I got this recipe from Tracy, and it’s one of the very first things I made on my own often. As a sophomore in high school, I would have won the state level A-OK Cookoff with this dish had I not been marked down because I didn’t properly contrast my plate with the color of the meal (I’ve improved my presentation since then, my dear Home Ec. teacher — it’s Family & Consumer Sciences now — at the time would be proud to know, God rest Deanne Pence’s soul). I had even learned how to make garnish roses out of tomato skin for the occasion, a skill I have since lost, but that’s okay because I think I was over-relying on those to get me through on the presentation category. I got the highest marks in taste though, which is always most important to me! The tomato is just the little bit of acidic kick this chicken needs to contrast with the creamy soup and the crunchy buttery topping.
It’s such a great comfort food dish that it’s the first thing I chose to cook for Barry when we were first dating. I don’t have a picture of that date, but here’s Valentine’s Day just a couple weeks earlier (yes, my hair was made for the 90s); now our 18th anniversary is just around the corner, and we’ve cooked more than a few meals for each other.
I make this dish year-round, but I like it best when I have fresh garden tomatoes from the farmer’s market. Now is the time to give it a try! ~Robin
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. of chicken breast
- 8 slices of American cheese (Kraft 2% slices)
- 2 10.5 cans of cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)
- 2 large tomatoes
- Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Dressing (Dry bag of breadcrumbs)
- 1 stick of salted butter
- White rice (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Beat dressing crumbs lightly before opening the bag to create fairly consistently sized crumbs. In a large microwave safe bowl, melt butter, then add the whole bag of crushed stuffing and stir to soak all crumbs with butter. Set aside.
Slice tomato as you would for a burger (or maybe a bit thicker) and set aside.
Trim fat from chicken and cut into chunks (about one inch cubes).
Place chicken evenly across the bottom of a 9×13” pan. Add salt and pepper.
Cover chicken with soup and salt lightly again. Then lay cheese over the top of the soup evenly across the pan. It will fit about 8 slices. On top of each piece of cheese, place a slice of tomato. Finally, spread dressing crumble over the top.
Bake for about one hour; keep a close eye on the topping. I usually have to cover the top of the dish with foil after about 15 or 20 minutes to keep it from getting overly browned.
This dish may be served over rice, but I prefer it on its own myself.
WW Info.: This serves 8 really generous portions at 14 points each. This is more of a point splurge than I normally do, but in my book it’s well worth saving some points. (Does not include optional rice.)