"Fractured Chicken"

I bet you are wondering why in the world this dish is called “Fractured Chicken”…

My mom has been making this dish for years, since my brother and I were younger. One evening, we received a call from my brother’s middle school soccer coach letting us know they were rushing my brother to the hospital; he had fallen and appeared to have injured his back. Turns out he fractured 2 vertebrae. My mom was in the middle of making this meal, and accidentally, in the chaos that ensued, left the meal in the oven while we dashed to meet my brother at the hospital. So, since that fateful day back in 1995, the dish has been called “Fractured Chicken.”

This meal is not fancy and really easy to prepare. I am not sure it is blog-worthy, but it is so darn tasty, so I had to share. I guess if I had to give this dish a title I would call it “Baked Stuffed Chicken Breast with Swiss Cheese and Cream of Broccoli.” Ugh, too long and sooo boring. I like “Fractured Chicken” much better.

Anyway, the dish combines chicken breast, cream of broccoli soup, Swiss cheese and stuffing and is a wonderfully comforting, creamy, and delicious weeknight meal!

1 can Cream of Broccoli soup
½ can milk (I use fat free)
4 slices Swiss cheese
2 large chicken breast (or, could be made to serve 4 with 4 smaller breasts)
2 cups Pepperidge Farm cubed herb seasoned stuffing

I began by mixing the cream of broccoli soup with ½ can of milk in a bowl. I poured a small amount of the soup mixture into the bottom of a baking dish, enough just to coat the bottom. I then seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and placed in the baking dish. I poured more of the soup mixture over the chicken, then added the Swiss cheese slices, followed by the remainder of the soup mixture. In a small bowl, I added the 2 cups of cubed stuffing, a small amount of water, and a dab of Smart Balance Trans-Free Light margarine. I microwaved for one minute to soften, then poured the stuffing mixture over the chicken in the baking dish. I placed in the oven at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

I served the chicken over brown rice, which I had cooked in chicken broth, and a side of broccoli. I poured some of the remaining liquid over the chicken and rice, and voila, dinnertime. This meal is SO EASY and perfect when you have a busy night of correcting 7th grade English homework ahead of you!