When I was a kid, my mom had this recipe book that she used to cook a few things out of. (This is a big deal because my mom is a self-proclaimed non-cook). The cookbook looked like it was used every day for years because it was falling apart and bound by a rubber band. One recipe she would make from time to time that we all liked was Chicken and Red Rice. Although, I don't know that we ever
really knew what that recipe tasted like because my mom was (is) a firm believer in "If we don't have it already in the fridge or cabinet, we don't need it" kind of recipe follower. I think it always tasted a little different every time she made it, which was fine because we all loved it anyway.
Flash forward to me when I first got married over ten years ago. I could kind of cook, but not really. I think the hubby and I lived off of the same 3 dishes until we got sick of seeing and eating them. So I went to my mom's house and tried to find really great recipes. They were scarce, but one I did steal was the Chicken and Red Rice recipe.
I make it at least once a month and it's just as good as it's always been. It's my ten-year-old's favorite dish. And today when I told my seven-year-old what I was making for dinner she jumped up and down, yelled yippee, and then had to go tell everyone else in the house. So yeah, it's good.
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| It can serve 6 if you don't want leftovers. |
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup butter
- Four Chicken Breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 can tomatoes, mashed up
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 400°
- Melt butter in a large baking dish while the oven heats
- In a small bowl, mix flour, salt, paprika, poultry seasoning, and pepper
- Dip chicken bites into flour mixture, coating well and place in baking dish with melted butter
- Bake chicken bites for 25-30 minutes until browned
- While the chicken is baking, mix all of the chopped veggies, crushed garlic, oregano, and rice in a container
- Then, in a small saucepan, boil your chicken broth and tomatoes
- Once the chicken is done baking, remove the pieces from the baking dish (just put them on a plate or something) and then pour your rice mixture into the baking dish, spreading it out so it evenly covers the bottom
- Put your chicken bites back in the dish on top of the rice mixture
- Pour your sauce pan of broth and tomatoes over the whole dish and put it back in the oven for 45 minutes.
Usually, while this is cooking, my hubby makes a big salad with all the works and I make a big pitcher of sweet tea. It's one of those meals where plates get so clean they don't look like they've even been eaten off of. That's what I call cooking success!
Enjoy!
