Name: Kale and Leek Rice Casserole with Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 large boneless chicken breast, cut into thirds; 1 c. Royal rice mix, any variety; 1.5 c. chicken broth; 1 can condensed cream soup (pictured used Cream of Mushroom); 2 leeks, greens only, cut into rings; ½ cup chopped frozen kale; 2 T. olive or vegetable oil; ½ t. garlic powder; ½ t. salt; ½ t. cracked pepper

Did you forget to take chicken out of the freezer? No problem! This is a hearty hot dish that can be thrown together quickly. I pulled my chicken breast pieces straight out of the freezer because I had cut and prepped my chicken, placed them flat into baggies and then quickly froze them when I first brought the package home. This is heavy on leek/onion flavor and the soup adds a nice creaminess to the chewy rice.

Kale and Leek Rice Casserole with Chicken

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 large boneless chicken breast, cut into thirds
1 c. Royal rice mix, any variety
1.5 c. chicken broth
1 can condensed cream soup (pictured used Cream of Mushroom)
2 leeks, greens only, cut into rings
½ cup chopped frozen kale
2 T. olive or vegetable oil
½ t. garlic powder
½ t. salt
½ t. cracked pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Except for chicken, combine all ingredients into an 8×8 glass casserole dish. Mix thoroughly.
Slide the frozen chicken pieces into the rice goo, making sure the chicken is fully covered.
Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven’s middle rack.
After 45 minutes, pull out and let sit undisturbed for 15-20 minutes. The liquid should be fully absorbed. Uncover and spoon out a chicken portion with a large helping of rice.
A quick side salad and a bowl of applesauce would complement this well.
If using thawed or fresh chicken, increase temp to 375F, and cook for 30 minutes. Let sit undisturbed for 15-20 minutes.
ALWAYS cut into the chicken to make sure there is no pink inside before eating it. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F. One of my top-10 kitchen gadgets that increased my confidence in the kitchen is a meat thermometer I won at a Christmas white elephant party. It’s a lot like this highly rated, moderately priced one, with the thermometer on a cord.

Notes

The Royal rice blends are meant to be eaten al dente, and this dish lives up to the chewy texture.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 337Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 1649mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 18g