Shamrocks and Shenanigans: Monterey Chicken over Chili Rice

This meal should come with a warning. Something like WARNING: MEAL WILL LEAVE HUSBAND SO HAPPY YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO COOK EVERYDAY! But who doesnt like chicken covered with carmelized onions and bell peppers oozing with pepperjack cheese nestled on cheesy chili rice? I had to add some healthy zucchini just to make my conscience feel better. This was a meal The Fireman raved about for days. He took to work and then asked when I would be making it again. It's a keeper. And it all came about from watching a commercial (I havent started my rant on commercials yet) for one of those chicken and rice kits. It was cold out and chicken and rice did sound good. Out of a box, did not. Although the box probably had less calories.

So I have covered this rice before. It is one my favorites and gets cooked quite a bit. It has a big hand full of cheese and a can of ortega chilis and about a container of sour cream. I am not positive The Ballplayer knows there is cheese in the rice. My favorite part of this rice is you can use leftover rice. So if I am making rice, sometimes I have made a HUGE batch knowing the next night I will make Chili rice. But any rice is fine. I have made it with minute rice, brown rice, long grain rice, etc and the cheese and chilis make the rice. I dont have any leftover rice tonight so the rice cooker better get on it. Love that rice cooker! Now I am going to give you the recipe for the chili rice, but I recommend you make extra.

Monterey Chicken over Chili Rice
4 chicken breasts
1 large red onion
1 TB butter
1 cup pepper jack cheese grated
salt and pepper

Chili Rice
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 small can Ortega chili's

1 avocado
1 lime

see pretty easy! You probably have everything right now

Alright get the rice cooking. Now I always make extra. The Fireman takes it for lunch the next day, The Ballplayer will come down later in the evening hungry and it always gets used the next night.

So lets brown up these bad boy chicken breasts! Salt and pepper lightly. Add maybe a TB of oil to the pan over Medium high heat. You are not cooking, just browning

Why is it that they always send them all in different sizes? C'omn!!!

I really like the way they taste browned versus not browned.

While the chicken were browning I sliced up all the onions and bell peppers. They are next to get cooked

Place the browned (not cooked) chicken breasts on a plate.

Now add the onions and bell pepper. I add the one TB of butter too.

Ah I love that smell of onions caramelizing.

We like them dark but you could stop here. They will cook more in the onion.

OK rice is done. into a bowl

Add the sour cream, chilis (they are not hot, I promise), and cheese and mix well

you could eat it now (and I did take a fork to it...I was hungry) but it is so much better after baked

Into a sprayed pyrex 9x13 dish

place chicken on top of the rice. Those Rice and Chicken kits have nothing on me

Place onions on top of the chicken. Into a 350 preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes. If you notice the onions are getting too dark you can take a piece of foil to the top (not a issue in this house)