Crunchy Comfort Chicken

Comfort food doesn't have to be beige, bland and mushy. Spicy crackers and fresh red bell pepper give this traditional "chicken bake" a splash of color, along with plenty of flavor and crunch. It's sized for two servings so you can bake it in pretty gratin dishes or a small cake pan. To feed a crowd, double or triple the recipe and use a rectangular cake pan or baking dish instead.

Crunchy Comfort Chicken

1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken (about 8 ounces)
1/2 of a 14-ounce can of condensed cream of chicken soup ("healthy" type is OK)
1/4 cup sour cream (low-fat is OK)
10 to 15 spicy or flavored crackers (such as cracked-pepper Triscuits)
1/4 of a red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use some of the butter to grease 2 small gratin dishes, an 8-inch cake pan or a 1-quart baking dish. Scatter cooked chicken on the bottom of dish(es). In a bowl, combine condensed soup and sour cream; stir well and spoon over chicken. (Mixture will be thick.) Place crackers in a resealable plastic bag and finely crush with your hands or something heavy. Sprinkle over chicken. Melt remaining butter and pour over crackers. Top with bell-pepper strips. Bake until bubbly and peppers begin to char, about 20 minutes.

Makes 2 servings.

Approximate values per serving: 415 calories, 15 g fat, 84 mg cholesterol, 34 g protein, 37 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 788 mg sodium, 33 percent calories from fat.

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Crunchy Comfort Chicken