Stretching Chicken #2 – Chicken and Wild Rice, Chicken Spagetti and Chicken Florentine

Boneless skinless chicken was on sale this week.  Yesterday I picked up a couple of extra packages, they were $1.97 per pound and I got 2 three pound packs (about $6 each).  I froze one package and made over three meals with the other package.  I love having a stocked pantry b/c I made all these dishes without running to the store.  And I stocked up on the other ingredients while they were also on sale. Each dish cost under $4 dollars.  These are not gourmet, but comfort food dishes.  I will be busy this week so this prep will keep us from fast food.

I started by roasting 3 lbs of boneless chicken breast in a shallow pan of water/chicken bouillon covered with foil.  I roasted at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes.  I hate plain roasted chicken breast b/c it is tasteless to me.  But I like it cooked like this and then added to dishes.

While it was baking I boiled water and cooked a package of spaghetti.  In a bowl, I mixed one can of cream of mushroom soup, one cup of mixed frozen veggies (Kroger’s Cajun blend of chopped onions, bell peppers and celery).  I added about 1/2 the spaghetti after it was limp but far from being fully cooked.  If you put it in before it is limp, it will break into little pieces.  If you cook it too long, it gets mushy.  To this I added 2/3 cups of Kraft parm cheese.  Seasoned with garlic power and pepper.  Don’t add salt b/c the cream of mush soup is high in sodium.  Then I added 2/3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.  And 1 1/2 chopped chicken breast.  Mix this together and put in a freezer bag.  Add another cup of grated cheddar cheese in its own baggie to the mixture bag.  Place in the freezer for later in the week.  Put in the fridge to thaw the night before you plan to bake.  The next night, place in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick stuff.  Top with the extra cheese you had in the baggie.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour… until bubbly.  If you have any garlic bread in your freezer, put that in the oven also.  If you don’t have any fresh salad fixings, serve with frozen or canned green beans.

For tonight, it was chicken and wild rice.  Spray baking dish with nonstick spray.  Your oven should still be hot from roasting the chicken, so adjust to 350 degrees.  Mix 1 cup of Cajun precut veggies (onion, celery and bell pepper).  Add I package of long grain rice mix and seasoning packet.  Add one can of cream of mushroom soup and use the can to measure an equal amount of milk.  Mix all this with one chopped chicken breast (large size).  Place in dish and top with one cup of cheddar cheese.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

I also made chicken Florentine casserole.  I modified this recipe from Paula Deen.  I used one box of frozen spinach (defrost and squeeze out water), two chicken breasts, one can of cream of mushroom soup, 1/4 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup of mayo, one cup of grated cheddar cheese and pepper.  No salt b/c soup is high in sodium.  I mixed this and put into two aluminium pie plates which were sprayed with nonstick stuff.  I put about 3 pieces of old bread into my small food processor and made bread crumbs.  Topped with bread crumbs and Kraft parm cheese.  I froze one and put the other in the fridge for tomorrow.  I’ll also add butter to top before I bake.