Recipe Wednesday: Garlic-Lemon Cheesy Chicken 'n' Rice

I love to experiment in the kitchen and this recipe was born when I wanted recreate the flavors of a breaded, stuffed chicken dish into something less time-consuming and messy (I really hate handling raw chicken...). My family liked the result and I hope you will too!

Garlic-Lemon Cheesy Chicken 'n' Rice

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
2 cups cooked brown or white rice
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, crushed

Coupons:
Printable save $0.55/1 Pilgrim's Pride chicken
Printable save $5/5 Kraft cheese - this coupon can be used on Kraft Cheddar, Kraft grated Parmesan, and Philadelphia cream cheese; stack at Target with printable save $1/2 Kraft 7-8 oz. cheese (Target coupon) and printable save $0.50/2 Philadelphia cream cheese (Target coupon)
Printable save $0.50/1 Mahatma rice 
Save $1/2 Land O Lakes butter (10/24 SS)

Cut the chicken breasts into chunks, a little larger than bite-sized. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the chicken breasts, 1 clove garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, just until the chicken is fully cooked. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the cream cheese; stir until fully melted and smooth. Add the milk and mix until incorporated with the cream cheese. Gently stir in the Cheddar cheese and rice. Place this chicken/rice mixture into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and evenly sprinkle over the chicken/rice. Combine the butter, lemon juice, and crushed garlic. Carefully drizzle on top of the bread crumbs. Bake at 350 until the edges begin to bubble, about 30 minutes.