Chicken and Rice Bake

Ingredients:
3 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (defrosted)
1 package of Rice Sides (they are like 89 cents at HEB) Garlic or Creamy Chicken flavor
1/2 cup of fresh broccoli (carrots can be substituted here)
1 can of peas
1 can of corn
2 cans of chicken broth or cream of chicken(60 cents a piece at HEB)
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of season salt ( I prefer Lawrys season salt brand)
1/4 tsp of pepper
2 cups of water
optional:
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of plain bread crumbs


Directions:


I absolutely love this dish, last time I made it we ate the leftovers for probably over a week. It heats up awesome and its really a fast lunch. 


First of all empty the contents of the chicken broth cans into a rectangular oven pan. followed by 2 cups of water. Stir in the garlic, salt, and pepper as well. 


Then you can add in your rice side. I love buying those instead of just a bag of rice because they come with their own seasoning. Followed by your canned veggies! I personally prefer my broccoli in smaller bits rather than big bites so I like to tear mine into small pieces, but it is really personal preference. I normally add carrots to this as well, helpful hint: you can buy the baby carrots and still use them for cooking or for a quick snack with some ranch rather than buying the large fresh carrots. 

Now for the chicken. I buy probably 2 bags of chicken at a time just because I use it in so many dishes and its fairly healthy for you depending on how its prepared. I slice mine into long strips before putting it in the dish , it really cuts the cooking time down and ensures for fully cooked chicken. Lay the strips in the dish like so...

Then bury the chicken under the mixture...


This is where I like to put my breadcrumbs over the top layer and/or cheese (it really gives it a nice crust on the top layer).


Then place inside the oven on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes. Or until when you check the chicken it is no longer pink but white all the way through.


Pull it out of the oven and set on some racks to cool or the stove top. 

Stir it up and slice the chicken into bite sized pieces.

At this point your good to go. 
Enjoy! I definitely am!