Happy 4th of July everyone!
Since I know everyone and their mother will be sharing awesome 4th of July grilling recipes today, I’m going to go a different route and share one of my absolute favorite American classic comfort food casseroles.
This Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake has been around forever, but my healthy makeover turns it into an absolutely delicious Weight Watchers Casserole Recipe that gives you a lot of bang for your Points.
Each creamy, carb-y and cheesy serving is a lot lighter than most cheesy casserole recipes, so just pair it with a light salad or fresh tomato soup for a complete, and very satisfying, meal.
It makes a great family meal that is healthy, flavorful, and still able to help you stay on track to reach your Weight Watchers goals.
So if you are just too hot and tired to bust out the grill today, stay in the air conditioning and make this fantastic low calorie Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole instead! Keep cool, and enjoy the holiday!
CHEESY CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE RECIPE
Ingredients
- 1 cup instant brown rice - (uncooked)
- 1 lb cooked skinless boneless chicken breasts - (diced)
- 2 cups fat free chicken broth
- 1-2 cubes chicken bouillon
- 16 oz frozen broccoli
- 8 oz frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese - (shredded)
- 1 ½ cups fat free sour cream
- 1 cup fat free milk
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp light butter
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large 9” x 13” baking dish with non-fat cooking spray or an olive oil mister.
- Prepare rice according to package directions, but using the chicken broth instead of water, and adding in the bouillon with the broth.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove. Blanche broccoli and mixed vegetables for just about 3 minutes. Drain and spread evenly into baking dish. Top with the cooked chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion powder and paprika.
- Top with ½ cup of the shredded cheese. Then top with the rice.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Whisk in the flour and stir until well combined. Add in milk, salt and pepper, and continue to whisk constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from heat and fold in the sour cream. Pour over rice, and then sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese.
- Place in oven and bake for about for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.
8 Comments
This was DELISH! It was a bit high-maintenance in preparation, but the final product was well worth it. My husband said it was the yummiest thing I have EVER cooked, and not just weight watchers meals. Truly felt like I was indulging. It was also a meal you can’t really “snack” on along the way, so you didn’t have many hidden points. I highly recommend it!
Made this tonight and it was very good. One thing, I only used 1 cup of broth to cook the rice so not sure where the other cup is used.
This recipe was super yummy, and I will definitely make it again It took a bit longer to put together than I expected, and I’m hoping to find a way to decrease the amount of clean up (3 pots + casserole dish).
Made this last night and was simply amazing! I used light sour cream, daisy brand, and it didn’t add major points just one. Felt like a fatty bad for me dish and I loved it, thanks.
Just had this…. DELISH!!!
Had this for dinner last night and it was delicious!!! It’s definitely a keeper in my recipe collection :) Thanks so much for sharing!!
Hm-m-m, so if I substitute cauliflower ‘rice’ for the brown rice, that would lower the points and I could have a bigger serving, right? And steamed fresh broccoli instead of the frozen veggies, real diced onions for the onion powder, and maybe adding some mushrooms – sounds good to me with a few minor changes :-)
We don’t use frozen vegetables here — too watery and flavorless–so what are the alternatives? Cooked fresh broccoli of course, but then should I add cooked onions? And what else? Fresh baby spinach? Cooked celery?
Or are broccoli and onions enough?