Easy Supper — Chicken with Rice

This is the easy kind of cooking that kind of makes me feel slightly uncomfortable now. (But not too uncomfortable to share it with you.) Years ago I wouldn't have given these ingredients a thought. It uses dry onion soup mix and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Those used to be pantry staples in most kitchens. Times have changed and these convenience foods have fallen out of favor with those who are looking for "clean" foods. And I am SO in favor of that approach to food.

But sometimes life gets in the way of good intentions. This is the kind of recipe you need for those days when easy is your first requirement. My logic says it's probably better than a meal that is handed to you at a drive-thru window. We don't have many sit-down restaurants where we live. Your options might be better. Yay for you if they are. I'm envious! We cannot have our dinner delivered. Our local evening restaurant options are Mexican and Greek/Italian. Everything else nearby has a drive-thru window.

So I need a few of these recipes on hand. This one is a variation of the ages-old chicken and rice that I have made forever. Maybe even longer than I've been married. But the ingredients are put into the dish in a different order and this one adds onion soup, which adds a really nice flavor.

If you're a working mom, this only takes minutes to put together, then it cooks in the oven for over an hour. Time to relax a bit. Or, give the kiddies a bath. Or have a homework session. Hands on time is minimal. That makes it a good recipe for busy families.

Daddy-O had thirds last night. That's his stamp of approval. He'd been on a tractor all day. This was comfort food to the max. And I did add a healthy green salad to the meal. That made me feel better.

CHICKEN with RICE

4 boneless chicken breasts, OR 6-8 boneless chicken thighs
1 cup uncooked rice
1 packet dry onion soup mix (I used Lipton's)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used Healthy Request Campbell's)
1 soup can water

Place chicken pieces in lightly greased baking dish. (A 2-qt dish worked fine this time.) Pour rice over chicken. Sprinkle soup mix over rice. Mix soup and water and pour over all. Cover with foil and bake at 350 º for 1 hour & 15 minutes.

Edited:  Make sure the rice gets down in the liquid. Or, even put the rice *around* the chicken instead of on top. It has to be in the liquid to cook completely.


Keep in mind that this recipe is flexible. The original called for 4 chicken breast. I had six thighs in the freezer. I had used two from that pack for something else. If I'd had all 8, I would have used them all. I think you'd be fine if you have chicken pieces on the bone. There isn't a need to be so precise with this kind of cooking.