Recipe #34: Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Sometimes, I just don’t know what to cook for dinner. Originality can often go out the window when you’re busy or tired, and I’ll often resort to tested and true recipes that I know are quick and easy to make, and take minimal ingredients. That seems to be a key requirement for me these days when I’m looking for a new recipe. Are the ingredients something I already have in the house, or is the shopping list short enough that it’s not going to blow my weekly grocery budget?

While I love cooking magazines and cook books, I find myself turning to the Internet more and more. The magazines are certainly fun to flip through, but often there are only a handful of recipes that actually appeal to me. On the Internet, I just save or print the ones that I know I will make. I’ve mentioned it before, but here it is again: Pinterest. Along with crafts and DIY, it also has a great collection of recipes, and I find the most interesting ones on there.

I came across this one the other day and made it for dinner the same night. I just picked up the ingredients I didn’t already have on hand, and I was ready to cook. I love that everything is done in one pan, you pop it in the oven, and its ready to eat in 30 minutes.

I did make a few adjustments to the original recipe from Kraft, and that was to double the canned tomatoes and pre-cook the chicken by boiling it prior to layering it in the casserole dish. Some of the reviews I read said that their chicken was undercooked, and I didn’t want to take that risk. By boiling the chicken first, it retains all the juices, so it didn’t dry out at all in the oven. The top gets nice and crispy, and the cheese melts for that ooey gooey centre. It was definitely an enjoyable dish.

This recipe was enough for the two of us, plus leftovers for either lunch or dinner the next day.

INGREDIENTS

1 large can of diced tomatoes, undrained

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

½ cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

DIRECTIONS

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

BOIL chicken breasts for 15 minutes, then cut into bite-sized pieces.

MIX tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic just until stuffing mix is moistened.

LAYER chicken, basil and cheese in 3-qt. casserole or 8x8-inch baking dish.

TOP with stuffing. Bake 30 min.