EPIC CHICKEN AND RICE DINNER
This quick and easy one pan dinner is my go-to whenever am super tired but need a satisfying and comforting meal. This dish is zesty, bold and super cozy!
Starting off with some pantry staples to make the dry rub for my chicken pieces, then sautéing everything with bacon because let’s face it life is better with bacon! Then on to simmering the rice with those same oils, juices and spices and voilà you’ve got yourself a flavorful, yet bold and quick meal
INGREDIENTS
SERVES 4
Dry Rub
2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
[cut into 1-inch pieces or bite size pieces to your liking]
2 Teaspoons of smoked or regular paprika powder
2 Teaspoon of curry powder
1 Teaspoon of black pepper [to liking]
1 ¼ Teaspoons of salt [to liking]
Rice + Veggie
5 Strips of uncooked bacon [medium slices or chop to liking]
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 Large carrot [peeled and diced]
1 Medium yellow, white or Spanish onion [small dice or chopped to liking]
1 Large yellow or red bell pepper [small dice or chopped to liking]
1 Cup of uncooked long grain white rice
2 Cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth [low sodium if using store bought]
2 Cups of water
2 Bay leaves
2 Teaspoons of dried oregano
2 Teaspoons of salt or to liking
1 Cup of frozen peas
1/3 Cup of fresh parsley [chopped]
What You’ll Need
Cutting Board
Knife
Paper Towel
Medium bowl
Large deep pan or large sauté pan preferably with a lid
Tongs
Spatula
Large fork
Dry Rub Preparation
In a medium bowl add in your bite size raw chicken pieces and pat dry with a paper towel until the chicken is dry. Add in your paprika, curry powder, freshly ground pepper and salt. Mix everything until the dry rub sticks to the chicken and everything is evenly seasoned.
Rice + Veggie Preparation
In a large deep pan or large sauté pan pour in your olive oil and turn your stovetop to a medium-high heat. Once the oil gets hot [not smokey] add in your seasoned chicken bites and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Once the chicken is seared, take it out of the pan and place it onto a plate for later use. In that same pan with all those leftover oils and juices add in your sliced or chopped bacon pieces and sauté until the bacon becomes a bit crisp; next add in your diced carrots, chopped onion and diced peppers and stir until all the flavors marry.
Next add in your uncooked rice and mix, just so we can get some of those flavors onto the grain. Pour in your broth or water and add in your seared chicken, bay leaves, dried oregano, salt and peas. Leaving your stove top temperature to a 7-8 setting this should be at a “medium-high heat” let the rice soak up all that liquid this should take about 8 minutes, most of the time the rice will make little volcanos holes above the rice layer and this will let you know if the rice is ready to steam, if not just wait the 7-8 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to a low-heat; in my stovetop this would be at a 2-3 heat range and mix everything once again. Pop the lid right on top of the pan and let everything steam and cook away for 15 -18 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
Lastly pop open the lid again and add in your chopped parsley; using a large fork [I prefer using a fork as this method fluffs up the rice] evenly mix your parsley with the rice and serve right way!
Notes
- If you don’t have a lid for your pan you can always use foil paper to cover the pan.
- Long grain “Jasmin” or “Basmati” rice work well with this recipe.
-You can substitute the bacon for 11 ounces of cooked “chorizo” sausage or “andouille” sausage [sliced into thin rounds]
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