You know those dishes that are simply comforting? You know, the ones that are warm and bubbly, fill you up, taste amazing and just make you feel good? Well, we have one of those for you today. Southern asphyxiated chicken. That’s right, it’s a good chicken and rice recipe, but this one’s been reinvented a little bit for maximum flavor. Trust us, you’ll love it. Using the condensed soup as a base to make our “smothered chicken”, we added a lot more seasoning to make sure we ended up with a nice, round depth of flavor, then layered the chicken thighs – so, so tasty and surprising in this recipe – on a bed of rice, covering it with this sauce.
INGREDIENTS
6-8 chicken thighs (boneless, preferably)
2 cans of condensed cream of cheddar soup
1 can of condensed chicken cream with herbs
3 cups cooked white or brown rice
1 1/2 cups of milk (whole or 2%)
1 cup spicy cheddar cheese, grated
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
bacon bits, garnish, optional
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350º F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, combine chicken soups with cheddar cheese and herbs and whole milk and whisk until combined, then whisk in garlic, onion powder, paprika and red pepper flakes. Optional: add the cheddar cheese if you don’t want to add it to the pot later.
Spread the cooked rice at the bottom of the greased baking dish, then cover with the chicken thighs. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Pour the soup mixture over the chicken and rice, making sure everything is evenly covered, and then top with cheddar cheese (if not already scrambled in the sauce) or bacon bits, if you use it.
Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove from oven and serve hot.