Southwestern Chicken and Rice Casserole

Oh.My.  I have issues with casseroles .... they rarely turn out the way I think they should.  Finally, I achieved success!!!!!!!  I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen, and I modified it a bit to fit our family.  I've made it twice now and both times, everyone gobbles it up.  Last night, hubby actually said, "This is a really good meal."  He rarely says that, so I knew it was good!!!!!  (He usually says, "It's fine."  To him, that means he likes it.  It took me a while to figure out that It's fine really means It's good.  So for him to say It's good .... that must mean it's great!)

The original recipe is HERE.  I'll put it here the way I made it and I'll put some notes and thoughts at the bottom.

Southwestern Chicken and Rice Casserole

• 1 (15 Oz.) Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 (10.75 Oz.) Can Cream Of Chicken Soup
• 1 C. Water
• 1 C. Picante Sauce
• 3/4 C. Uncooked Long Grain White Rice
• 1/2 Tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 (11 Oz.) Whole Kernel Corn Drained
• 4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast Halves
• Taco Seasoning
• Cheddar Cheese

Spray a 13×9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread drained black beans over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Combine soup, water, salsa, rice, onion powder and corn in a bowl; pour over black beans.

Lay chicken on top and generously sprinkle taco seasoning on top of the chicken.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken and rice are done.  Uncover and bake another 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven until cheese is melted.

My Notes

- Instead of the 1 cup of water, next time I might try adding a can of petite diced tomatoes.  Maybe even the ones with green chilies.

- You can use whatever kind of salsa or picante sauce you like.

- I think this would be easy to put together ahead of time and just pop in the oven an hour before dinner.

- If you use brown rice, I'd probably add a bit more water.

- Cheese ..... again, use whatever you like.  Last night, I used a combination of mild and sharp cheddar cheese, only because that's what I already had.  Mexican cheese would be good, too.

- I think this casserole has a lot of possibilities to change it up a bit and to adjust the spiciness to what your family likes.

Pioneer Woman's Ranch-Style Chicken

Oh.My.Goodness. This was sooooo good. But really, how can anything with bacon and cheese on top NOT be good?

I don't think I will make it very often, though. For one thing, it's fairly labor intensive. I am never on the ball enough to marinate something for any length of time. Then, you fry up a lot of bacon, then you fry the chicken, then you bake the chicken. So, lots of work. Also, the way the recipe is written, it's loaded with fat. I don't worry too much about low-calorie cooking, but I think we eat fairly healthy. Although, we'll see what my gallbladder has to say about this meal later tonight!!!!!

The best thing about this meal was that I got a LOT of bacon grease to start my bacon grease jar for the fridge!!!!!

Homemade Chicken Broth

Here's a great way to save some money and make some YUMMY chicken broth. We ate a Rotisserie Chicken today for lunch. There's tons of meat left over, too. Here's my "recipe":

Homemade Chicken Broth

Chicken bones, skin - basically, whatever is left over after you eat a roasted chicken
1 Onion - cut up in large chunks
a few Carrots - cut up in large chunks
Celery - if you have it. I usually don't have it, so I don't use it.
Spices - whatever you have - garlic cloves, a few black peppercorns

Put it all in a crockpot and fill up with water. Cook on Low all day, or overnight. Refrigerate the broth, then skim the fat off the top if there is any.

I usually freeze the broth in 1 and 2 cups portions and then I can use it whenever a recipe calls for it.