Recipe Review: Easy Peasy Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

It's true.  I'm all about the easy recipes.  There's also something to be said for those casserole type recipes that you can make in advance, have all the clean up done, and then just throw it in the oven when the time comes.  This recipe is everything.  My kids LOVE it.  I mean both of them.  Not just one.  Both love it at the same time. Do you know what a miracle that is?  Hence, this recipe is on a regular cycle around here.

Now, here is my tip to get your kids to love this recipe even more.  Serve it with whole wheat tortilla chips (or whatever kind you happen to eat).  They will eat it like a dip and love every bite.  You can also put this in a wrap if you are so inclined.

The original recipe has 883k pins on Pinterest! Here is the link to the original recipe:
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

I will rewrite the way I make it below.  I have made this so much, there are a few things that I have learned.  For example, the recipe calls for only 2 chicken breasts.  I use 4.  We like chicken around here.  Also, it calls for 1 cup of sour cream and half cup of salsa.  I do even amounts, so about 3/4 cup of each.  I also don't use the Chilis, because, well, then my kids WOULD NOT eat it.  I also don't use cilantro because I hate it.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

• 4 chicken breasts cubed and cooked
• 4 cups of cooked brown rice
• 1 small can of corn
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup of salsa
• 1.5 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Mix everything together in a large bowl, and spread into a 9x13 casserole dish.  Bake for around 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until heated through.

So, yes, you have to cook the chicken first and you have to cook the rice first.  I never have that sitting waiting in my fridge, because if I did, HELLO? That's called leftovers and there wouldn't be a need for me to cook that night.  So, I wouldn't exactly say this is a QUICK recipe.  The beauty of it is, you can get it all done in advance.  This does make a fairly large batch, so we usually have at least a little for leftovers the next day.  Either the kids get to take it for lunch, or my husband does.  It depends on which I am happier with ;).

Here's the process in pictures:

Yes, that does say Peaches and Cream corn.  Slightly sweeter than regular corn.  I was all out of the other stuff, and no one around here seemed to notice, or if they did, they knew better than to complain.  This recipe is pretty forgiving.  In fact, once I was substituted the sour cream with Greek yogurt which is completely fine.  I guess I wasn't paying attention, because when I served it, I realized I used vanilla flavored Greek yogurt.  True story.  I`m not going to lie and say it was delicious.  It was weird, but oddly enough, everyone still ate it.

 

That's a lot of chicken now that I see this!  It's ok. We need the protein.

But, seriously, it doesn't get any easier than this.  No spices to fiddle with.  Just throw it all in a big bowl and stir until you think it looks good.

 

This is precooked.  Technically, you probably could eat it like this since the chicken and rice are already cooked.  I'm not sure that you would want to though.  I didn't get a picture of it after.  I kind of forgot, and by the time I put it on the table the kids were already digging in.  Not so attractive.

What to search for on Pinterest: Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake (or see link above)
Pros: delicious, make it in advance, ingredients most people have on hand, easy
Cons: there is some "pre-cooking" to be done
Would I make this recipe again? Yes! It's on a weekly rotation around here.