Easy Chicken Rice and Mushroom Bake

 

What’s not to like about a one-pan meal that makes a weeknight supper deliciously doable with little prep time and minimal clean-up.

 

 

Rice is combined with cream of chicken soup, mushrooms, paprika and seasoned pepper, then nestled in chicken breasts and baked.  Can’t get much easier than that ~ it’s a tasty delicious moist and tender dish!

 

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

What’s not to like about 

white-meat-chicken ~ 

smothered in melted cheddar ~

resting on a bed of creamy rice and vegetables?

 

I did a great job of hiding the chicken.  😉  It's cheesy delicious!

 

 

 

Hail to the “one-dish” meal!

 

Crispy Cheddar Chicken for Dinner!

Who doesn’t like cheese? 

Well, I know a few of those people, but that’s not the case here with us, so I knew this chicken dish would be on our menu soon when I saw it on Larry’s blog.

Chow down on Cowboy Chicken Casserole

Yee-ha!  

Here’s a casserole with great ingredients that 

any cowboy would like to chow down on.

 And so do we when it's a chilly night here.  

It’s Cowboy Chicken Casserole!

It’s a wholesome concoction of chicken, black beans, corn, cheese, salsa, tortillas and seasonings that come together to make this a tasty hearty filling dinner.

Cowboy Chicken lives up to its name with bringing to mind the good flavors of the Southwest. 

Perfect Baked Chicken Breast

Looking for a recipe for baked chicken breast?  
This is the only recipe you'll need!

The ubiquitous chicken just might be the most popular meat around.  Cooks love it for its versatility and folks, young and old, love the flavor of it.  I’ve cooked a lot of chicken in my lifetime, and we think this is one of the best!

Roasted Robusto Italian Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms

This recipe is truly simple and seriously satisfying!

I’ve mentioned more than once that I’m a big fan of Wish-Bone Robusto Italian Dressing.  It’s not only great on salad; it does a great job of marinating meat also.

Chicken and Stuffing Bake and Some Winter Diamond Dust!

 

Not since 1873 has it been this cold, 

on this date, March 4th, 

here in Chicagoland, 

blame it on the polar vortex!

Our thermometer read -4° this morning, that's with a windchill of -20°.

Diamond dust over Lake Michigan, Chicago

Diamond dust has been in the air this bitter cold winter ~ tiny ice crystals falling from an apparently clear sky, when the temperatures are subzero.  In sunlight, moonlight, or artificial light, the ice crystals glitter and shine like diamonds. 

Southern Fried (Baked) Chicken ~ à la Blue Bloods

Bubba knows my weaknesses ~ 

cookbooks and “Blue Bloods!”  

 He surprised me with this 

great cookbook 

for Christmas and I could tell 

this "fried" baked chicken recipe 

would be a winner!

Southern cooks and barbecue pitmasters may want to skip right past this recipe, because it’s a bit of a Southern cooking sacrilege, per The Blue Bloods Cookbook.

The Best ~ Classic Chicken and Dumplings

This is an all-time favorite meal here at our house!  

And for good reason ~ 

it’s a delicious comfort dish for chilly snowy weather!

Chicken always gets top billing, but it’s the dumplings that sway people so easily.  There are a plethora of ways to make this dish, and this time I followed Paula Deen’s most of the way...

Dinner is: Iron-Skillet Roast Chicken with Acorn Squash, Red Onions and Bacon

How can anyone resist good crisp skin on chicken?  If it’s not crispy, it’s just simply a sad chicken...

Hello, crispy chicken with roasted vegetables and smokey bacon!  Here's a one-pan meal that’s bursting with flavor!

Mouthwatering Creamy Ritz Chicken Bake

Chicken never tasted quite so good!

This dish is comforting, delicious, rich and buttery with tender bites of chicken ~ a recipe that’s in about any community or church cookbook, and surprisingly, there are a minimum of variations from one recipe to the next.

Midwestern Chicken and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes and My 8 Year Blogiversary!

Spoon chicken and noodles over what?  Mashed potatoes, really!  Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

It isn’t soup, it’s not a potpie, it’s a hotdish ~ it’s thick and creamy noodles topping a mound of mashed potatoes.

Creamy, rich gravy smothers bites of savory chicken, chewy noodles and mashed potatoes. You haven’t eaten Midwestern food until you eat this for supper!

We like mushrooms with the noodles, skip them if you don’t.  Chop up and add carrots or celery, if you desire.  I poached chicken breasts, but I’ve also picked the meat off a rotisserie chicken when in a hurry.  

It may not make a pretty picture, but it more than makes up for it in goodness.  And if you have leftovers, it’s your lucky day!

Chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes is a great hearty homestyle one-dish meal for a crisp evening, any day of the week!

As a side note ~ I was recently reminded that I  have been blogging for 8 years now.  I started this blog October 29, 2009, that's a lot of posts!  Back then, I just wanted a way to organize and document family recipes.

I look back and cringe at some early posts, the writing, the photos.  But what makes up for that is the great people I have virtually "met" along the way.  I feel like I truly know many of you who share the same passion I do:  food.

I've seen a lot of blogs come and go over the years and I've learned a lot along the way from reading what you share ~ whether your travels, books you've read, music you like, food from your kitchen or in restaurants, I've enjoyed it all!

Thank you for all for visiting here and your positive comments!  

And I give a special thank you to our older son, Bill, Jr., Bubba here on my blog, for helping me to start it all!  Couldn't have done it without you, son! 

Here's to 8 more years... 

Yield: 4-6 servings

Midwestern Chicken and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes

Midwestern hearty chicken and noodles at it's best!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large jar of Heinz Homestyle Chicken Gravy
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 4-6 cups chicken broth, divided
• 1/4 cup flour
• 8 ounces egg noodles
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Enough mashed potatoes for everyone

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large skillet, or pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms, and sauté until cooked.
2. In a liquid measuring cup or blender, whisk 1/4 cup broth and flour until smooth, no lumps. Stir into skillet mixture.
3. Add remaining broth, gravy and soup to mixture, stir well, bring to a boil.
4. Add noodles. Cover and cook until noodles are almost tender, about 7 minutes. Add more broth if needed.
5. Stir in chicken and heat through. Add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
6. Serve immediately over mashed potatoes.

notes

Add more broth or water as needed, the noodles soak it up.
This dish should be just a touch soupy, but much thicker than a noodle soup.  
Takes about 1 hour, total time to prepare.

Enjoy!

Baked Cornbread-Stuffed Zucchini

I might live in the Midwest now, but I’m a Southerner at heart!

One of the reasons; besides, delicious cornbread, a warmer climate, friendly people and good food, and did I mention cornbread (?), is that Southern Living has been delivered in our mailbox ever since I was married ~ way back when Mom gave a subscription of it to me.

Which leads me to zucchini and this recipe!  

The gardens are starting to fill up with the vegetable; consequently, this slightly adapted recipe from SL is perfect for the season!

They are tasty zucchinis stuffed with a delicious blend of corn, onions, garlic, cheddar cheese, chicken and spices.  Choose squash that are uniform in shape so they will cook evenly.  The best kind are long, straight and not too skinny.

I will admit there was one problem with my finished dish:  I bought ready-made cornbread from the grocery store to speed up the process, unfortunately, I did not sample it first.  Too late, I realized the cornbread was very sweet, sort of like Jiffy mix, cake-like.  I’m not a fan of sweet cornbread, and seldom add sugar to the batter when I make it.

Southern cornbread is traditionally made with little or no sugar (I do claim to top it with butter and a swirl of honey at times) while northern cornbread is sweet and more cake-like. 

In Bill’s opinion and mine also, this zucchini mixture would have been much better with savory cornbread, the finished dish was too sweet for us.  And it was a touch on the dry side; the next time, I would add ½ cup chicken broth to the mixture, somewhere along the line.  It's definitely worth another try!

Whether you get your zucchini straight from the garden, or the farmers’ market, stock up on it and enjoy this cornbread-stuffed zucchini.

Just pay more attention than I did as to what type of cornbread you make it with!



Enjoy!

Author: Pam

Cornbread-Stuffed Zucchini

Cornbread makes everything better!

prep time: 20 MINScook time: 45 MINStotal time: 65 mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread (about 10 ounces)
• 4 zucchini
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 16 ounces ground chicken
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (2 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 6 ounces cheddar cheese (about 1½ cups)
• ½ cup fresh corn
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Spread cornbread in a even layer on one end of a baking sheet. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop out zucchini pulp to equal 3 cups pulp, leaving a ½-inch shell intact. Coarsely chop 1½ cups of pulp, reserve remaining pulp for another use.
3. Brush zucchini shells with 2 tablespoons of oil. Place shells on baking sheet with cornbread, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Place in 375° oven and bake until cornbread is lightly browned, about 10-11 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
4. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add ground chicken to skillet, cook, stirring to crumble, until browned, about 6 minutes.
5. Add onion, garlic, paprika, pepper, reserved 1½ cups zucchini pulp and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt to skillet, cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, about 3 minutes.
6. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, and stir in cornbread, cheese, corn and parsley. Divide chicken mixture evenly among zucchini shells. Place shells on a baking sheet.
7. Bake stuffed zucchini at 350° until filling is lightly browned and zucchini is tender, 25 minutes.
8. Serve

Created using The Recipes Generator

Last Night's Dinner ~ Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes over Grilled Chicken

I know ~ you’re probably thinking grilled chicken is boring and dry.  Well, when grilled correctly, it’s very tender with a nice char, and Bill does this perfectly!

Evidently, I was more interested in eating this than taking pics!

Generally, he dips the chicken breasts in a little lemon juice and sprinkles them with seasonings, salt and pepper, and our favorite spices.  

If a little thick on one end, pound it with a mallet until it has a uniform thickness.  Grill over high heat quickly, searing in all the juices.

While I leave the grilling to him, I’m on to making sautéed cherry tomatoes to top the chicken for added flavor and moistness… 

Ummm, mmm!

The little gems will be slightly charred, tender and savory-sweet.  Sautéing them brings out their natural sweetness and flavor.  They’re a perfect chicken picker-upper!

If you’ve never sautéed cherry tomatoes, give them a try.  It’s well worth it!

Yield: 4 servingsAuthor: Pam

Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes over Grilled Chicken Breasts

Cherry tomatoes, a perfect picker-upper for grilled chicken!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped fine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons seasoned pepper
• 4 grilled chicken breasts

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to the oil and cook for 30 seconds.
2. Add tomatoes, vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper, stir gently.
3. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2-5 minutes, tossing occasionally until tomatoes begin to loose their firm shape and skins start to wrinkle.
4. Serve over grilled chicken breasts.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Happy cooking!

Here's supper... Homemade Sautéed Chicken Nuggets w/Smoky Bourbon BBQ Sauce

This will bring your family to the dinner table quickly,

Sautéed Chicken Nuggets!

You can call them fingers, you can call them strips, you can call them tenders or nuggets…

It makes no difference ~ these little handheld chicken gems are way up there in my list of deliciousness!  

There’s nothing humdrum about them, particularly if you serve them with a favorite sauce.

They’re easy peasy, simple and good, nuf’ said!

I have a feeling you’ll be cooking this a lot, because…

they’re a culinary wonder ~ simply delicious!

Homemade Sautéed Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 egg

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon seasoned pepper

1-2 tablespoons cooking oil, or butter

Smoky Bourbon BBQ sauce, for dipping (recipe below)

Method:

Cut chicken into 1½” chunks and set aside.

Beat egg in a shallow bowl.

Place flour and seasonings in another shallow bowl or resealable plastic bag, combining well.

Dip the chicken nuggets into beaten egg.

Dredge chicken in flour.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.

Add chicken, cook about 10 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink.

Serves 4

Printable recipe

Smokey Bourbon BBQ sauce 

Ingredients: 

1 cup bourbon

½ cup water

¼ cup brown sugar 

1½ cups ketchup

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons molasses

⅛ cup Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon liquid smoke

Dash hot sauce

Method:

In a large saucepan, bring bourbon to a boil, simmer for 7 minutes, most of it will evaporate.

Add remaining ingredients, heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until it is of a smooth and thick consistency.

Makes 2 cups

This is great for grilled chicken and ribs too!

Printable recipe

Enjoy!

Mouthwatering Creamed Chicken and Rice with Biscuits on Top

If you like rice, chicken, and biscuits

  pearl onions and peas, this is your dish!

Seems like casseroles have always been around.  This is one of them that is an everyday family supper that’s quick and easy to make.  This casserole of tender chunky chicken, colorful vegetables is filled with creamy delicious flavor.

 

Ready to bake biscuits

Peas and pearl onions are perfect companions for chicken and rice.  You could add mushrooms if you like and maybe carrots or broccoli, whatever floats your boat!

The weather is chilly and rainy and there’s nothing quite as heartening and comforting as a chicken casserole to warm you up.  

Make this the next time you want a tasty supper in one dish…

It will stretch your food dollar and fill the tummies in your family!


Creamed Chicken and Rice with Biscuits on Top

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked chicken (about 3 cooked chicken breasts), cut into bite-size pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 cups low-fat chicken broth or water
½  cup lite sour cream
¼ cup chopped pimento
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1 cup white rice, raw
¼ to ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans Grands Jr Buttermilk Biscuits (10 biscuits total)

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine all ingredients, except biscuits, in a large bowl and mix well.
Coat a 9” x 13” baking dish with cooking spray.
Add chicken mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes, until heated through.
Remove from oven and arrange biscuits on top of casserole.
Sprinkle cheese over biscuits.
Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until biscuits are a golden brown.
Serves 6
Printable recipe


Enjoy!