Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing

Did you know that I don't eat dressing or stuffing at Thanksgiving? There's something about the soggy bread that just does not appeal to me. That being said, the stuffing mix that you buy at the store is pretty fantastic. You can make some awesome meals with it.

This recipe caught my eye on Pinterest because of its simplicity. You just layer all of the ingredients in the baking dish and bake it until it's done. I wanted to try it because I thought, Hey! Another easy meal for busy nights. Thankfully the recipe turned out spectacularly well. I've made it a total of three times and decided to keep the ingredients on hand for particularly hectic nights.

I had a moment while making this meal where I actually had nothing to do but wait for things to cook. That rarely happens. Usually I'm running around like a crazy person trying to get everything to finish cooking at the same time. I had the chicken in the oven, the potatoes were boiling, the water was coming to a boil for macaroni and cheese, and the green beans were bubbling away. I stood in the middle of Aaron's mother's kitchen wondering what did I do right?

What do you get with this recipe? How about tender, moist chicken with a creamy, cheesy sauce and a crispy bread topping. The extra sauce and stuffing make an excellent topping for mashed potatoes and the whole meal has a very country, home-cooking flavor.

Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing

Source: Or so she says...

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half as evenly as possible
6-8 slices cheese (I used cheddar but pretty much any cheese will work)
1 (10-oz) can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup milk
1 box chicken stuffing mix (like Stovetop)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with vegetable oil spray.

Place the chicken pieces in the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Top the raw chicken with the cheese slices.

In a small bowl combine the cream of chicken soup and milk. Mix until smooth and then pour the mixture over the cheese.

Sprinkle the stuffing mix evenly over the soup mixture (yes, dry) and drizzle the butter evenly over the stuffing mix.

Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve warm with mashed potatoes or rice.