This is a comforting pesto chicken and rice casserole that requires just a few ingredients and is ready for dinner in less than an hour. For little ones, it's best to chop the tenders into bite-sized pieces.
Ingredients
- cooking spray:
- ¾ cups water: 1 piece (divided)
- chicken-flavored rice and vermicelli mix: 1 pack (6.9 ounce pack)
- basil pesto: 4 Tbsp (divided)
- chicken tenderloins, tendons removed, cut into smaller pieces: 1 pound (if desired)
- Alfredo sauce: 0.5 cup
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese: 0.25 cup
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray an 8-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
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Mix 1 1/2 cups water, rice, seasoning packets, and 2 tablespoons pesto together. Pour mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
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Toss chicken tenders with remaining 2 tablespoons pesto in a shallow dish. Place chicken on top of rice.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
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Mix remaining 1/4 cup water with Alfredo sauce. Remove the baking dish from the oven and pour Alfredo sauce over chicken, stirring to combine. Top with Parmesan cheese and bake until cheese melts, about 15 more minutes. Serve immediately.
