Life, with Clotted Cream
An ordinary life with a dusting of luxury.
The Ultimate Comfort Food: Baked Chicken Fingers and Rice
I went to Nursery between the ages of 3-6 and I still remember how every Friday was baked fish finger and rice day. I loved it. So much so that I have tried for many years to recreate the recipe until, one day, I found the original magazine clipping in my grandmother’s recipe book.
Ok, so I can sense that you are now somewhat confused… The title says “Baked Chicken Fingers and Rice” and here I’m banging on about “Fish Fingers and Rice”! Truth of the matter is, about 6 years ago I developed this serious allergy to fish and shellfish and I thought my days of Baked Fish Fingers and Rice was well and truly over. I mean, two of my most favourite comfort dishes consist of fish!
Also read: Chicken Pasta bake with Cream of Tomato Soup.
I had to improvise and alter the recipes to cater to my new dietary requirements. It turns out that Bird’s Eye Chicken Fingers was perfect for this dish. It has the same size and look of a fish finger without the let’s-kill-her-off-elements that is so typical of your conventional, bog-standard fish finger…
The Recipe
| 1 large | Onion, chopped |
| 1 tablespoon | Butter, unsalted |
| 2 ml | Curry powder, mild |
| 1/2 cup | Cheddar cheese, grated |
| 1.5 cups | Fairly thick bechamel sauce |
| 2 cups | Long grain rice, cooked |
| 1 | Lemon, juiced |
| 500 g | Chicken/fish fingers |
| 2 | Large tomatoes, sliced |
| Pinch | Paprika |
The Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
- Grease a fairly large pie dish.
- Sauté the onion in the butter until soft and translucent.
- Add the curry powder and fry for a couple of minutes more.
- Mix the béchamel sauce with the onions and cheese.
- Spoon the rice into the bottom of the dish and arrange the chicken fingers on top in a single layer.
- Sprinkle the lemon juice over the meat and pour over the béchamel sauce.
- Arrange the sliced tomatoes over the top of the dish and sprinkle over some paprika.
- Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes and bake until golden, bubbly and cooked through.
- Serve with a side salad and fresh buttered bread.
If you’re not sure how to make a great béchamel sauce, see my recipe for a tasty buttermilk béchamel sauce here: Buttermilk Lasagna
Life, with Clotted Cream 
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I was looking for dinner recipes for this week and this looks perfect for summer!
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Let me know how it turned out 🙂
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