Easy and Cheesy Chicken Casserole

This dish is one of my kids favorites…and my husband’s too!  I like it because it’s easy to make, tastes good, and there’s usually leftovers!  There are two ways to make this dish with or without cooking the chicken first.  If you are using precooked chicken (I’ve done the dish with the chicken strips you can buy already cooked and sauteed my own chicken), you’ll just be heating this until hot an bubbly.  I prefer to take boneless chicken breast and sautee bite sized chunks in olive oil and season with a little garlic powder, onion salt, and Nature’s Seasoning and once cooked adding it to this dish.  However, I do make it this way as well, and doing it with uncooked chicken is (almost) as tasty and certainly easier than having to cook the bird first.

So to get started preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Then mix the following ingredients together:

• 1 1/3 cups of white instant rice
• 1 cup of water
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of cheddar cheese soup (I’ve also used cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli and cream of celery and all have worked without compromising taste)
• 1 large bag of Bird’s Eye Classic Mix Veggies (cook for 1/2 the suggested cooking time and then add to the mix)
• 2 tablespoons of onion flakes
• 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of Nature’s Seasoning (optional) or salt and pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts cut into thin strips or bite sized chunks
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Mix the above ingredients until well blended.  Sprinkle the top with (more!) shredded cheddar cheese and bake for 50-60 minutes at 375 degrees until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.  If you are using pre-cooked chicken cook at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes and cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

This is a quick and easy casserole that will leave the family full and happy!