Not Your Everyday Chicken & Rice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a 9×13 baking dish place butter (cut it up into Tablespoon-sized portions) and put the dish in the oven until butter is melted. Then remove the dish from the oven.

For the chicken, I use thighs and legs, however you can use whatever you’d like. Keep the skin on as it keeps the chicken moist and adds flavor. Sprinkle chicken pieces with paprika, salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the melted butter, turning to coat. With the skin side up, bake for 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, begin preparing the sauce. Add the soup to a small/medium bowl. Dice the tomato and green onions, add to soup. Drain the mushrooms* and add to the mixture. Add poultry seasoning and mix all ingredients together. Add milk to thin out the sauce (you may not need the entire 1/2 cup). The sauce should be a happy medium between thick and thin. Add salt and pepper to taste.

*You can use fresh mushrooms if you prefer, however they should be cooked and drained prior to adding to the sauce or they will dilute the sauce.

Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon sauce over each chicken piece until all of the sauce is in the pan. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Return pan to oven and cook an additional 40-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook two cups of long grain rice per package instructions.

To serve: Place a portion of rice on the plate, top with chicken and then top with sauce. Let the rice soak up the sauce and enjoy!

Note: Bone-in chicken is the best for this recipe, however if you elect to use boneless, reduce cooking times.