Chicken and rice bake

I like this one a lot because it includes the side dish, and it's very easy! It's also very tasty - I think the cheddar cheese soup has a lot to do with that.

Baked chicken and rice

6 to 8 chicken thighs, skinless
1-1/2 cups long grain rice (this is what the recipe says, but oh heck, just throw some regular rice in there, it works fine).
1-1/2 cup water*
1 packet onion soup mix (divided)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can cream of chicken soup


In a 9x13" pan, place the chicken pieces. Mix the rice, soups, water and HALF a package of the onion soup mix. Pour mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining dry onion soup mix. Bake covered** at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours. 

**Baking this covered is very important to keep the moisture in so your rice will be nice. If you don't have a casserole dish with a pretty tight fitting lid, use aluminum foil. Make sure you carefully seal around all the edges with the foil.

*Water amount is more or less to your taste. I've found I want about 1-3/4 cup water rather than 1-1/2 water as stated in the recipe. It depends how moist you like your rice.

Pork (or Chicken) Fried Rice Recipe

You'll need:

About 4 thin-sliced, boneless pork chops (or 2 chicken breasts)
2 eggs
3 cups of rice, (measured after cooking)
a bundle of green onions/scallions
3 TBSP Soy sauce

I use a non-stick wok for this recipe, but you can use any kind of large skillet.

COOK THE RICE
I have a little rice cooker, so if you have one of those, use it - or however you want to get rice cooked. But do the rice cooking first, so the rice has a chance to air out a little bit after cooking. Take the lid off so the steam can dissipate.

In general, I use twice the amount of water as rice. So to get plenty for the 3 cups of cooked rice I need for this recipe, I use 3 cups of water, a dash of salt, and 1-1/2 cups of the uncooked rice.

CUT THE PORK
Wash hands. Cut up the pork chops into the size pieces you'd like. Some people may prefer strips...I cut them into 1/2" strips, then cut those into 1" lengths. Whatever you'd like, just make them about the same size. Set aside. Wash hands well again.

Keep in mind, even though this recipe is for Pork fried rice, you can also use chicken.

Preheat your skillet/wok with a little vegetable oil. The amount can kind of depend on the type of skillet you have and its size, but in general, maybe about 2-3 teaspoons worth should do it. Get it hot but don't let the oil brown.

Break two eggs open into a small bowl. Add about 1 tsp of water and whisk the eggs and water together. No whisk? No biggie. Just use a fork and holding it kind of horizontally, make little round strokes until the eggs get whipped up a bit with bubbles. Pour eggs into skillet, basically just scramble those eggs, like you're cooking breakfast. Put the eggs onto a small plate and set aside.

Add about 1 TBSP oil to the same skillet you just cooked the eggs in.

Once the oil is heated, add your pork or chicken, cook it about 5-8 minutes.

Measure 3 cups of the cooked rice and put that in the pan. Stir it up with the pork or chicken. Add the soy sauce, stirring the rice as you add it so the sauce is evenly distributed. Chop up the scrambled eggs on the plate and then add them to the rice/meat mixture.

Sprinkle desired amount of green onions to the top of the dish. You can leave them on top, but I prefer to mix it in so it gets hot too.

A few tips about this recipe:

If you want the eggs to show up bright and yellow, make sure you add them before you add the soy sauce.

If you'd like the eggs not to show up so much in the recipe, then add them after you add the soy sauce. You can even leave the eggs out if you want of course.

Save time by pre-chopping the green onions and pre-measuring the soy sauce (I use a little custard dish for this)

You can increase or decrease the amount of meat you put in this, to suit your needs/wants.

If you don't have green onions or don't like them, you could put about 1/4 cup (or about a handful) of frozen green peas in this. Neither is really necessary, but the color makes the dish look a bit more appealing. I like the onions in it myself.

"Chinese Takeout" Lemon Chicken

This recipe from Kraft's kitchens looks great! The Lemon Chicken I have delivered is deep-fried, so this version looks a lot healthier (and probably a great deal more affordable!) This comes from a free magazine called Food and Family that Kraft foods puts out seasonally. It is mailed to your home. To subscribe, click here LINK

'Chinese Takeout' Lemon Chicken

1 Tbsp Oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 pkg. (6 oz) snow peas (about 2 cups)
1 small red pepper, cut into strips
1 pkg (4-serving size) Jell-O Brand Lemon Flavor Gelatin
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, cook 4 minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Add snow peas and peppers; cook and stir 2 minutes.

Mix dry gelatin mix and cornstarch in small owl. Add broth, dressing and garlic; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add to skillet. Reduce heat to medium; cook 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring frequently.

Serve over hot cooked rice, if desired

Makes 4 servings, 1 cup each.

Shortcut: substitute 2 pkgs (6 ounces each) of Oscar Mayer Grilled Chicken Breast Strips for the cooked fresh chicken strips. Heat oil in skillet as directed. Add chicken breast strips, snow peas and peppers; cook3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is heated through and vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Continue as directed.

Pork Chops and Rice Skillet Meal

This recipe is ideal for these hot summer days because it's cooked in a skillet and not baked in the oven. Recipes that cause us to heat up the oven just make the air conditioner have to work even harder, so cooking on the stovetop saves a lot of energy. My last electric bill was over $200, so you can see why I have been avoiding using the oven!

Today's recipe is courtesy of Leah of the Yahoo Group, Coupon Train!
A coupon train is a great way of getting new grocery coupons for free, giving away your unused manufacturer's coupons to people who can benefit from them, and make new friends along the way! I am a member of the group, and Leah is the Moderator of that group.

Pork Chops & Rice Skillet Meal

4-8 thin cut pork chops
1 sliced onion (optional)
1 can whole or large diced tomatoes
1 cup rice
1 can chicken broth or water

Brown pork chops in a skillet with a little oil - add a diced onion
as the pork chops brown, if desired.

Remove pork chops to a plate (they don't have to be fully cooked just
browned).

Add 1 can chicken broth or 1 to 1.5 cups of water to the pan and
bring to a boil. Add 1 cup rice, stir, return to a boil, stir. Lower
heat to medium-low (simmer).

Add one can whole or diced tomatoes. Return pork chops to top of
mixture - pour any juices that have accumulated on the plate back
into the skillet, cover with lid. Simmer for approx. 30-45 minutes
until rice is done and pork chops have steamed until fully cooked and
tender.

Use a heavy skillet, keep heat low and do not open or stir unless you
feel you absolutely have to.

Western Hash

From the kitchen of Aunt Deb:

1 lb hamburger meat, browned
12 oz can tomatoes
1 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 c chopped onions
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 tsp salt and dash of pepper
1/2 tsp basil
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Velveeta Cheese for topping

Combine first 7 ingredients, cover and simmer for 25 minutes (low heat)

Top with Velveeta Cheese and heat until melted.

Serve with salad and biscuits for a complete meal.

Tomato Soup and Rice

Subject: Quick & Easy feeding of kids
by: CJ Marley of Fun Gifts 4 Kids

I'm not much of a cook...as a matter of fact I HATE cooking. That
hatred of it come partly from the numerous times I've put myself out making a
big and delicious meal for the family just to have the kids barely eat
it. So I've learned to cook some really easy and simple things for them
that they will actually eat. Well I figured I'd share a few of these
with you. They are great especially when you are having one of those
days where you are pressed for time.
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One of my kids favorites:

Tomato Soup and Rice
Believe it or not, it's really a decilious meal and it's easy to do.
1 can of tomato soup
1/2 cup of instant rice (but you can adjust this to your taste...i
usually just pour some in)
Set up your tomato soup as per instructions on the can (adding the one
can of water)
Let it come to a boil and add in your instant rice following the
instructions on the box for the rice for the cooking time.
That's it! AFter the rice has had it's sitting period to absorb water,
it's ready.

A variation of this is Chicken Noodle soup and rice...it's really very
good!