Chicken Alfredo and Rice Casserole

1 10 ounce container refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce (I used 1 jar of garlic Alfredo)

½ cup milk

2 ½ cups cooked white rice or wild rice 

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 cup frozen peas (did not have frozen so I eliminated this ingredient)

1/3 cup chopped bottled roasted red sweet peppers (I used fresh orange and green bell peppers that I sauteed)

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil,  crushed

1 cup soft bread crumbs (I used crushed croutons)

1 tablespoon butter, melted (I did not use but used 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese instead) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl combine pasta sauce and milk. Stir in rice, chicken, peas, sweet peppers, nuts, and basil. Transfer to 1-1/2-quart baking dish.

Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and stir. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle atop. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes more or until heated through and crumbs are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Martha:  As you can see I made a few changes, as always.  I used the garlic Alfredo sauce which is a staple in my pantry.  I like the sweet taste of orange and yellow bell peppers as well as the taste of the green so I decided to do as I recommend in my cookbooks and 'Think With My Taste Buds.'  The peppers I sauteed in about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil until they were tender and starting to brown lightly.  The croutons and Parmesan I sprinkled over the dish before the 2nd baking giving the dish another texture.  

This dish turned out so good!  There was a slight sweetness from the peppers, the garlic in the Alfredo gave it another taste with both of them combining beautifully.  My food testers ALL loved it.  

Chicken Mac & Cheese

This recipe is one that has no specific measurements.  You'll need:

Chicken carcass
Noodles
Cheese

I bought a rotisserie chicken a few days ago and after pulling most of the meat off for sandwiches and chicken salad I noticed there was still some left on the bones.  I placed my carcass in a pot, covered it with water, brought it to a boil and then reduced the heat to slow boil.  When the rest of the meat fell off the bone I removed the bones and added noodles to my water.  When the noodles were done I added cheese making - Chicken Mac & Cheese

If you're not sure how much liquid you might need for your noodles, read the package directions and use the amount required for the amount of noodles you plan to use.  If you don't have enough chicken after boiling the carcass, add a little from what you pulled off earlier.  And for the cheese, I cheddar and colby adding as much as I wanted for my taste.  This turned out simply delicious!

Oriental Chicken

Chicken:

3 pounds chicken (I used 3 large chicken breasts bone with a weight of about 2 ½ lb)

Marinade:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 fresh garlic cloves, pressed – I used 2 Tbsp. minced garlic)

2 teaspoons five spice powder

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I cut this down to ¼ tsp. ginger)

1 tablespoon dry sherry (this I didn’t use)

In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup oil, such as light olive oil or peanut oil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 fresh pressed garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons five-spice powder, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger and 1 tablespoon dry sherry, and use as a marinade.

Marinate Chicken

In a large plastic or ceramic container with a lid, place the 3 pounds chicken.

Pour the marinade over all the pieces, turning until all the pieces are coated evenly.

Cover and marinate at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.

Cook Chicken

Bake in a 375-degree F. oven (basting once or twice), or grill, for about 45 minutes or until done.

COMMENTS:  As you can see I used a little less chicken, minced garlic, less ginger (too strong for me) and eliminated the sherry.  This marinated for about 24 hrs.  As it baked I would baste with the drippings (not the leftover marinate).  This came out so moist.  The flavors flowed throughout the chicken and was delicious.  I ate some as it was and some on a salad that I drizzled with an oriental dressing, sesame sticks and some roasted peanuts.  This made a wonderful meal.