Chicken and Rice Bake Recipe

This is a recipe that my family really loves, and I love how easy it is to put together. It uses two cups of cooked, cubed chicken. I try to have cubes of cooked and frozen chicken in the freezer, and this really helps to make this a quick meal for a busy weeknight dinner.

The black beans and tomatoes give it a healthy boost, and I'm finding that the kids will eat it as long as I don't add any hot sauce to the recipe, and serve it with corn muffins.

The leftovers, if there is any, can be put into a warm tortilla with salsa and sour cream the next day for a yummy lunch. And it's a great make-ahead recipe too. Just pop it back into the oven awhile and it still tastes great.

Recipe for Chicken and Rice Bake

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups white or yellow rice
1 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1 (10oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups grated Mexican style cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare rice according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, sauté onion and bell pepper in hot oil in a medium skillet over medium heat 10 minutes or until tender.
3. Combine hot cooked rice, onion mixture, chicken, beans, corn, diced tomatoes and chiles, and 1- 1/2 cups cheese in a large bowl. Spoon into a lightly greased 3-qt. or 13- x 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
4. Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serves 6.

Chicken and Bacon Alfredo Casserole

Casseroles are one of my favorite dinners to make. They are usually pretty easy to put together, and when they are combined with a simple salad and warm bread, you have a delicious meal.

This chicken casserole has bacon in it, and makes it all the more yummy. Who doesn't love bacon, right??

I made this on a busy weeknight, and my family loved it. The recipe is simple, and while it was baking, I made a salad with red onions and Italian dressing. So good!!

Chicken and Bacon Alfredo Casserole

Ingredients:

6 strips bacon
2 1/2 cups uncooked penne, or tube shaped pasta
2 small skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 16 oz. jar alfredo sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup cooked green beans
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Fry the bacon until crisp, let drain on paper towels.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta as directed, drain, and place into a large bowl.
Add the bacon, chicken, green beans, green onion, alfredo sauce, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
Stir together until mixture is well combined. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.
Put mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish, and sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Serves 6.


Enjoy!!

A Winter Dinner, Pumpkin Chicken Chili

I know that pumpkin may sound like an odd ingredient to put into a chili recipe. But this chili is perfect for a cold winter's night dinner, and certainly makes use of the stray can of pumpkin left over in the pantry.

No worries of your chili tasting like pumpkin pie, it won't, it will be unusual though, and I mean that in the best way.

This is the first time I have made Pumpkin Chicken Chili, but it certainly won't be the last. My family loved it, and the next time I make it, I'll make a double batch, and freeze half for another dinner.

I used chicken thigh meat instead of chicken breasts because I like the more flavorful dark meat. And it's less expensive, too.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Thanksgiving is gone, and so is our lovely turkey. I had every intention of making turkey soup, but that didn't happen.

After giving some to departing relatives, making turkey sandwiches, and a yummy turkey stir-fry, there was none left. But it was yummy.

So, I'm back to making chicken soup, which I really do love. And I need some too, so that I can hopefully get over this nasty cold that has been lingering.

This is a super delicious soup that comes together pretty quickly, perfect for a main dish along side some crusty bread, or even cornbread.
You can also change up the veggies if you don't have all of these on hand.


Recipe for Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup:

Ingredients:

32 ounce box of chicken broth
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen green beans
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cups uncooked egg noodles
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup heavy cream