE BAKE
Confession time. I was brought up on the old school chicken and rice casserole. (I don’t call them casseroles anymore because it seems that it’s a dirty word with kids these days) But you know the chicken and rice I’m talking about. The super plain one that had cream of mushroom soup rice and chicken…like, that’s it.
Photo by Clean Monday Meals
But lately, I've been missing my mom and being a little nostalgic. So I wanted to bring back one of her old comfort food recipes and kick it up with some fresh vegetables a little bit more flavor and a couple of topping ideas. Boom! It's a winner,r dare I say Winne Winner Chicken Dinner….. hee hee.
This Chicken and Rice Bake comes together in only 5 minutes of prep time. This meal packs a lot of flavor in a filling one-dish dinner that you can customize as you wish.
So toss this together in the morning or when you get home from work, and sit back and unwind while it’s baking away in the oven. I think you’ll like this reinvented classic.
Kicked-up Chicken And Rice Bake
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 package onion soup mix
- 1- 10 ounce can cream of mushroom condensed soup (NOT diluted)
- Optional add-ins:
- -Choose either 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, 1 1/2 cups mushrooms OR 3/4 cup onions
- Optional Topping Ideas:
- - ½ cup grated cheddar, parmesan, or Gruyere cheese
- - Fried onions
- - 1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed, mixed with 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Add chicken and season with salt & pepper.
- Add the rice, water, sour cream, condensed soup, onion soup mix, and veggie add-ins if using to a bowl and stir well to combine.
- Pour rice mixture into the baking dish over the chicken.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake 1 hour or until rice is tender.
- Remove the foil and gently stir. Top with the grated cheese (or other toppings) Cover and return to oven for 10 minutes or until rice is tender and cheese is melted.
Notes:
- Make-ahead: Build your dish in the morning and refrigerate. Pop in the oven when you are ready to bake. It will take a few more minutes to bake from cold.
- My dish is always ready using these times; however, depending on your own oven, it can require up to an additional 15 minutes.
- You may substitute or cream of chicken soup for the cream of mushroom
- The recipe can be halved and baked in an 8x8 pan or ovenproof skillet