Rich had been in, ermmm, some distress.
For the better part of four days, he’d had little to eat but crackers and spent most of his remaining time knocked out in bed or not having all that great a time being up and in the bathroom. Now, fortunately, he was feeling better, and, hungry.
But what to serve after four days of intestinal distress?
Soup, it turns out, and chicken.
But NOT, necessarily chicken soup! As it happens, the web site we found was recommending white rice and creamy soups; hmmm, I was seeing a hot dish here.
I had some boneless, skinless thighs in the freezer (actually a little better for you, overall, than breasts – tell your doctor to look it up), a can of ‘shroom soup in the 
pantry, and a few ideas to add a little bit more flavor to the original Campbell’s recipe – hey – I was gonna have to eat this stuff too!
INGREDIENTS
•1 can condensed cream of ‘shroom soup
•1 cup water
•3/4 cup uncooked regular white rice
•1 jar (4oz) sliced pimientos, undrained
•1/2 tsp freeze-dried shallots
•1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika + more
•4 or 5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
•1/2 to 1 tsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Sauce
(or your favorite hot sauce)
•Freshly ground pepper
Heat the oven to t 375°.
Stir together the soup, water, rice, pimiento (with the liquid), freeze-dried shallots, paprika, and hot sauce and pour into the bottom of a 2 quart rectangular baker.
Top with the chicken thighs, pushing them down slightly into the rice mixture.
Sprinkle with additional paprika and some freshly ground pepper, then cover tightly and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let rest for ten minutes, then remove the chicken, give the rice a stir, and serve.
We had ours with haricots verts with garlic & lemon & Dijon, and everything was nicely flavored but not too spicy for Rich’s first real meal in days.
Next time, I’m thinkin’ mebbe adding some sweet vermouth, some fresh ‘shrooms, a bit of garlic…
It’s all good.