Whole Wheat Chicken Parm Sliders

It's faster than a speeding bullet takeout. 

It's faster than a plane pizza delivery guy. 

It's super fast chicken parmesan sliders on whole wheat rolls.  

Slightly messy, super cheesy, crunchy tasty chicken, delicious bites that are perfect for eating before running out the door to a game, practice, church, or football game. Trust me. You'll wonder how you ever lived without them. 

We watch a lot of super heroes in my house full of boys. Seriously though this super kiddo friendly and wallet friendly dish, might be my new super hero "go to easy fall dinner". 

Speaking of super.... What do you get if you cross the man of steel with a hot broth?

Souperman.

I thought it was funny..... food blog... soup-er :) 

Okay I am nerd. I don't mind. 

The timing of finding this idea is so perfect. We have a super busy fall ahead of us. Soccer. 2 college classes. Piano lessons for everyone. Bass lessons. Orchestra. Working full time. Two busy kids. Physical therapy. Speech therapy. Teaching my first women's bible study (ahhh!). Yeah. Just thinking about this list makes me want go hide under the bed and go back to bed. But its going to be okay. I might be drinking a ton more coffee this fall lol especially ugh with those early saturday morning practices and games, but at least I have recipes like this that literally fall out of the freezer and onto plates. The first time I made this, my oldest ate double what he usually does, and asked me when I was going to make it again. Super hero mom to the rescue.... feeding the kids without breaking a sweat. Lol Okay okay. No more super jokes. Besides not breaking a sweat in August in Southern Az might be impossible. 

Warning: This recipe is unlike majority of what I have on my blog. It uses a bunch of short cuts that aren't exactly healthy but in my mind this is better than a drive through and tastes amazing so yeah. The only thing thats not store bought is the sauce and its because I had leftover pasta sauce in the freezer ready to go. Its been that kind of week. 

Whole Wheat Chicken Parm Sliders

Makes 2- 12 sliders adjust ingredients accordingly to whatever you need

Most people and hungry kids would eat 2 each

Ingredient list: 
1 package of store bought of 12 whole wheat dinner rolls
Sliced provolone cheese - 1 slice per slider
Breaded fully cooked chicken strips 
Pasta sauce - You'll need about 1-2 Tbs per slider (see tips below)

Pasta Sauce Tips: 
1. This recipe only uses a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce so if you are just opening a jar for this recipe. Freeze the rest. It freezes beautifully in a freezer container or plastic freezer bag and you'll have it to use in many places like on top of pasta, as sauce on a pizza, as a dipping sauce for cheesy Italian bread/bread sticks, on top of a Italian pepperoni burger (Yum!), ect.  

2. Or next time you make spaghetti double the sauce and freeze it. Don't use store bought sauce unless you're in a pinch. It only takes a few ingredients and 15 minutes. See my base recipe below - I say base because i am always changing it slightly based on what I have. 

Super easy 15 min pasta sauce: pour into a blender 2 cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes, and some italian seasonings - right now I am on an oregano kick so I put 2 heaping tablespoons of that in. Use what you have. Use what you know tastes good. On the stove I sauted a few veg that I already had in my fridge (zucchini, onion, and 1 clove of garlic) in some olive oil and then added that to the blender. Last pour the mostly pureed sauce back into the pan to heat up to use immediately or put in covered containers in the fridge to use over the next 2-3 days or in the freezer. It keeps for a long time. If you like garlic add more. If you have some squash throw that in. If you have eggplant saute that up. Lots of great veggies and nutrition can be added and hidden this way. If you like the taste of red wine pour a cup of that in... super flexible. super yummy. Great way to introduce new veggies to your kids. 

What does a super hero put in his drink?

Just ice.

Lol. Funny? Okay mabye. 

Assembling the sliders: 

1. Cook the chicken strips in the oven as indicated on the package. 
2. Gently slice open the whole wheat dinner rolls
3. After the chicken is cooked cut them in half depending on how large the chicken is. I cut a couple of them in half and put the halves on my kiddos sliders so nothing would be sticking out. Small hands need smaller portions :) 
4. Layer the chicken on the bottom of the roll, then the sauce, and the cheese on top. Put the top of the roll on and let it sit and melt the cheese a little bit. 
5. Eat and enjoy :) 


Super easy 
Super yummy
Thanks for stopping by! 

Stephanie

Kale Caesar Chicken Salad with Tater Tot Croutons

Howdy.

So this isn't a recipe, but more of an idea that really works for my family. Maybe it will work for you too, as the summer comes to a close and you still don't want to eat something heavy. I eat salad all the time - honestly like 6 times a week I have a salad for either lunch or dinner. Salad is my friend. It keeps the scale happy and its cold perfect summer food. Getting more veggies into my family hasn't been so easy until I came across this idea. These large juicy chunks of chicken, and crunchy tater tots that my family loves turn this idea into a fun and filling meal. Dipping tater tots into ketchup and ranch is only a stepping stone from having them dipped into a bit of caesar dressing. Its ranch with an attitude :) 

My last sandwich recipe was how to turn a chicken caesar salad into a sub and it was awesome. This time I am playing with the original caesar salad idea, by switching up the greens and croutons. Instead of romaine lettuce and I am using baby organic kale. Instead of crunchy croutons I am using tater tots. Yes tater tots in the salad. It will taste similar to dipping french fries into ranch dressing. Its good I promise. Plus it will get your kids excited about eating more veggies. 

So this isn't a super healthy meal if are looking for non processed stuff. It uses store bought tater tots and salad dressing, but its refreshing, tasty, and great lighter summer meal. Processed foods are a give and take thing my house. Especially when my husband is working nights, I am trying to feed the kids and myself alone, and the little crawling one is crawling and getting into everything, and I am still exhausted from the night before's little one waking up because he wants more milk.... yada yada yada.  #betterthanfastfood #morecoffeeplease

Ingredient list (extremely flexible)

Cooked Chicken, leftovers, store bought, or just crockpot some chicken breasts ( half per person) with some water covering the chicken, salt, pepper, squirt of lemon juice, one smashed garlic clove or a tsp of garlic powder on high for 3-4 hrs or low for 6-8 hours. 

Kale Casear Salad kit from the store  OR  1- 1& 1/2 cups of baby kale per person and some bottled caesar salad dressing- any kind. I just bought a bottle that was on sale. 

3-4 cherry tomatoes per person or omit if you don't care of them. They are good for color and nutrition.

A small or large handful shredded or grated parm cheese or romano if want to go fancy or just a diff taste per person. I used about 1/2 cup I think total. Just buy real cheese not the stuff on the shelf that is loaded with preservatives that doesn't need to be refrigerated. 

Tater tots or potato rounds (whatever you call them where you are)

Directions:

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half

Cook the tater tots until they extra extra crispy ( I do an extra 5 minutes)

Dress the kale with the caesar dressing. Kale is a tougher veg than typical romaine and can hold up to the dressing and won't wilt right away so feel free to do this first and your salad will still be crunchy at the end.

Dice or shred up the chicken

Assemble the plates putting the tater tots on top of the salad

Eat!


Enjoy this simple dinner idea from my Az kitchen. I hope it works for your family and gives your kiddos a new appreciation for salad as a main course or at least gets some kale into those cute little stomaches.

Stephanie

Ginger Orange Chicken & Brown Rice

Hi there. 

I got a sweet, zesty, and easy Asian inspired dinner for you to try. Easy as in 10-20 minutes! Serious. Quicker than pizza delivery and much healthier too :) 

This is a recipe from an old cookbook but picture just looked too good to pass up. I love cookbooks with pictures. Do you? I have passed on buying perfectly good cookbooks that didn't have many pictures. I totally eat with my eyes first. 

The recipe turned out great! The thick sweet tangy slightly zippy sauce was perfect on the nutty brown rice and moist lean chicken. I think this would go great with pork or chicken. 

The original recipe was easy to follow and and I was immediately impressed of the short list of ingredients. Short list = easy on the wallet :) Short list also means, in most cases, an easier recipe. The only change I made was more than doubling the fresh ginger. To me, the orange flavor was too sweet, and it needed more zest to balance it out. The thick almost sticky orange sauce kept the lean chicken breast halves really moist and delicious. You could totally make the sauce ahead of time, but it came together within 5 minutes, so it didn't feel like a chore. I chose nutty brown rice to complement the tang of the oj and again balance some of that sweet flavor from the juice. Plus, it used up leftover brown rice I already had in the fridge. So with my leftover rice, put a quick cook on a frozen vegetable, and the entire meal came together in 10 minutes. LOVE! Even though I love cooking, when my husband is working late, and I am home with the kids at dinner time, I love anything that's healthy and fast. This was a huge win for me. 

Totally going to make this again adding in some sautéed or steamed broccoli and maybe some toasted almond slivers or sesame seeds, and egg rolls for a complete Asian style family meal (and hopefully get some better pictures using my camera and not cell phone). I hope you like it too. :) 

Ginger Orange Chicken & Brown Rice

recipe adapted from: Robin Miller's cookbook, Robin to the Rescue

Serves 2 but easily doubled (enough sauce for 3 or 4) 

Ingredients:
Salt 
Pepper
1 tsp oil ( I used veg oil but the original recipe calls for toasted sesame oil) 
2 chicken breast halves
optional: toasted sesame seeds (I didn't use them but wished I did for some crunch)
1 cup oj
2 Tbs reduced sodium soy sauce (I used organic)
1 Tbs brown sugar (I will halve this next time - sauce was really sweet)
1 Tbs corn starch
1 Tbs finely grated fresh ginger (I used organic from the produce section)

Helpful hint: If you buy a knob of ginger, peel it with the back of a spoon, and then throw it in a freezer bag for an hr and its much easier to grate. You don't even need to defrost it. Keep the remaining chunk in the freezer and it won't go bad for months!


Directions:
1. Cook your brown rice. I used a 2 to 1 ratio on my mine. 1 cup of rice for 2 cups of water. Takes about 45 minutes and i put about 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. In the place of water I used homemade chicken stock. But water works well too. I have done it both ways.

2. When the rice is more than half way finished start everything else. Salt and pepper your chicken breast halves on both sides about a pinch of each. I used one chicken breast and just butterflied it, pounded it even, and sliced it into two separate pieces. Pan fry them in a skillet with tsp of any kind of oil for about 3-4 minutes each side over medium heat. For thicker pieces of chicken, not pounded thin, you'll need to add an additional minute but no more than that.  

3. While chicken is cooking, start your sauce in a small pot. Combine soy sauce, juice, sugar, corn starch and ginger with a whisk. Bring it to a boil and then turn it to low until everything else is ready. Sauce should thicken in about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. 

3. When chicken is almost cooked through, pour the sauce into the skillet right over the top of the chicken and everything. Turn the chicken over in the sauce once to coat and finish cooking in the flavorful sauce.  I pulled my son's chicken out of the pan at that point, and sliced it and carefully set it back into the sauce to soak up some of that great flavor and to stay moist. Let the chicken finish cooking in the sauce for about a minute or two. 

4. When rice is cooked. Serve up the chicken and ginger orange sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using. 

Enjoy this quick family meal
from my Az Kitchen

Chicken Caesar Sub Sandwiches

So my little one is finally on the move - big time. My husband and I are both excited about this finally coming around, since it was delayed a bit, due to medical stuff. But it also has made dinner a tiny bit harder since we haven't finished baby proofing yet, and one of us isn't quite used to having to always keep stuff off the floor. So far the only sacrifice has been a piece of sheet music.... Thankfully replaceable, and with a chunk of it now in my child's stomach, thankfully non toxic. 

So heres a fun recipe that twists up the usual chicken caesar salad for something that will help you get in and out of the kitchen quickly incase you have a little mover too. Or anyone that waits until your back is turned, to go after computer cords, books, the cat, and anything else left laying around. Yes my little one has managed to get the cat's tail a few times much to my cat's surprise. We have a great pet. A more skittish cat would have not been so patient or kind to our littlest one. 

I eat salads all the time. One my favorites is caesar salad but getting the entire family excited about salad for dinner is a bit harder than pizza or a burger. So when I saw this recipe for caesar chicken thighs I knew exactly how to make this a kid friendly, dare I say it, husband friendly dinner..... turn it into a sub sandwich. A sandwich can easily be halved for little hands. It can thankfully be eaten one handed although a bit messy to help the parent feeding the baby in the high chair. Can I get an amen from that one? It's portable so take it with on the way to a baseball game, preseason football game, take with you on that last summer picnic or road trip before school starts. AND this fun new dinner idea only takes 2-3 minutes of prep time, and 35-40 minutes of hands off cooking. Another win for an easy dinner. Pair this with chips, tater tots, or cold watermelon, and crispy crunchy veggies for a healthy dinner.  P.S. If you make extras they make a fabulous lunchtime sandwiches too see the note at the end.

Chicken Caesar Sub Sandwiches

Recipe serves 4

Recipe adapted from I Wash You Dry

Ingredients:

4 chicken boneless skinless thighs (or sub breast halves for a leaner version)
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning, your fav blend
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup of store bought caesar salad dressing + a little extra for the sandwiches
1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese + super thin slices for the sandwiches
4 wheat or white soft sub rolls
2 roma tomatoes or one large one, sliced thinly 
1-2 pieces of kale or romaine for each sandwich

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375. 
2. In a small casserole dish, spray some nonstick spray or use some butter to lightly coat

3. Set up a dredging station. In one bowl put the dressing. In another bowl put the flour and seasonings.  
4. Use tongs or a fork to dunk the chicken, one piece at a time into the flour mixture, turning it over once. Then dunk it into the salad dressing turning it over once until completely coated. Put the coated chicken into the prepped casserole dish. Repeat three more times.
5. Sprinkle the cheese over the coated chicken pieces. 
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cheese should be golden brown and chicken should be cooked all the way through. 

7. Assemble the sub sandwiches. Each sub gets one piece of chicken, some romaine or kale, some tomato pieces, some parmesan cheese and little extra salad dressing or mayo. 

Save any extras for the next day. It tasted great on hardy whole grain sandwich bread. See picture below on the bottom right. 

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings

Buttermilk. Fried. Chicken Wings. Lets break this title down into parts. Buttermilk is awesome with chicken. It helps the chicken to stay really tender, gives it moisture, and a tang. Anything fried you know is probably going to taste good and have an amazing texture and crunch. Chicken wings are just fun finger food. I don't know anyone who doesn't like chicken wings. Put them all together and you got a home run finger food fun dinner (its still baseball season, right?). This would be great for a potluck or appetizer. I have always thought that fried chicken is good hot or cold. 

I try really hard to serve healthy things to my family daily, but every once in awhile I cut loose. This recipe is definately one of those moments. To balance the meal out I served the chicken with fresh chopped veggies, and homemade ranch dipping sauce. It was the perfect light side dish to go with the crispy crunchy chicken wings. My 5 year old's only comment while eating dinner was, "how many veggies do I have to eat to go back for seconds for more chicken wings?" My oldest loves fruits and veggies so this is saying a lot. 

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings

Serves 3-5 people  (approx 20 pieces)

Recipe slightly adapted from: Jo Cooks


Ingredients
4 cups buttermilk
4 eggs
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt + more for sprinkling at the end
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups of flour, divided 
2 lb of chicken wings, drummets and wings divided
half a container of vegetable oil for frying approx 1/2 qt.

Note: Ranch dipping sauce (in the picture above) is: equal parts light mayo & sour cream probably 1/4 cup, sprinkle of salt, sprinkle of dried granulated onion, 2 tsp of dried dill and taste. Occasionally I will add a sprinkle of oregano and garlic but its mostly the dill I want :) 

6 Steps to amazing Fried Chicken Wings

1. Create a three part dredging station: in the first container mix the spices with buttermilk and eggs, in the second container put 2 cups of the flour, and the 3rd and last container/dish have the wings. 

2. Heat the oil on the stove in a heavy pot for even heat.  While the oil is heating up, add in the baking soda and baking powder to the buttermilk mixture. Mix well. It will bubble and foam - don't worry and no its not going to turn into an odd science experiment. 

3. With either fingers or tongs (depending on messy you want to get) Roll the chicken pieces in the flour then the buttermilk mixture then back into the flour again. Put the battered pieces in the third dish while waiting to go into the oil. My family ate in shifts this evening so I fried up 5 of them at this point and covered the rest with plastic wrap and put them back in the fridge. It worked great. Makes me think this recipe could be done a few hrs in advance for a party or football game. Is it football season yet? 

Note: If the flour gets too wet from the buttermilk, too clumpy, dump the wet flour into the trash and use the remaining amount. 

4. Use metal tongs to gently lower chicken wings into the oil. Fry the chicken wings for approx 9-11 minutes each. Don't crowd the pot or the temperature will drop. I kept my stove on med- med high and let the wings cook 6 minutes on the first side and 3-4 minutes on the second side. If the wings are browning too fast turn your heat down.  

5. As soon as the first batch comes out of the oil, put them on a clean dish lined with papertowels and sprinkle on some salt. Salt makes a HUGE difference right here. 

6. Repeat with the next batch of chicken wings until they are all cooked. 

Serve with green salad, crunchy veggies, and or corn on the cob - all good summer warm weather fun eats

Until next time @ Stephanie's Az Kitchen

BBQ Chicken Chili - a fall favorite

While cooking this recipe, playing with new ingredients, I was reminded of how much I love this season. Fall. Warm comfort foods, healthy colorful veggies, and cold weather. Living in southern Az I cherish the cold weather like a friend. Its also a very busy season. I spent most of my fall in different hospital rooms so I am living up every last second until December comes and its officially winter. 

With the busy season, to keep my sanity at least slightly intact, I have a plan. The foods I begin to rely upon are things that reheat well if I make a large amount of servings, make ahead meals, freezer meals, and my favorite one pot meals that let me get out of washing a ton of dishes. 

So in honor of easy fall foods for our busy fall season, here is a bowl of chili. I have never used bbq sauce in chili before so this was really adventurous for me. I know I probably have been overlooking this easy addition for years but I live in a desert - its just not cold enough to eat chili very often. Give me a break. And Yes I have like a dozen other chili recipes on my blog but this one - this is the only one with bbq sauce and you must try it. It's crazy good! 


BBQ Chicken Chili
source: SkinnyTaste

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 red onion, approx 1 cup, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 red pepper, approx 1 cup, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 - 1 1/2 lbs raw boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
(I used breast meat but both would be good)
1 can of white (northern or cannellini) beans, low sodium, drained and rinsed
1 can of black beans, low sodium, drained and rinsed
1 can of kidney beans, low sodium, drained and rinsed
4 cups of chicken stock or broth, store bought or homemade
2 14.5 oz cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup of your favorite bbq sauce (my favorite is = jack daniels honey smokehouse bbq sauce)

Easy 5 step instructions

1. Saute the onion, zucchini, red pepper, and jalapeño in the oil for 5 minutes or until the veggies have softened in a large pot. 
2.  Add in all the seasonings and garlic and continue sautéing for another 3-5 minutes. 
3. Add in everything else. Cover the pot. Cook for 20 minutes over medium low heat
4. Remove the lid and the chicken. (Chicken should be fully cooked by now) Shred the chicken with two forks, and return the chicken back to the pot. Continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes. 
5. Serve immediately or cool completely to refrigerate for another night. It tastes good with shredded cheese, diced avocado, and cilantro on top of each stomach warming bowl. 

Happy fall to ya & holiday planning
Stephanie

One Pot Spanish Chicken & Potatoes over Rice

I have always thought that milk and cookies go together. Macaroni & cheese goes well with hot dogs or sausages of any kind. Peanut butter isn't the same without jelly. And in this dish chicken and potatoes over rice definitely are a match in food heaven. Seems like a mismatch having two starches but this food.... it works. Comfort food people. Delicious comfort food. 

Having a new baby in the house while cooking and blogging has made me a desperately creative person. Usually that means I am not doing any extensive cooking unless my hubby is home to help. Last night I tried it on my own and it was um interesting. Did some juggling with the camera and the baby. Did some running back and forth between the stove and the pack and play. This dinner, though, this one pot, chicken & potatoes wonder, totally is worth all the effort. So if I can do it with a two month old - you totally got this! A one pot recipe made for ideally easy cleanup too.

So not only does this dinner taste fabulous, there is so much fall veg going on here that you can feel like a super hero serving this to your family. Eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes.... come on. Heat your stomach up with this flavorful homemade from scratch sauce, only use one or two pans (if you make it with rice), and have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. 

Click here Pinch of Yum to go the recipe. Love this blog. The only changes I made were using a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes, using 1/2 tsp of cumin and 1/2 tsp of onion powder instead of all purpose seasoning, and using two potatoes instead of one. Because the second potato was crowding the pan I browned them first, put them to the side on a plate, then browned the chicken, then added the sauce in. Next time, I will add in a pinch of smoked paprika, and another can of tomatoes to stretch the meal farther. 

I served mine with white rice cooked with some chicken broth and salt. Was amazing. Can't wait to make it again - hopefully next time without the mini marathon & diaper change. It served 4. Took approx 20-25 minutes - could've been done in 18-20 minutes if I had been able to stay in the kitchen. 

Perfect fall food. 

Stephanie

Mexican Chicken & Rice Casserole

Easy. Flavorful. Yummy... those are the descriptions that I thought of after taking my first few bites of this new dish. I heart American-Mexican food. Sometimes I think casseroles get a bad rap. In the past they were something I avoided like the plague because they were all made with the same canned, sodium filled, preservative-laden ingredients. I definitely grew up on casseroles, but as an adult my goal is still to enjoy food just in a healthier way. I have been able rework some of my favorites like tuna casserole, by making my own white sauce and using that in the place of a can of cream of whatever. 

Like most casseroles - I love their flexibility, make ahead-ability, and transferability. You can throw almost any vegetable or cheese in casseroles - gotta love that. They can be made a few days ahead, stored, then baked the night you need them. They are excellent for giving to someone who just had a baby or was in the hospital. Throw some foil on it and put it in a bag and take it to any potluck, friend's house, work function. Maybe its just the cheese talking... But there is just something about a casserole that means you care about them.

Mexican Chicken & Rice Casserole

Feeds 4 people 

prep + cooking time = 1 hour

Slightly adapted from cookbook: 

Homestyle Casseroles + one - pots

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup of rice (I used long grain white)

small handful of chopped cilantro probably 3-4 Tbs

1 Tbs oil

4 chicken thighs (I used skin on, bone in, and just removed the skin before cooking)

1/2 jar of your favorite salsa (I used mild)

1 cup of shredded/grated cheddar cheese

1 cup of shredded/grated creamy gouda cheese 

1/4 cup of mild green chilies, chopped

optional: chips (used scoops tortilla chips made eating fun)

optional: avocado or guacamole

optional: sour cream or thick creamy greek yogurt 

Note: Next time I will use boneless thighs just for more kid-friendly option. It was difficult for my kiddo to navigate around the bone. I did like how moist the meat was - bone in meat is definitely easier to cook. Next time I will use brown rice instead of white for more flavor, and add in some corn just for color and and fun. Corn is really best in the summer. 

Directions:

In a pot parboil the rice. Fill the pot with water and turn it on medium. Once the water is boiling start cooking the rice and simmer the rice over medium low. After 10 minutes drain the rice from the water and set it aside. 

While rice is cooking, prep your baking dish by spraying nonstick spray into it or spreading butter throughout. 

While the rice is cooking also start the chicken. In a medium sized pan pour in the oil and swirl it around, and put the chicken in. Over medium heat, brown the chicken for 3 minutes on the first side. After turning the chicken over, pour the salsa over each piece and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. The chicken should be golden but will be still raw in the middle. 

Put the almost finished rice, half of the cilantro, and green chilies in the baking dish. Smooth it out to create a flat surface. 

Top the rice mixture with half of the cheese. 

Top the cheese with the chicken pieces. 

Top the chicken with the remaining cheese. 

Cover the entire dish with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes

Take the foil off and return it to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. 

Top the cheesy golden dish with the remaining cilantro. 

Serve with chips, guacamole, sliced avocado, sour cream... whatever sounds good

Enjoy!

 Stephanie