[Recipe Makeover] Skinny Chicken and Rice Casserole to Help You Lose Weight

recipe

Yum. Chicken and rice casserole. It’s creamy and delicious…and seems like one of the things you’ll have to take out of your meal rotation if you’re going to lose weight.

Not so! We’ve created a skinny version that keeps the flavor, but loses the guilt. Plus, bonus points: it’s a one-dish meal (can it get any easier?) and it’s sure to please even the pickiest members of your family.

The key to this guilt-free casserole makeover is the addition of high-fiber foods. Full Plate is all about using high-fiber foods to transform unhealthy dishes into delicious meals that will help you lose weight instead of gain it.

And now, the dish that needs no introduction: Skinny Chicken and Rice Casserole.

How to Make Your Own Skinny Chicken and Rice Casserole - From Beginning to End

We’ve done all the hard work of slimming down the typical creamy chicken and rice casserole.

Just follow the step by step directions below--and most importantly, have fun!

Step 1: Add these ingredients to your shopping list

These are the ingredients used in the Skinny Chicken and Rice Casserole.

If you don’t have these items on hand, here’s what you’ll need to pick up at the grocery store.

Shopping List

  • 1 chicken breast, boneless and skinless (½ pound)
  • 1 - (8.5-ounce) bag Uncle Ben’s Ready Brown and Wild Rice Whole Grain Medley
  • 1 small bag of carrots (can get already sliced ones if you’d like)
  • 1 - (10.5-ounce) can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
  • onion powder
  • garlic powder
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 - (12- ounce) bag fresh broccoli florets (about 4 cups)
  • 1 small bag low fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Step 2: Prepare/prep the chicken

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place oven rack in middle of oven.

While the oven is warming up, start cooking the chicken breast.

Add 3 cups of water and one boneless, skinless chicken breast to a pot.

Cook the chicken at a medium-high temperature for 15-20 minutes.

Cook the chicken until it is no longer pink, about 15 to 20 minutes.

If it starts to turn to a heavy, rolling boil, turn down to medium heat.

While the chicken is cooking, move to Step 3.

Dice the chicken in bite sized pieces for the casserole.

Once the chicken is finished cooking, drain the juice into a pan and let the chicken cool off. Set broth aside for later use.

Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces for the casserole.

Step 3: Heat up the rice

To reduce cooking time, we used Uncle Ben’s precooked rice packs for our casserole. You can choose brown or wild rice, or a mixture of both.

While the chicken is cooking, cook the rice according to directions.

Tear a 1-2 inch slit in the top of the bag and cook for 90 seconds.

To lower the sodium in this dish, use 1 cup of cooked brown rice instead of the Uncle Ben’s bag. Just prepare according to directions on the package. Boil-in-a-bag brown rice is convenient and easy to cook.

Step 4: Assemble your casserole

Spray a 9 by 13 casserole baking dish with cooking spray.

Pour a 10.5oz can of 98% fat free cream of chicken into the casserole dish.

Cream of chicken is generally high in fat and extremely high in sodium. Using a 98% fat free cream helps to reduce the amount of fat. However, the sodium is still high. So don’t’ use more than one can.

Add the rice to the cream of chicken.

Next, add onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the dish.

Add 1.5 cups of sliced carrots to the casserole dish.

You can reduce the time you spend in the kitchen even more by purchasing pre-sliced carrots.

Add the diced chicken to the casserole dish, and mix all your ingredients.

Measure out ¾ cup of chicken broth, add to the casserole dish, and mix again.

The casserole will have a runny soup texture before the broccoli is added.

The soupy texture of the pre-baked casserole is what helps the carrots and broccoli cook to perfection. Though it may seem a little runny, it is in fact just right.

Place broccoli florets on top of the casserole mixture.

If you’re using pre-chopped florets, simply rinse and add to the top of the casserole.

If you’re using a head of broccoli, chop the florets, remove the big stems, and add the tops to the casserole dish.

Step 5: Bake your casserole

Cover the casserole dish before placing in the oven with a glass lid or aluminum foil.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350° F.

For the last 5 minutes, remove the cover from your casserole dish and add the cheese.

When your timer is down to 5 minutes, uncover the casserole and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered for the remaining 5 minutes.

Some ovens may take longer to cook the carrots and broccoli thoroughly, so check them for desired tenderness. If they’re not tender enough for your liking, bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Skinny Chicken & Rice Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, boneless and skinless (½ pound)
1 - (8.5-ounce) bag Uncle Ben’s Ready Brown and Wild Rice Whole Grain Medley
3/4c chicken stock
1 ½ c carrots, diced
1 - (10.5-ounce) can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
½ t onion powder
½ t garlic powder
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
12 oz broccoli florets (about 4 cups)
½ c low fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Place chicken breast in 3 cups of water and boil at medium-high temperature until there is no pink in the middle of breast, approximately 20-25 minutes. Reserve chicken broth to add to casserole later.

Cook rice package according to directions.

Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Combine cream of chicken soup, carrots, rice, and seasonings to the baking dish.

Dice chicken once it is cooled. Add chicken and 3/4 cup of chicken broth to baking dish and mix well. Mixture will be runny. Top with broccoli florets. Place larger florets with stems down to cook better.

Cover baking dish with lid or aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degree for 45 minutes. (Ovens vary, so check tenderness of veggies to see if you need an additional 10 minutes.) With 5 minutes left to bake, remove cover and sprinkle ½ cup of cheese on top.

Makes 4 Servings
1 Serving = 260 calories, 5g fat, 45mg cholesterol, 950mg sodium, 33g carbs, 6g fiber, 24g protein

 

 

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