Chicken and Rice Casserole

I know that casseroles, especially ones like these, aren't exactly the trendiest meals right now, but how can I possibly turn my back on a dish that loved so much growing up. Not only that, but you can't deny the total deliciousness and simplicity that you get when you make this casserole. It calls for pretty much everything you already have in your cupboard, it take about five minutes to throw together, and I've yet to meet someone that doesn't like this combo of chicken and rice. My kids especially LOVE it. When you make this, try really hard to use chicken thighs, not breasts. I have made this with chicken breasts before, and it's not even close to as good as it is with chicken thighs. Since I have small children, I'll cut the chicken up before baking it, but I prefer it when the chicken thighs are cooked whole. And there is my two cents, ENJOY!

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs
1 cup dry rice
2 chicken bullion cubes
2 cups water
1 package onion soup mix
1 tablespoon paprika (I just eyeball it)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can full of water (can you tell this is a family recipe!)

Directions

Butter bottom of 9x13 casserole pan. Arrange dry rice at bottom of pan, lay chicken on top and sprinkle with paprika. Dissolve bullion in water and pour over chicken. Sprinkle soup mix over chicken and rice. Mix mushroom soup with 1/2 can water and pour over all. Cover and bake one hour at 350. Uncover and bake 30 more minutes at same temperature.

Kathy, a friend from Three on Food, was nice enough to offer me this really cool award. Thanks so much Kathy!! It's called the Premio Meme award, and with it I'm supposed to list seven things about my personality. Then I'm supposed to pick seven bloggers to pass this award to. It's hard to pick out attributes of my own personality, but I'll do my best, here goes!

1. Positive. Of course we all have down days, or go through experiences that are difficult, but overall I try my hardest to always look on the bright side of any situation. Life is just better that way!

2. Adventurous. Not in the crazy extreme sports kind of way, but I like to put myself out there every once and a while and do something a little scary and unfamiliar. I just ran a 5K on Saturday, something I NEVER thought I'd do, and loved it!

3. Bossy. I'm the oldest of five siblings, so I bossed them a TON growing up. Now I have a husband and two kids to boss, although that side of me is mellowing out quite a bit.

4. Friendly. I really love meeting people and making new friends, so I consider myself pretty outgoing.

5. Restless. I definitely enjoy quiet time, and I really look forward to my evenings after the kids are in bed, but I have to have something to do. It's hard for me to just sit, even if I'm watching a movie, I almost always have to be doing something else to keep my hands busy, otherwise I get bored! It drives my husband crazy and it kind of drives me crazy too. I blame my dad, he's restless too.

6. Curious. I really enjoy learning new things and getting educated whenever I can. I've been out of school for a while while so my husband can finish dental school, but I really look forward to continuing my education when he's finished.

7. Loving. My family and friends are so important to me and I love them with every sugar-soaked cell in my body. I don't know where I'd be without them!

So there you have it! I'd like to pass this award on to the following:

1. Donna, from My Tasty Treasures
2. Jennifer at Bread plus Butter
3. Heidi at Tried and True Cooking with Heidi
4. Coleen at Coleen's Recipes
5. MaryBeth and Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homemade Way
6. Dar at Girlichef
7. Ingrid at 3 B's, Baseball, Baking and Books

All of these are fantastic blogs that should be visited often. Happy Wednesday everyone!