Smothered chicken and broccoli

This is one of the simple favorites around our house....we all have them, you know, the go-to option that pops in your head when you can't think of what to make for dinner.  You always have the ingredients on hand and know that it requires just as little time to cook as it does for the idea to pop into your head.  Well, that's this dish for us.  It's one of my faves because it's easy, hands-off, and no-fuss....and it's one of Justin's faves because....(wait for it)....it tastes good, duh!

I'm sure there's a million different variations of this floating around but I sort of just came up with it in college when I was having friends over one time and threw all the stuff into a pan and baked it.  From then on, it's been requested by others, and not just me, so I guess I'm not the only one with good taste.  :)

All you need is:

Uncle Ben's microwave rice packet

chicken breasts

fresh broccoli

cream of chicken soup (98% fat free, low sodium)

fresh cracked pepper on top

No cheese...yep, a casserole with no cheese calories. Craziness.

The best part about this is I can make enough for Justin and I, or enough to feed a kitchen full of girls getting ready to watch Grey's Anatomy...just use one package of rice and one can of crem of chicken soup per 2 people, and as many chicken breasts as you have people...and you're good to go.

I've used all different kinds of this rice, I just love the stuff.  They have brown rice, garlic rice, chicken flavored rice, etc. I have a fondness for long grain and wild but you can do whatever floats your boat...

Grease a small baking dish and layer your rice (do not microwave like directions say, just open and pour in) on the bottom of the dish.

Layer your raw chicken on the rice, your broccoli on top of that, and then slather your cream of chicken soup on top for the icing.  Cover with fresh black pepper and throw in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees (once the chicken is cooked through)....I've even put tin foil on top and thrown it in the fridge for the next night's dinner to be a toss in the oven and eat type of meal.

It's hard to photograph this dish, because it looks like a pile of slop, to be honest. Most casseroles don't hold much of a shape and this one is no different. The picture below was taken after I dug out my piece of chicken and rice with all the yummy flavorful sauce oozing out...I thought the cross section in the dish was the only way to show this.

But I will tell you that I licked my bowl that night...I'm not proud of that fact, I'm just using it as a testimonial to the dish...to let you know that this should be in your rotation too. Unless you hate easy, quick, 4 ingredient, no hassle, fantastical tasting meals.  And if that's the case you may be reading the wrong blog...

I should mention that this is one of my go-to meals to prepare for others for freezer meals as well. My friend Cynthia recently had an adorable baby boy and I made the pork version of this for her to put in her freezer and whip out any night she needed an easy dinner. You have to remember to thaw it beforehand, but it comes out just as phenom as if it were fresh (not all meals do that after they've been in the deep freeze)!

P.S. The pork version just substitutes boneless pork chops for chicken breast, cream of mushroom soup for the cream of chicken, and mushrooms for the broccoli.....lordy, is that a good one too!