All-American Chicken-Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:

For zucchini mixture:
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup dry basmati rice
8 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced

For the Cheddar mixture:
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs, divided
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. hot sauce
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. EVOO
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.

Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add rice, cover, and reduce heat to low simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Combine zucchini, onion, water, and garlic in a large saucepan; cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat until zucchini is tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir together eggs, Cheddar, sour cream, milk, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, 1 tsp. salt, hot sauce, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a large bowl.

Add the cooked rice along with the zucchini mixture to the Cheddar mixture in the bowl. Spoon the combined mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet; saute until golden brown, 3-5 minutes on each side.

Arrange chicken on rice mixture in the baking dish. Combine remaining Parmesan and breadcrumbs - sprinkle over the chicken and rice in baking dish.

Bake casserole until bubbly, about 30 minutes. chicken is done with it reaches 165 degrees when tested with an instant read thermometer.