I looked at a variety of chicken and rice recipes to get an idea of what to do, then I headed into the kitchen to see what I had on hand and created my own recipe. I grabbed my ingredients and was ready to go.
In a small saucepan, I brought 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of water to a boil. Then I added 1 cup of rice and let the pot return to a boil. Then I reduced the heat, covered it, and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes until all of the liquid was absorbed. Remember to stir the rice occasionally to prevent sticking.
When the rice was ready, I placed it in a mixing bowl. Then I added in the 2 cups of chicken I had set aside the other night, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1/4 of a cup of sour cream, and some minced onion (I added a few teaspoons. It is totally a matter of personal preference). I mixed this together and placed it in a casserole dish. Then I crushed about half of a sleeve of crackers and mixed them with a couple of tablespoons of melted butter for my topping. I covered it with foil and baked it for about 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees. I removed the foil for the last few minutes so the cracker topping would brown.
The casserole turned out great! It had wonderful flavor. The only thing I will do differently next time is add a bit more sour cream (maybe 1/2 cup instead of 1/4 cup) so it will be a bit creamier. It wasn't dry. It just wasn't as creamy as I like.
For a side dish, I made a vegetable casserole. It is one of my all time favorites. I again grabbed my ingredients and went to work.
I drained two can of mixed vegetables and placed them in a casserole dish. Then I added a heaping tablespoon of salad dressing (you can use mayo if you prefer) and mixed it with the vegetables. Then I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of minced onion, 1/2 cup of cheese, and some salt and pepper. Again I mixed this together. Then I crushed some more crackers, mixed them with some melted butter and added some more cheese on the top because you can't have too much cheese, right? Then I covered this with foil and baked it at 350 degrees until it bubbled, about 30 minutes. I removed the foil at the end of the cooking time for this as well so the topping would brown and all the cheese would melt.
I also made a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for my little E. I wasn't sure if he would eat the vegetable casserole, so I wanted to make sure he got plenty to eat!
And now for the cost:
- Chicken & Rice Casserole: $4.24
- Chicken: $1.46
- Rice: $0.50
- Cream of Chicken Soup: $0.88
- Sour cream, minced onion, crackers, chicken broth: $1.40
- Vegetable Casserole: $2.36
- 2 cans of mixed vegetables: $1.36
- Salad dressing, minced onion, cheese: $1.00
- Macaroni and Cheese: $0.67 (I picked up a package of 12 boxes for $8 at Sams last week! I usually make homemade mac and cheese, but the low price and convenience make it great to have on hand.)
That means this meal was prepared for $7.27. And we had plenty of leftovers to have another full meal! So again, this meal would easily feed a family of 4 for under $10. And it took about 25 minutes to prepare (that includes cooking the rice) and bakes in 30-45 minutes. The casseroles can be assembled ahead of time and placed in the oven just before your meal.
All of these dishes are incredibly easy to prepare and are very affordable for a family on a budget. And they taste great! And it was a complete change from the stir fry we had earlier in the week, so we don't get tired of having chicken all week!
Stay tuned for the third and final segment of this week's chicken menu in a couple of days!
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