Cheddar Bacon Chicken and Rice Bake
This ultra creamy cheddar bacon chicken and rice bake gets it’s flavor from lots of bacon, cheddar, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, and more; it’s a delicious take on a classic dish that’s easy-to-make and comes together in less than an hour!
Eat More Chicken—And Rice.
Those cows aren’t wrong.
Chicken is such a versatile meat and it’s positively packed with protein—as some one who watches their macronutrients chicken makes it so easy to reach my protein goals. Plus, it’s also always on sale.
Rice has its benefits too. It’s super affordable, doesn’t go bad too fast, and a little bit of rice goes a long way. This recipe only calls for 1/2 cup of rice and that’s enough for six servings—all of which are really filling.
Cheese and bacon have lost their minds when it comes to price BUT the flavors are out of this world so if you’re going to splurge somewhere why not on cheese and bacon!?
Here’s What You Need To Make This Cheddar Bacon Chicken and Rice Bake:
◉ Cooked Chicken (rotisserie or baked boneless skinless chicken breasts that have been cut into bite sized pieces)
◉ Rice
◉ Shredded Cheddar Cheese
◉ Red Bell Pepper
◉ Celery
◉ Yellow Onion
◉ Bacon
◉ Cream Cheese
◉ Heavy Cream
◉ Worcestershire Sauce
◉ Garlic Powder
◉ Onion Powder
◉ Cayenne Pepper
How To Make Cheddar Bacon Chicken and Rice Bake:
Step one—Pan fry bacon strips; crumble and set aside. Reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon grease.
Step two—Combine bacon grease, cream cheese, heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, celery, onion, and red bell pepper in a large mixing bowl and stir until well blended.
*allow cream cheese to sit out at room temperature for at least ten minutes to make it easier to blend*
Step three—Fold remaining ingredients into cream cheese mixture—setting aside 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar to sprinkle on top of dish; pour into prepared 9×13 casserole dish and sprinkle remaining cheddar on top.
Step four—Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Cheddar Bacon Chicken and Rice Bake
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken chopped
- 1/2 cup long grain white rice cooked according to package
- 6 slices bacon
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
- 2 cups cheddar cheese divided
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Pan fry bacon strips; crumble and set aside. Reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon grease.
- Combine bacon grease, cream cheese, heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, celery, onion, and red bell pepper in a large mixing bowl and stir until well blended. **allow cream cheese to sit out at room temperature for at least ten minutes to make it easier to blend**
- Fold remaining ingredients into cream cheese mixture—setting aside 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar to sprinkle on top of dish; pour into prepared 9×13 casserole dish and sprinkle remaining cheddar on top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.