I Like That: Chicken & Rice Recipe

Hello there! :)
I'm honored to have you here and am excited to be able to share some recipes, craft projects and ideas, thoughts on God's Word, and other things I like here with you!

I thought for my first post I would share a favorite recipe of mine that I like making for my family with you all. :)

Chicken & Rice

Ingredients:

Chicken
- 40 oz bag of chicken breast tenderloins
- 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons of Italian dressing & marinade
- 1 teaspoon of honey mustard dressing
- Salt & Pepper (optional; it may already be seasoned enough, you can judge for yourself)

Rice
- 4 cups of instant brown rice
- 2 tablespoons of chicken granulated bouillon
- 3 cups of warm water

Broccoli (optional)
- Two 2.6 oz bags of frozen broccoli florets
- A few shakes of salt
- 1 1/3 cups - 1 1/2 cups of water

Directions:
(With pictures, for your convenience and viewing pleasure :) )

First, defrost the chicken breast in the microwave.

If you leave your chicken in the bag to defrost, make sure the bag is opened some.

While the chicken defrosts, you can prepare your skillet for the chicken. I use a PRESTO® Foldaway electric skillet. Put the olive oil, Italian dressing & marinade, and honey mustard dressing in the pan and mix around, then spread the ingredients out evenly in the bottom of the skillet.

As you do this, you may have a younger sibling who will look over into the skillet and wrinkle their nose in disgust at how it looks, but don't worry, they won't think that for long.

When the chicken breasts are done defrosting, rinse them off with warm water and place them in the skillet. Turn the skillet on in between 200 and 250 degrees.

I like to rub the chicken around in the dressing in the pan to get all that good stuff on it. :) Also, if you'd like, you can sprikle a little salt and pepper over the chicken.

Then put the lid on and let it cook for 3 or 4 minutes, and then turn the chicken breasts over. Put the lid back on and leave it to cook for around 5 more minutes. It should be about done. If you find it cooking too much, you can always turn the temperature down.

I sometimes find it easier to use a fork to turn over the chicken than a spatula; Just make sure not to scratch the bottom of your pan.

Tip if you use a PRESTO® Foldaway electric skillet or another type of skillet with a pour spout/spoon rest: The lid doesn't come over this spout and leaves an opening for heat to escape even when the lid is on. To help this dilemma, you can improvise by putting a piece of tin foil over the hole to keep all the heat in when you need it to.

By now, your younger sibling is probably glancing over your shoulder asking repeatedly when supper will be ready. Don't worry, that's normal. You can tell them that it will probably be about 10-15 more minutes.

You can cut one of the chicken breasts open to make sure it's done. It should look all white with no pink in it. (Maybe that's obvious... maybe not in some restaurants. Oh wait, that's steak. ;) )

When the chicken is cooked through, leave the lid on and turn the teperature to warm while you go prepare the rice. (You can also make the rice while the chicken is cooking, too.)

Pour your instant brown rice, chicken granulated bouillon, and warm water into a dish. I cook it in the microwave for 5 minutes, take it out to stir, then put it back in the microwave for 3 1/2 more minutes. This may vary with different microwaves, though. If you have a microwave that tends to heat up quicker, try a cook time less than this and just keep your nose on the watch to make sure it doesn't cook up too much. You could also follow the microwave directions on the box, too, but sometimes they're not always accurate either.

When the rice is done, pour it into the skillet with the chicken and mix around.

Now, you could just leave your dish like this and let you and your family dig in, OR (despite your younger sibling's protests) you could hold back your hunger for just a few more minutes and add broccoli to it to give your chicken and rice dish a healthy and colorful touch.

If you so desire the latter, then take your two 2.6 oz bags of frozen broccoli florets and pour them into a dish and rinse off the broccoli with warm water a couple of times. Add 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom of the dish, sprinkle a little salt on top, and pop it into the microwave for about 5 minutes. (Again, the cook time may vary with different microwaves.)

I'm sure by now the delicious aroma from the kitchen has traveled to the rest of your family's noses, and you're having to barricade the kitchen doorway to keep them out, but never fear, 'tis almost done!

After the broccoli is cooked, just pour it into the skillet with the chicken and rice and mix it around. You can also serve the broccoli on the side and not mix it in with the chicken and rice if you'd rather.