French Onion Chicken and Rice Bake is made with simple shortcuts to have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. 

I hope that you all had a great weekend!  We did some Halloween themed goody making Friday, which will be on the blog this Friday, and on Sunday afternoon Kelsie helped me cook this tasty twist on the classic chicken and rice casserole, French Onion Chicken and Rice Bake.

I love having my girls in the kitchen with me! I have so many fond memories helping my mother and grandmother.  One of the fondest is helping my mother make biscuits from scratch.

Of course I also can't forget shelling beans with my grandmother and great-grandmother on the back porch. I want my girls to have wonderful memories like that, so I try to incorporate them as much as possible. 

Small things like baking cookies, to dinner time and beyond. We are not only making precious memories that they can one day share with their own kids, they are learning.

From all the time that Kayla spent in the kitchen with me, she shares in my love for cooking. She is currently in her 3rd year of culinary classes at school. She comes home with cheesecakes and pies, that she has made, all the time.  

Not only can you make fond memories in the kitchen for your kids, they can learn math and science! Why not share all that wonderful knowledge with your kids, just by cooking?!

With all this talk about my girls helping me in the kitchen, did you know that October 15th is International Cook with Your Kids Day?! What a great day to bring them into the kitchen to cook with you! I started my girls off very young helping me.

Small kids can help measure and pour ingredients. Older ones are able to read the ingredients and directions. Some are even able to play chef, and you can be their sous chef!

That's what we do a lot of in our kitchen now. If I'm not in a hurry to get something cooked, I am Kelsie's sous chef. She loves it!

Let's get to this recipe! It's so simple to make, since we used some shortcuts; we had dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.

Short cuts in the kitchen to have dinner on the table fast:

• Using a rotisserie chicken for recipes that calls for cooked chicken
• Pre cooked rice! It's literally ready for you, pop into the microwave for 90 seconds; it's good to go. I use pre cooked rice in casserole dishes like this one, stir fry's, and just to heat and serve as a side dish.

With this French Onion Chicken and Rice Bake, I played the sous chef. Kelsie has helped me make this dish a dozen times, and practically has the recipe memorized.

How do you make French Onion Chicken and Rice Bake?

1. Mix together sour cream, minced dried onions, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, parsley in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
3. In a large bowl: rice, sour cream mixture, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, shredded cheese, and chicken. Stir to combine.
4. Pour into the prepared baking dish, and top with the French fried onions.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

In less than 30 minutes, you've got this amazingly tasty French Onion Chicken and Rice Bake!

Here are more quick fix family favorites:

• 30 Minute Creamy Chicken and Broccoli
• Korean Ground Beef
• Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes