Healthy Home Revolution: Chicken & Brown Rice Taco Bake

Yummy! Love this dish and so did the whole family! Best part is that most of it can be made ahead and the recipe was so easy that my toddler made it...and he was so proud of himself. Plus, he was willing to try something he otherwise might have turned down. If you want to save yourself time, make the chicken and rice ahead of time so all you have to do is mix things together and bake. you can cook the chicken and rice on the weekend or the night before, whatever works for your lifestyle and hectic weekday schedule. This is another dish that I will be adding to the rotation. I served it with a simple guacamole salad (recipe found here:http://deliciouslydomesticdining.blogspot.com/2013/05/guacamole-salad.html) and roasted cauliflower. Delicious!!!

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Chicken & Brown Rice Taco Bake
based on http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/cheesy-chicken-and-rice-bake/

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and cut up into bite size pieces (my recipe below)
4 cups cooked brown rice (I used my rice cooker, but follow the package directions)
¾ cup frozen corn
15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 tsp each of onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder
4 ounces can of diced mild chilies
½ cup salsa
1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, plus 1/2 cup more for topping

Make your rice and chicken ahead of time (this might be 1-2 hours before you plan to put this dish together, or days in advance - read the directions on the brown rice or for your rice cooker).

2 cups of uncooked rice yields a little more than 4 cups of cooked rice

I baked my own chicken, but you could use rotisserie chicken. I took my chicken breasts and cut them into equal pieces (this meant that I cut the two large breasts into 2 smaller pieces that would cook more evenly to the smaller breast). I sprayed a cooking dish with non-stick spray, drizzled the chicken with olive oil, and sprinkled it with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. I baked it at 350 for 30 minutes or until my thermometer read 165 degrees in the thickest part of the biggest piece.

My children loved this chicken just is, so this is another "go to" quick and healthy chicken for the family.

Now its time to assemble the taco bake.

This is the yogurt I used because it was on sale at the grocery store. I just used one container, which was approximately 1 cup.

In a large bowl, add the spices.

Then the yogurt and the salsa, stirring to combine thoroughly before adding any other ingredients.

Then start to add the other tasty ingredients, diced chilies...

the corn and beans...

the chicken, rice, and 1 cup of cheese.

Stir to combine...looks yummy and tastes yummy just as is!

Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray and spread the taco bake evenly. Top with 1/2-1 cup more cheese (totally up to you, but it is reduced fat and a great source of calcium if you are cooking for kiddos!).