French Onion Chicken and Rice

 (adapted from plainchicken.com)

Servings: about 8

Wowee!  I'm so happy that this recipe showed up on my Pinterest feed!  I played around it with it, adding a few ingredients, and it is so yummy!  Of course being a French onion dip lover made this dish a "no brainer" for me!  The French fried onion topping is the icing on the cake.  I served this with sauteed green beans and pineapple au gratin.  This makes enough to feed a crowd; or if you put it in two smaller pans you will have one for now and one to freeze.  

INGREDIENTS:

2 to 3 cups cooked chopped chicken (I used one rotisserie chicken)

2 cups instant white rice

2 cups water

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1 small onion, chopped (optional)

2 celery ribs, chopped (optional)

8 ounces French onion dip (I used low fat)

1 can cream of chicken soup (I used chicken with herbs)

½ cup chicken broth (more if necessary for consistency)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (optional)

3/4  cup French fried onions

DIRECTIONS:

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.

·         In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add instant rice, cover and turn off heat.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed.

·         In a small skillet, saute onions and celery in 1 Tablespoon butter until onion is tender.

·         In a large bowl, combine chicken, chicken soup, French onion dip, cheddar cheese, chicken broth, celery-onion mixture and cooked rice.  Stir to combine.

·         Season with ground black pepper and herbes de Provence, stirring gently to combine.

·         Spread evenly into prepared baking pan and top with French fried onions.

·         Bake for 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.