Monday 29 July 2013

Cheesy Mexican Chicken and Rice Bake

This dish was a hit! 

I made it on the night my son had his first film premier "The Last Laugh". He attended a 2 week long "Movie Maker Camp" and all the kids helped write and act in the movie about a clown apocalypse.....he did amazing and he learned so much. I was so glad to find this camp for him. Movie making is his passion and I hope someday he will earn an Oscar :)

Now back to the dish. I made it for my mom and my in laws and they all enjoyed it. My man loved it after his first bite and has since, told me how much he loves while eating the left overs. My mother just called to tell me to hurry up and post this recipe so she can make it for my dad so he can try it. This speaks for itself.

I would recommend doing some prep the night before, especially cooking the rice. However, if you can't, then I would suggest to just use jasmine rice instead of the brown rice to reduce cooking time.

I tweaked the original recipe A LOT, so I will consider this my own recipe.



INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts *could use already cooked roast chicken to speed things up*
  • 2 tbsp of oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 servings of Brown Rice (this rice takes longer to cook unless you buy the boxed stuff)
  • 2 servings of Jasmine Rice
  • 3/4 cups Frozen Corn (my mother hates corn, so I substituted with onions and red peppers)
  • 15 ounces, fluid Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
  • 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt 
  • 1/4 cup of sour cream
  • 4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis
  • 1 tsp of chili powder
  • 1 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp of cumin
  • 3/4 to 1 cup of Salsa
  • 1 cup Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping
  • Cilantro For Garnish
  • Tomatoes, chopped and seeded for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. Cook the rice and put in a large mixing bowl.
3. Put the chili powder, garlic powder and cumin in a small bowl and mix well.
4.  Cut up the chicken into chunks. Add oil to a skillet and then add the minced the garlic. Saute for 30 seconds, then add chicken. Sprinkle about half of the spice mixture on the chicken.  *At this point I added the onions and peppers, skip this if you want to just stick with the corn* Cook until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the cooked chicken in with the rice.
5. in a medium sized bowl, add the yogurt, sour cream, salsa and the rest of the spice mixture. Stir well and then add it to the rice.
6. Combine the rest ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. 
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro and tomatoes.

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