Batch Cooking - Easy Chicken & Rice Bake . . . using make ahead Chicken Mix

     Batch Cooking is a concept I sometimes use to organize meal components in advance so they are ready to use when we’re in a hurry. Click on  the MIX tab at the top of the Home page, to access recipes for the make-ahead Chicken Mix called for in this recipe.

Easy Chicken & Rice Bake    Yield: Makes one 9” square casserole / 4 servings

1/2 cup uncooked rice

1 teaspoon Italian herb blend (or herbs or your choice)

2 cups cooked chicken or Chicken Mix, thawed

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can mushroom soup or make one batch of White Sauce

About 2 tablespoons grated on finely minced onion

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

About 1 cup frozen peas (amount may be varied to suit your taste)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1.     Cook rice following instructions on the rice package.

2.     Mix all ingredients together and put in casserole. 

3.     Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

      Or freeze the unbaked casserole; thaw and bake as directed above.

Rice Helps & Hints

·      Rice may be cooked ahead and held in the refrigerator ready to use in recipes like Easy Chicken & Rice Bake (cooked rice stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; it may also be bagged and frozen).

·      Extra rice can also be used to make fried rice or even rice pudding.

·      Although the rice package, usually calls for water as the cooking liquid, chicken broth may also be substituted for additional flavor. 

Other recipes that use Chicken Mix: Chicken Spaghetti, Huntington Chicken, Sloppy BBQ Chicken Joe.