Parmesan Chicken & Broccoli

In the heart of winter, who doesn't love a rich, creamy delicious casserole?!

The other week it was Steve's turn to pick our weekly recipes and he came across a perfect winter casserole dish from the Better Homes & Gardens: every meal easy cookbook - 'Parmesan Chicken & Broccoli'.

Here are all of the ingredients that we used for the recipe:

• 1 cup rice (we used instant rice and used 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions (4)
• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
• 3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 16 ounce jar reduced far Alfredo sauce
• 3 cups frozen broccoli (we used fresh)
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 diced cooked ham (we chose to not use the ham)
• 1 2 ounce jar diced pimientos, drained (we chose not to use the pimientos)
• Ground black pepper
  

And here is how we brought it all together:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cook rice according to package directions; remove from heat and stir in half the green onion. Divide rice mixture among four 12 ounce individual au gratin dishes or casseroles (we chose to just use one medium casserole dish); set aside.
2. In a large skillet, cook the chicken strips, Italian seasoning, and garlic in hot oil over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove from heat. Stir in Alfredo sauce, broccoli, cheese, ham and pimientos (if using). Season to taste with ground black pepper. Spoon chicken mixture over the rice. Bake, covered for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes or more until heated through. Then add the remaining green onion to the top.

The recipe is intended to make 4 servings; however, for us it made about 6 servings because we used the medium casserole dish and used more rice.
This was a very easy and tasty dish to try - we have added it to our list of 'must try again recipes' and will be adding in more vegetables next time too!

Give this one a try when you need a good warm wintery meal, but need something other than beef and potatoes!

Bon appetite & enjoy!