Not Your Mother's Casserole

Chicken, Artichokes & Rice Take on the Casserole
And it's perfect for feeding a crowd - especially if you're on a budget.

In this particular recipe, the artichoke hearts & roasted bell peppers
are the priciest ingredients, but if you're going to prepare
a meal on limited funds, then shelling out for a couple of really flavourful or high quality ingredients is a great way to "elevate"
the entire dish or meal. In this case, you can go a step further by roasting your own bell peppers (recommended only if you're feeling uber-culinary), although the savings will be negligible and it's ever-so-slightly time-consuming.

Speaking of time, if you're going to make this on one of those
"why the hell didn't I plan ahead?" weeknights, speed things up by using a rotisserie chicken instead of uncooked chicken breasts.


What You Need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 Rotisserre chicken or enough boneless,skinless chick breasts for your number of guests
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups finely chopped onion
• 2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
• 3 cups no-salt-added chicken broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups diced tomato
• 1 (9-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts or 1 15oz can of artichoke hearts
  
• 3/4 cup bottled roasted red bell peppers, thinly sliced into strips

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 400º. If you're using rotissere chicken, skip the next two steps and go straight to step three.
2. If you are using raw chicken, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
3. Add chicken and garlic; cook 7 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Set aside; keep warm.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium heat.
5. Add onion and rice and sauté 15 minutes or until rice is lightly browned.
6. Add broth and next 5 ingredients and bring to a boil.
7. Add chicken then top with tomato and artichokes.
8. Place in the oven and bake uncovered at 400º for 50 minutes, stirring then covering after 25 minutes.
9. Cook for 15 more minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
10. Stir well and top with pepper strips.

Mod Girl Bottoms-Up: a light, zesty Chardonnay or even a bright white table wine like the South African Goats do Roam white - which isn't gimmicky (despite the name) but is actually quite lovely - and at about $10 a bottle, it's a pretty good deal!

note: photo from stock.xchng.com