The weather this month has been incredible and we've been outside soaking it all up, instead of inside cooking or cleaning or mixing it up for the blog. Who wants to do house work when you could be at the park or picking apples or on a long walk or boating on the lake?
I did manage to force myself inside one day last week and try something new. This meal was perfect for us because we generally eat chicken instead of beef and rice instead of pasta with my husbands gluten free diet.
Copycat Chicken Enchilada Helper
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried red bell pepper
pinch cayenne
What else you'll need
1 pound diced cooked chicken breast
3 cups (or more) cooked rice
1 cup milk
1/2 can tomato paste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
I've started making my 'helper' mixes in a new way. I no longer use powdered milk and water because let's face it- most people, especially parents have at least some form of milk in their fridge, but very few have powdered milk in their cupboards. I also cook the meat, rice/pasta first and then whip up the sauce and add it all together instead of cooking everything in the sauce. This stops everything from sticking to the bottom of the pot while it's cooking and also allows you to add as much rice or pasta as you want to stretch out the meal. I find 'helper' recipes tend to be way too heavy on the meat, and they just don't feed enough people!
Combine mix with milk and stir well, adding in tomato paste and stirring until it dissolves. Cook on medium heat in a large pot, adding in chicken and rice and stirring until sauce thickens. Add cheese and stir until it melts.
I added some steamed broccoli on top to balance out the meal. Delicious and almost worth dragging myself away from the sunshine for!
)