Easy Chicken Bake with Pesto Rice and Quinoa

Midway through the week, once the leftovers of the weekend cooking adventures have been eaten, I find that it's time to cook again. Unfortunately, stopping at the grocery store after work puts me in the middle of traffic, so I arrive home and realize I don't have anything planned for dinner. Uh oh...

Thankfully, with a few items from the freezer and pantry, I can make up a very healthy, one dish meal. If, like me, you forget to take your chicken out of the freezer to thaw during the day, you can boil the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes before continuing with this recipe.

Here's what you'll need for 3 to 4 portions of this chicken and rice baked dish:

4 chicken tenderloins 

1/4 cup basil pesto

1 to 1 1/2 cups any mixture of rice (white, brown, jasmine, or basmati) and quinoa (white, or red)

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup frozen green beans (I prefer the slender, whole, french style green beans)

2 cloves crushed garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

-Preheat oven to 400* F. Grease the sides and bottom of a small casserole dish with olive oil.

-Mix broth, garlic, and pesto together in the dish.

-Add rice mixture and almonds to the broth mixture. 

-Top with frozen green beans.

-Coat chicken tenderloins in a little extra pesto and place them on top of the green beans. (the chicken might sink a bit into the liquid, but that's okay.)

-Cover dish with tin foil.

-Bake for twenty minutes covered, then uncover and continue to bake until the rice has absorbed all the broth.

This dish can be modified in so many ways. Instead of basil pesto, you could flavor the chicken and rice with an olive tapenade or chimichurri sauce. you could also cook the rice in a plain chicken broth and flavor the chicken with a spicy and sweet barbecue rub.