In my childhood home, this meal was known as Pork Chops and Rice. I believe I was told that my dad made this for my mom when they were first dating, but regardless, it was a regular meal in our household. I went through a phase as a kid where I didn’t like pork, and my mom adapted to use chicken instead. My kids also prefer chicken to pork, so that’s the way we make this as well. The meat really plays second fiddle to the rice, though, so it’s not that important what you use.

When my oldest son was diagnosed with a milk allergy, I initally removed this meal from my rotation. Allergy moms are resiliant, though, and as I learned more about safe substitutions and alternatives, I figured out how to make something very similar to the original completely dairy free. Now we know that my son is able to eat “baked milk”, so he can eat the original version (since it bakes longer and hotter than 350 degrees for 20 minutes), but for those who can’t, I’m obviously providing the dairy-free version as well!

This rice is my ultimate comfort food. Whenever I’m sick, or sad, or hungry, this usually sounds better to me than basically any other food. I’ve made a full 9×13 pan of just rice on many occasions. I had to grieve when it was temporarily off the table because it was something I genuinely wanted to share with my kids. It’s not something I make as often in the summer because I don’t like to have my oven on for an hour, but things have been kind of heavy lately, and we’re having a (relative) cold-snap, so this made the menu this week.

I think the basis of my love for this meal is how versatile, adaptable and simple this recipe is. There are only a few common ingredients, and it bakes a while, but is totally hands-off, so you don’t need to be attentive for more than a few minutes – I actually stuck it in the oven before going to pick my kids up yesterday. I’m not sure it’s even technically a recipe, since there are no true measurements, but it’s delicious, so let’s not get hung up on technicalities.

My Original Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cans Milk (we prefer Whole)
• 2 cans Minute Rice (brown or white will work)
• 1 to 2 lbs Chicken (breasts, thighs, or tenders) or Pork Chops

Directions

1. SPRAY A 9×13 PAN (this is an important step)
2. Mix the soup, milk, and rice with a spoon.
3. Top with meat or poultry and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes at 375.
5. Remove foil and bake 15-20 minutes longer until edges brown slightly and meat is cooked through.

Dairy-Free Version:

Ingredients

• 2 cans Beefy Mushroom Soup
• 1.5 cans Soymilk (the soup is thinner, so you need less other liquid)
• 2 cans Minute Rice (brown or white will work)
• 1 to 2 lbs Chicken (breasts, thighs, or tenders) or Pork Chops

Directions

Substitute ingredients above and follow The Original directions.

Other Substitutions

I noted in the directions, but I’ll note it again: Spraying the pan is IMPORTANT. I’ve made that mistake, and cleaning that pan SUCKS.

I already noted how you can switch up the meat. If you use chicken thighs, which we often do, you may want to use a little bit less milk because thighs usually add a little moisture from fat. You can use either boneless or bone-in meat. With bone-in, I usually increase the cooking time a bit to make sure it’s cooked thoroughly.

If you prefer other “Cream of” soups to Cream of Mushroom, you can definitely substitute. I went through a phase in college where I was convinced that one can each Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom was the perfect mix.

Serving Suggestions

I prefer to serve this with a green vegetable or a salad. This week we enjoyed a salad with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onion from a local produce farm. Something fresh compliments this meal well; my Brocolli Slaw Salad would be a complimentary option. Roasted veggies are also a good choice, especially in fall or winter.

The last great feature of this recipe is you can easily adjust the quantity. If you’re only cooking for two, or have a lot of other dishes for your meal, or want to make less for any other reason, this works great with one can of everything and the appropriate quantity of your choice of meat. I always used to use one can of soup and 1.5 cans of milk and rice with great results, too (when I was cooking for two and wanted a little leftover rice for lunch the next day).

Long story short – make this, however you want, and let me know what you think!