Fast and Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Two things make it very hard to cook dinner when you are in college. First, you are on a tight budget which requires getting creative with less expensive ingredients. Also, when you are making dinner you are usually cooking for one. Although I figured out how to make that one easier... My roommate and I which off cooking during the week, so that we can cook for two and maybe have some leftovers for lunch. We don't cook on Monday because that is when our sorority meeting is, so we rely on take out or Lean Cuisine those nights. We look at our calendars and decide who can cook on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Friday and Saturday are up for grabs depending on what is going on and who is going out of town. In the end, this makes it a lot easier because you only have to cook half the time. It has also made it to where we can afford to cook nicer meals more frequently than if we were both cooking every night.

Okay, so here is where I was going with this post... I am always on the lookout for recipes that are quick, easy, and feed around between 2 to 4 people. Here is the most recent trial that I did this week. It is from the back of the Cream of Chicken soup can. It was so yummy!!

From: Campbell's Kitchen

Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 50 minutes
Stand: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1/2 tsp. onion powder (I substituted Mrs. Dash's Lemon Pepper for this and the pepper, then I sprinkled it on the top of the chicken also)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I used half green peas and half carrots, celery, and onions)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375°F. Stir the soup, water, rice, onion powder, black pepper and vegetables in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.

Top with the chicken. Season the chicken as desired. Cover the baking dish.

Bake for 50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Top with the cheese. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes. Stir the rice before serving.