Rice Pilaf, Veggie & Chicken Bake

With a few basic ingredients and a bit of spice, you can easily create an entirely new dish with minimal effort. This chicken and rice dish is made in one pan and incredibly easy to prepare.

Prep: 15 minutes - Bake: 1 hour 10 minutes - Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

•                Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 1/2   pounds thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4       (16-ounce) package thin spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 1            bay leaf
• 1            large carrot, chopped
• 1/2       small yellow onion, chopped
• 2            cups chicken stock
• 1            cup dry long grain white rice
• 1            cup small broccoli florets
• 2            teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1            teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4       teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3       cup sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°; spray 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In prepared dish, stir chicken, spaghetti, bay leaf, carrot, onion, stock, rice, broccoli, thyme, salt and pepper; cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until rice and spaghetti are tender and internal temperature of chicken reaches 165°. Remove and discard bay leaf. Makes about 9 cups.

3. In large skillet, toast almonds over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant, stirring frequently; transfer to plate to cool.

4. Serve bake sprinkled with almonds.

Approximate nutritional values per serving (1 1/2 cups): 351 Calories, 6g Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 63mg Cholesterol, 557mg Sodium, 42g Carbohydrates, 2g Fiber, 2g Sugars, 0g Added Sugars, 30g Protein