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 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle remaining cheddar on top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
