Saturday, April 21, 2012
Chicken and Wild Rice (Freezer Meal)
I make my freezer meals 2 ways. One way is to just make them all in a 2 day process. Compile my list, shop, and do meat prep. Then the next day I assemble them. The other way I like to do it is over the course of a week or two. I buy the ingredients enough to double the recipes, then I make one for dinner and just double it and put one away in the freezer. Then by the end of about 2 or 3 weeks, you have 10 meals frozen in the freezer ready to go for later. Your meals will do well in the freezer for 2-4 months.
Chicken and Wild Rice
1 box wild rice with seasoning packet (4.3 oz)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can water
1 small can mushrooms, drained
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, uncooked
1 cup slivered almonds
1. Mix together rice with seasoning packet, both cans of soup, and water. Stir in mushrooms.
2. Pour in to 8X8 freezer dish, I use the foil pans. Top with 6 chicken pieces and sprinkle with slivered almonds.
3. Double wrap in heavy duty foil, label and freeze.
Cooking Instruction: Thaw and bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour until chicken juices run clear and rice is tender.
I like to serve this dish with a side of broccoli and fruit.
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Serious!!! how stinkin easy is that!
ReplyDeleteDo you use frozen or fresh chicken? How do you thaw these freezer meals out? So excited to find some freezer meals I think my family will eat! Found you on Pinterest. :)
ReplyDeleteI made this today. It was amazing.. My family loved it.. Thanks, found this on Pinterest.
ReplyDeletei don't like cream of mushroom soup, if you use just cream of chicken do I need to use two cans or just completely eliminate the can of cream of mushroom.
ReplyDeletemkhansell- yes, you can use another can of cream of chicken soup or any other cream soup you like. I have a friend who likes it with cream of celery soup as a second option. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteMisty- I thaw mine on the counter in the afternoon or in the fridge overnight. If it is still just a bit frozen, just increase the cooking time. Easy peasy lemon squeazy :)
Do you cook the rice before you mix it in?
ReplyDeleteNope, this one is so easy. You dont even have to cook the rice. Just toss it in :)
ReplyDeleteMy family loved this meal. Even my picky eater! What a wonderful recipe! Can't wait to try more!
ReplyDeleteRegular sized soup cans or family size? What is the seasoning that you are referring to?
ReplyDeleteWould it matter if you used chicken breasts instead of thighs?
ReplyDeleteChicken breasts wouldn't matter at all, thighs are just less expensive. The seasoning she's referring to is the little paper pouch of seasoning in a box of rice a roni or its equivalent.
ReplyDeleteThis is super easy to make and totally yummy.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI found this via Pinterest. I am from England and am unsure how much rice to use since we don't get the same boxes of rice as you do. Can you let me know a rough amount in cups or ounces please? Thanks!
Is this the small serving box of rice- I bought 2 because the one box just served 3 people. Should I use 2 boxes?
ReplyDeleteWe don't like almonds, can I use bread crumbs or cracker crumbs instead?
ReplyDeleteMarie, sorry it took me so long to get back to you! The box of rice is 4.3 oz which is slighly more than 1/2 cup. I bet you could get away with 1/2 cup. Our box of rice comes with a seasoning packet as well.
ReplyDeleteAllison, this is just the one regular box. 4.3 oz.
ReplyDeleteMert, yes! Try the bread crumbs...I think that would work just fine. If you like other kinds of nuts, you can use that too.....pine nuts are a good substitutuion.
This is also very good if you add two cans of drained french cut green beans.
ReplyDeleteAny way to use regular wild rice rather than the boxed stuff? I buy my wild rice in bulk but I think it takes longer to cook than the boxed stuff.
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks so much for posting this. I just tried it - it turned out soupy but very tasty ... as it should with those creamy soups in the recipe. I wasn't sure on the rice. I tried it with a 133 gram pouch Knorr Sidekick - I'm in Vancouver ... so it's all grams and kilograms for me. Can you shoot me the brand name of the rice you used. Is there a Rice-a-roni wild rice option? If I can get the rice right, this recipe is a keeper ... and I can make 5 for my freezer in about 30 minutes - Love it! Thanks so much :) Laurie
ReplyDeleteFor this recipe and other recipes that use "cream of (fill in the blank)" soups, is there any alternative? Maybe something slightly more natural? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMilk and stock perhaps?
DeleteAm new to the whole freezer meal thing... so this question may sound silly. But how long do you defrost? Do you defrost at room temp, and if so, how long does that take? If you defrost in the fridge, is that for a day? two? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIs there a particular brand of rice you like to use?
ReplyDeleteAfter an hour my chicken (used thighs) wasn't done and the rest was soupy. Gave it another 30 mins. Still soupy. Ended up eating sandwiches for dinner. I am nervous because I made two at the same time. Any thoughts about what could have gone wrong? Such a waste :(
ReplyDeleteCream Soup Substitute:
ReplyDeleteIngredients:
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup low-fat or fat free milk
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour; keep stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the chicken broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed to taste.
Use in casseroles in place of condensed cream soups.
This cream soup base can be varied by using vegetable broth, sauteéd chopped celery, celery seed, or sauteéd chopped mushrooms. Add herbs and or seasonings, as desired.
I'm a little late to the game on this, but quick question: Any ideas for a vegetarian alternative? I often substitue different kinds of fish for chicken, and was wondering if you had any thoughts as to what might go well in place of chicken in this recipe. It sounds and looks amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteWill all those ingredients fir into a an 8x8 pan? Seems like a lot of food!
ReplyDelete