Constance
Master Chef
I told Kim to dig something out of the freezer the other night before he went to work. "Some kind of chicken," I said. So he brought in what said cut up chicken. It turned out to be a quartered chicken, with only the wings separated. That suited me just fine, as I generally don't like the way chicken is cut commercially.
He kept asking me all day what I was going to do with it, and by noon, all I could say was, "something in the oven."
While I was doing my hair and make-up after my nap, I did a mental inventory of what I had on hand. I had a beautiful sweet red pepper that cost me $1.79, so I didn't want that to go to waste. I had a big bag of mixed baby carrots, and cauliflower & broccoli florets. I didn't have any potatoes, so for the starch, it was a choice between pasta and rice. I had a plastic cannister of Country Herb/Vegetable seasoned rice from Sams, and went with that.
Here's what I ended up with:
Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray.
Put 2 cups herb seasoned rice mix in bottom of dish.
Lay baby carrots and broccoli florets on top of rice. (I saved the cauliflower for dipping)
Trim extra fat from chicken, but leave skin on. Season well with salt and pepper. Put in dish on top of vegetables and rice.
Sprinkle cubed or juilenned sweet red peppers on top.
Dollap low fat cream of mushroom or golden cream of mushroom soup over the top.
Add 2 cups of water, cover with foil, and put in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Take out and wiggle everything around. Put back in and cook another 30 minutes or so. Check occasionally to make sure liquid hasn't run out. It may need a little more water.
Once the chicken is tender, remove the foil, and run dish under broiler until skin is browned and crispy.
It turned out great, and we have enough for re-runs. Next time, I may spice my chicken up a little more, either with some garlic/herb seasoning, or maybe a little Cajun seasoning. You can vary this dish all sorts of ways, but I liked the idea of cooking the rice right along with the meat.
Uncle Ben's long grain & wild rice would work for this dish also. In fact, that's what made me think of this method. My first MIL always used the Uncle Ben's in the bottom of a roasting pan, added water, and put Rock Cornish Game Hens on top, then covered and roasted. I do them that way too, always with success.
*Note: if your chicken pieces are smaller, the cooking time will be shortened considerably.
He kept asking me all day what I was going to do with it, and by noon, all I could say was, "something in the oven."
While I was doing my hair and make-up after my nap, I did a mental inventory of what I had on hand. I had a beautiful sweet red pepper that cost me $1.79, so I didn't want that to go to waste. I had a big bag of mixed baby carrots, and cauliflower & broccoli florets. I didn't have any potatoes, so for the starch, it was a choice between pasta and rice. I had a plastic cannister of Country Herb/Vegetable seasoned rice from Sams, and went with that.
Here's what I ended up with:
Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray.
Put 2 cups herb seasoned rice mix in bottom of dish.
Lay baby carrots and broccoli florets on top of rice. (I saved the cauliflower for dipping)
Trim extra fat from chicken, but leave skin on. Season well with salt and pepper. Put in dish on top of vegetables and rice.
Sprinkle cubed or juilenned sweet red peppers on top.
Dollap low fat cream of mushroom or golden cream of mushroom soup over the top.
Add 2 cups of water, cover with foil, and put in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Take out and wiggle everything around. Put back in and cook another 30 minutes or so. Check occasionally to make sure liquid hasn't run out. It may need a little more water.
Once the chicken is tender, remove the foil, and run dish under broiler until skin is browned and crispy.
It turned out great, and we have enough for re-runs. Next time, I may spice my chicken up a little more, either with some garlic/herb seasoning, or maybe a little Cajun seasoning. You can vary this dish all sorts of ways, but I liked the idea of cooking the rice right along with the meat.
Uncle Ben's long grain & wild rice would work for this dish also. In fact, that's what made me think of this method. My first MIL always used the Uncle Ben's in the bottom of a roasting pan, added water, and put Rock Cornish Game Hens on top, then covered and roasted. I do them that way too, always with success.
*Note: if your chicken pieces are smaller, the cooking time will be shortened considerably.
