Chicken and Brown Rice Cakes

Makes approx. 12 to 15

Recipe from http://planningwithkids.com/kid-friendly-recipes/

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Here’s a budget-friendly recipe that you can make in advance for the family’s lunch boxes or even for a picnic.  The original recipe called for cooked white Jasmine rice, but I used brown Jasmine rice to make it more healthful.  Brown basmati or any long or short brown rice will work as well. This recipe seems quite forgiving.  I used a leftover chicken breast for this.  To make this even more budget-friendly, you can use a couple of chicken thighs.  To spice it up a bit, mix in a minced clove or garlic and/or some hot pepper cheese and/or hot sauce.  You could even add some barbecue sauce. I bet you could even replace the shredded carrot with some chopped cooked broccoli or chopped spinach. The original recipe said it yielded a dozen, but I was able to get 15 “cakes” out of this recipe. I would say 2 “cakes” make one serving.  Adding a crisp green salad and a piece of fruit would make this a great light lunch or dinner.

3 cups cooked brown jasmine, basmati, or long grain rice (about 1 cup uncooked)

1 cooked chicken breast or 2 chicken thighs (shredded)**

1 large carrot, shredded (1 cup)

3 spring onions stalks, sliced or ¼ cup shallots, minced

1⅓ cups grated mozzarella cheese

3 large eggs, beaten

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375° F.  Mix all the ingredients well in a large bowl.  Spray muffin trays with cooking spray and then spoon mixture into the trays. (To help with clean up and easy removal, use paper muffin liners and spray them with cooking spray.) Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops turn golden brown.

**Leftover chicken works just fine, but you could also cook a whole chicken or a package of chicken thighs in the slow cooker and set aside 2 cups of cooked chicken for this recipe.