Healthing up Grandma’s Chicken and Rice Casserole from Everyday Health’s Recipe Rehab

Healthing up Grandma’s Chicken and Rice Casserole from Everyday Health’s Recipe Rehab

This is one Recipe Rehab episode where I’m totally in disagreement with the Holden family. Chef Jet uses too many processed foods like canned soup, prepared rice and canned fried onions for my comfort in his Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe. On the other hand, Chef Daniel prepares an elegant, one pot dish that takes about 30 minutes to cook from wholesome ingredients – chicken, rice, lemons, chicken broth, and rosemary. I also like that he says his 10-year-old daughter loves his version of Chicken & Rice – a big endorsement if you’re cooking for kids.

Watch Low-Fat Chicken and Rice Recipe here or below. You can also watch Chef Daniel here or Chef Jet here prepare their versions of Grandma’s Chicken and Rice Casserole.

Recipe Rehab episodes air every Friday at 1 ET on the Everyday Health YouTube .

Nutritional breakdowns

ORIGINAL RECIPE

NUTRITION FACTS

Servings: 4

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 617

• Total Fat: 19.90g
• Cholesterol: 184mg
• Sodium: 705mg
• Total Carbs: 44.76g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.87g
• Sugars: 3.45g
• Protein: 54.14g
• CHEF DANIEL
• NUTRITION FACTS
• Servings: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 586
• Total Fat: 9.45g
• Cholesterol: 72mg
• Sodium: 220mg
• Total Carbs: 87.27g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.74g
• Sugars: 7.56g
• Protein: 37.83g
• CHEF JET
• NUTRITION FACTS
• Servings: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 373
• Total Fat: 9.79g
• Cholesterol: 64mg
• Sodium: 898mg
• Total Carbs: 39.87g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.98g
• Sugars: 6.94g
• Protein: 29.45g
• Original Chicken and Rice Recipe
• Used 1 cup white rice
• Uses ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
• Used 1 cup whole milk
• Uses full fat canned soups: cream of chicken, cream of celery, & onion soup
• Uses 2 pounds chicken breast
• The casserole bakes for 2 ½ hours!!!
• Chef Daniel’s recipe
• Replaced white rice with long grain brown for fiber
• Eliminated butter
• Used only 1 tablespoon butter
• Eliminated milk
• Only used low-sodium chicken broth and not canned soup
• Cut amount of chicken breasts down to 1 pound
• Added fragrant lemon, garlic, and rosemary (all without fat or calories)
• Cooked in a pot on the stove for only 30 minutes
• Chef Jet’s recipe
• Used rice pilaf for added fiber
• Eliminated butter
• Used nonstick cooking spray and only 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Replaced whole milk with low fat and reduced to ¾ cup
• Used only 1 can of fat free cream of mushroom soup
• Reduced the chicken breast down to only 2 cups
• Added vegetables: green beans, mushrooms, onion, and pepper
• Topped with fried onions for a little crunch

The casserole bakes for only 20 minutes

Which version of the Chicken and Rice Casserole did you like – Chef Jet’s or Chef Daniel’s?

Picture, video and nutritional information courtesy of Everyday Health.