Creamy Chicken & Cranberry-Pecan Wild Rice

It's worth starting a blog just to share this recipe. I found it in the Kraft magazine from Fall 2007.

1 pkg. (180 g) long grain & wild rice side dish, prepared as directed on package

2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. each: dried thyme leaves and black pepper
6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1-1/2 lb./750 g)
2 Tbsp. oil

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted
6 green onions, sliced, divided

1 cup 25%-less-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup (3/4 of 250-g tub) Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread

Prepare packaged rice.

Mix flour, thyme and pepper; coat chicken with flour mixture. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 min. on each side or until cooked through (170ºF).

Stir cranberries, pecans and 1/3 cup of the onions into cooked rice; spoon onto serving platter. Remove chicken from skillet, reserving drippings in skillet. Place chicken over rice mixture; cover to keep warm.

Add broth to skillet; stir to break up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add cream cheese spread; cook 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is melted and sauce starts to thicken, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Spoon some of the sauce over chicken; sprinkle with remaining onions. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Notes:
I used two packages of rice and sauce, both no name brand (yellow package): Wild Rice & Fine Herbs and Mushroom. They were great together. I cooked the rice in a combination of the chicken stock and water. If I need to open a box of stock, I may as well use it up in one meal!

I didn't coat the chicken with flour. I pounded it flat, coated it with egg and then bread crumbs that had been seasoned with black pepper and dried thyme. I baked it in a baking sheet. It ended up being dry. I should have been more careful.

I fried a couple of little pieces of the coated chicken in a frying pan to get the little brown bits for the gravy. I mixed the chicken stock with 1 Tbsp corn starch to thicken it, then added the cream cheese.

I'm not sold on a white sauce made from cream cheese, although it did taste good mixed into the rice and on the chicken. It's totally bland and adds unnecessary calories, in my opinion.

I just went to the fridge to check, and two tablespoons of cream cheese and whipping cream (which I use when I make Mennonite cream gravy) are tied as far as calories (100) and fat grams (10) are concerned. The cream has 5 mg of sodium and the cream cheese has 100.