Chicken and Rice

Tonight I was wandering around the kitchen thinking…. “I feel creative” and “What experimental recipe can I throw together tonight?” I grabbed a few things from my pantry and decided to see how they got along in the oven.  The result is a simple, but tasty Rice and Chicken casserole.  Fun Fact:  I have had the same best friend for almost 30 years now; since we were itty-bitty kids.  So, I basically grew up in her house part-time.  My 2nd Mom makes a simple rice dish similar to this, that she calls “Party Rice.”  My intention here was not  to recreate that… but in the end, this recipe did take me back to that comfort food I grew up on.  So, I hope you like it too.  It’s simple, straightforward, and for me…comforting.   I actually like to eat “party rice” cold the next day.  I bet this would also be good that way.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb  cooked chicken breast, chopped or shredded (cook with salt and pepper to taste)
• 3/4 cups uncooked white rice (i use jasmine rice, but white is fine)
• 1 can of Campbells healthy Request cheddar cheese soup
• 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon Water
• 1/4 an onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1/4 Tsp Pepper
• 1 Tsp Sazon seasoning (found in the hispanic section of the grocery)
• 1/4 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375.

 2.  Mix together following ingredients in a medium size bowl, until well combined: Rice, Soup, Water, Onion, Salt, Pepper, and Sazon.

 3.  Spray a 9×9 pan with non-stick spray. 

4.  Pour mixture into pan, and distribute chicken evenly over top of mixture.  Lightly press chicken slightly into Rice. 

5.  Cover Dish with Foil, and bake for 55 minutes.  Do not uncover during cooking.

 6.  Once the 50 minutes is up, uncover dish, and sprinkle Cheddar cheese over top.  Return to oven 2-3 minutes, or until cheese melts.   

Makes 4 Servings= 325 Calories per serving 

Approximately 9 weight watchers points plus per serving.    

Editors Note:  This would also be very good if you mixed in an extra 1/2 cup of 2% shredded cheddar into the rice mixture before baking.  If you did this, each serving would be 370 calories/10 ww pp.