Chicken, Rice and Tomato Mini-Casserole

I made this casserole essentially because I had nothing else in the house but wanted something simple, easy, and warm. I also happened to have these nifty 1-cup casserole dishes I bought with a Christmas-gifted gift certificate to Archambault. This recipe makes 2 casseroles: one for now and one for another day. If you cook it after keeping it in the fridge, add about another 10 minutes to the lid-on cooking time.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast

1/4 cup uncooked brown basmati rice

grated cheddar cheese

398 ml can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes (you'll have a bit left over)

you'll also need:

2 1-cup baking dishes with lids (or cover with foil)

2 small pots

measuring cup

cooking spray

1. cook the chicken breast by boiling it in lightly-salted water for 20 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting it into bite-sized pieces.

2. meanwhile, cook the rice for 15 minutes in 1/4 plus 1/8 cup of water, and a splash of olive oil. Fluff it up and set aside.

3. place half the chicken and half the rice in a measuring cup (so you can tell when you reach one cup), and add about 3 spoon fulls of diced tomato. Stir together, add a pinch of grated cheese, about 2 spoon fulls of tomato liquid, and stir again. Transfer it to a baking dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat this step with the remaining ingredients for the second casserole.

4. add a layer of diced tomatoes to the top of each casserole, and top with a layer of cheese. Spray the lids with cooking spray and cover the dishes. Put one in the fridge for another day.

5. preheat the oven to 350F. Bake with the dish covered for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and continue cooking for 5 to 10 more minutes. Wait until the casserole isn't molted-hot to eat it. Hint: if the edges are still bubbling, it's too hot.

I made this recipe up.