Chicken Tomato Casserole

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 ¼ lb chicken breasts, cubed into bite sized pieces (*see notes)

1 cup long grain white rice (*see notes)

2 cups marinara

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

¾ cup chicken broth (*see notes)

1 zucchini, chopped

½ cup yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp salt (more as needed)

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp capers with brine (*see notes)

1 cup Italian cheese, shredded (*see notes)

¼ cup grated parmesan

1 Tbsp fresh basil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425º. Gather the ingredients. Start with cubing the chicken breasts into small pieces. I do about 1/2 inch cubes (I prefer my chicken smaller) It will cook even and quicker if you make it evenly cubed and smaller.

Spritz the 9x13 casserole dish with oil. Add the uncooked rice evenly into the dish. Next, add the canned diced tomatoes, onions, capers and brine, zucchini garlic, marinara, broth seasonings and stir well. Add the cubed chicken next, stir well again. *8x10 casserole dish will also work however it may take longer to cook through since the dish will be more crowded.

Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil. Add the dish to the preheated oven, center rack and cook for 35 minutes (it will cook for a total of 50-75 minutes). At 30 minutes, pull the casserole out, stir it well, cover it again and pop it back in.

Bake the casserole for another 20 minutes. Pull it out again and stir well. At this point, grab a piece of chicken to check the cook (with a thermometer, should be at 165º) or slice it in half to see it's it still pink. Also check the rice. It's normal for it to cook slow in the beginning but don't worry it will cook. After the second stir place it back in the oven, covered, and cook for another 10-15. **Please note, rice varies from variation and brand, oven temps vary greatly and the casserole dish style and size will really vary the times as well! This is why checking the casserole is crucial.**

Whenever I make this casserole it takes about 1 hour - 1 hour and ten minutes. Once the chicken is cooked and the rice is al dente and starting to stick together it's about done!

Once it's about cooked, take it out once more, spread the shredded cheese and parmesan over the top and place back into the oven uncovered and let the cheese melt for 5 minutes. Pull it out.

Let the casserole sit, cool and set for about 5 minutes and serve! Top with chopped basil and more parmesan if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1.5 cup
• Calories: 840 kcal
• Total Fat: 14 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
• Trans Fat: 0.02 g
• Cholesterol: 103 mg
• Sodium: 1489 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 124 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 52 g