Someone posted a delicious-sounding marinade on Facebook the other day, and I really wanted to try it. I will freely admit that I don’t really grill and marinated chicken in a skillet just makes a hot mess. This led me to thinking about old-school chicken and rice, packed full of cream soups. I knew I could do better than that, so check out the pairing below:

• Marinade 1 1/2 pound of chicken strips in…
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 cup orange marmalade
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • Set aside while you cook the rice or overnight.
• In large sauce pan…
  • Melt 3 T. butter
  • Toss in
    • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
    • 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
    • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • Once onions are soft, add 2 cups of rice, stirring to coat in butter.
  • Once coated, pour in…
    • 4 cups of chicken broth
    • 1 cup of cream
    • Bring to a simmer.
  • Once simmering, remove from heat and stir in four ounces of cheddar cheese.
  • Pour into 9 x 13 casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350* for 30 minutes.
• After thirty minutes, remove foil, place chicken strips on the rice, and bake for another 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

First of all, of course the chicken was yummy! How could it not be?! It’s chicken with sauce. The real winner here was the rice. I will absolutely serve this again, perhaps even take it to a pot luck! Experiment with your own favorite shredded cheese, and let me know if you have success making it with brown rice. This was a BIG side dish though, so make it for a crowd or be prepared for leftovers. Trust me, you won’t be mad about having to eat it for a couple of days!