Chicken, broccoli and rice bake

Yesterday and today we got 8 to 9 inches of snow (yes on March 25!!) and so I wanted something warm and filling for dinner. We opted for Baked Cheddar-Broccoli Cups, which I modified a bit by adding chicken and cooking in a casserole dish rather than muffin cups.

Baked Cheddar-Broccoli Rice CupsAdapted from Daydream Kitchen

1 cup quick-cooking rice (like Minute Rice-use brown rice to keep it all-natural)
1 cup chicken stock
1 10-oz. box frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and excess water squeezed out
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup Homemade Ranch Dressing, or store bought
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Prepare rice as directed on package, substituting stock for water.  Place cooked rice in a large bowl and let cool slightly.  Add the remaining ingredients, using only 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, and stir until combined. Transfer mixture to eight well-greased muffin cups–I like to use an ice cream scoop–and top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.  Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until tops are lightly browned and edges are starting to get crispy. Instead of the muffin cups, I mixed everything and put in a greased casserole dish. For the chicken, I sauteed up chunks of chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper and added into the mixture before baking.