This delicious recipe Joanna shares in the Magnolia Table Cookbook takes me right back to the summer I spent with my grandparents in Atlanta, Georgia.
I spent about 2 months just after my 15th birthday chilling with the Grands. We slept late (well I did anyway), played some tennis, and hung out by the pool. Grandpa worked from home and Grandma worked out. I learned about a whole wealth of different topics while hanging around Grandpa and even got a glimpse into his extensive gun collection. With Grandma out of the house during the day, she would meal plan with me on the weekend and we would do the grocery shopping for the week. We would go through her lifetime of recipes and even explore a few new things that we would find in magazines and on the back of product boxes. Do you know all those "great" ? casseroles you used to find on the back of the cracker boxes or rice bags. ? We would get everything planned for the week and I would cook dinner each night and have it ready for when she would come home from work.
This one-pan wonder transported me right back to those days. I have no clue if it is or was, but it seems right off the back of a rice bag! And straight out of the '80s or '90s...not a second thought about fat content or carb intake, and I loved every bite! ??? LOL!
The assembly of the dish is very simple, lay your bacon on the bottom, sprinkle your onions and cubed butter on top, mix the rice and condensed soups together, and put that on top.
The only thing that I did that varied from this recipe was to sear off my seasoned chicken breast before placing those on top of the layers of bacon, onion, butter, and rice.
After reading through the entire recipe I decided that the recipe was going to turn out fairly beige and if I know anything from being a chef all these years is that you eat with your eyes. So I wanted to take this to the next level, add just a little finesse to it, and make it something you'd want to see on your dinner table again. This was one of those recipes from the book that didn't have a picture and now we all know why.
If you choose to take this route and decide to sear your chicken first, you will need to reduce your cooking time in the oven by about 15 minutes, then remove the foil and allow some of the excess liquid to cook-off.
It has been so long since I have had or made something like this that I really didn't know what to expect out of the finished product, but it was extremely well received by the family, especially my dad who would literally eat bacon topped cardboard if you put it in front of him. It's his solution to pretty much everything.
I honestly think I will make this again even though it absolutely falls into the cheat meal category. I might ease up on the butter by a tablespoon or two, the leftovers were a little greasy, other than that it will stay on the menu rotation once every other month or so when I finish the journey of cooking my way through this cookbook.
I'd love to know what you think of this recipe and if you have made it yet. Leave me a comment below 🙂
Until next time, happy cooking!
Kendell
Did you make this recipe? Let me know by leaving a review or comment! And be sure to sign up for my newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Michele
I wonder if this dish would be good if the bacon was on top so it gets crispy? Thoughts?
Kendell
I mean, yes, that would be great. But I was making the recipe the way it was written, but more edible to my taste just browning the chicken. I don't really understand the soggy bacon, but that's what it says to do.
Wendy
Hi Kendall! I made this today for my daughter & me. I read everything in the comments prior & decided to par cook the bacon (more like 3/4 cooked) & I’m so glad I did. It was perfectly firm & delicious to roll off the bottom to top off the rice before laying a juicy tender on top (I also seared those for the visual 😉 because I cut this recipe in half & chicken was tenderloins & seared, I only cooked about 40 min total (1/2 time covered). We threw in a 1/2 cup of frozen peas right when it came out. Delish!
Kendell
Love to hear this Wendy. This was a pretty tricky recipe, but made much better with those tweaks. And I love the peas, that's a great addition for color and texture!
Carrie Wilcoxson
Hi, I made this for the first time last night and it was delicious. I think if I make it again I’ll crisp the bacon before putting it in the dish. It seemed raw and undercooked even though I think it was fully cooked. I just really like the crunch of bacon.
Kendell
Hey Carrie, I think that would be a welcome adjustment, the flavor of the casserole was good but it was totally greasy! Like I first seared the chicken as well to give that more flavor and appeal. Lemme know how it goes when you do it 🙂
Ann Brown
The recipe says to cook the rice before assembling... is that right?
Kendell
Yes, Ann, that is correct. There won't be enough liquid to cook the rice if you don't boil it first. I would also reduce the amount of butter it calls for, it was a little greasy at the end.
Lisa Degnan
Hi Karen -
I wonder what garnish you used to make it green at the end? I have had this recipe the way Joanna wrote it, and it was delish. However, I think adding the green spice on the top and searing the chicken would definitely make it look more appetizing.
Lisa
Kendell
Hi Lisa, I absolutely agree the chicken needs a sear to be visually appealing. I would say a green onion sliced on top for garnish would give the bite you're looking for 🙂 Happy Cooking! -K
Karen
Thank you for posting this. I wanted to make this recipe but was concerned about how the chicken would look. I will use your idea to sear it first. I also wondered if the bacon would cook completely. I can’t imagine it could be crispy. How did the bacon come out when you cooked it?
Kendell
Hi Karen! The bacon does not cook crispy, this was a question that I had too. You can expect it to stay soft but be cooked, like I mention in the post, it does get greasy if you have left overs so I would use less butter if I made it again.