Creamy Chicken and Rice

Okay - so the cast of characters in this recipe is pretty large.  But, fear not!  This is actually a ONE POT MEAL!!!  One!!!

I love the idea of a one pot meal.  Less dishes, less fuss.  Everything working together to make a totally delicious dish.

*sigh*  This day I was totally on the ball.  Everything got chopped, diced, weighed, measured, portioned out, and lined up in order of addition before starting.

I love mise en place.  Even though I feel like it might make me look a little crazy.  It makes me feel like I have a little control in this nutty world we live in.

In a heavy pot or ceramic baking dish, start heating the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.  

Once hot, stir in the onions and carrots.

And the salt.

Once the onions and carrots are cooked and softened, add in the chicken thighs.

EVEN if you prefer chicken breast.  USE the chicken thighs.  Trust me on this one.

And some more salt.

And bay leaves and black pepper.

Cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is browned on all sides.

Crank up the heat and pour in a cup of white wine.  Cook down the wine until it's cooked off.

Add in the chicken broth ( make sure it's heated through before you add it to the pot).

And stir in the rice.  Cut the top off a whole bulb of garlic and place it cut-side down in the pot.  

You can kind of see it swimming around in there.

Put the lid on and cook over low heat until the rice is cooked through - about 15 minutes.

Remove the garlic bulb (you can just dispose of it, or squeeze the garlic out of the skins and into the pot - totally your call!).  Stir in 2 Tablespoons of butter until melted and combined.

Stir in fresh parsley,

and grated parmesan cheese until it's melted and creamy.

And serve.

This came out JUST LIKE risotto, but with like a tenth of the work involved.  Creamy and rich, the chicken was tender and full of flavour.

And so few dishes!!!  And it's relatively quick to make, so you could have it on a weeknight after a busy day without a lot of fuss.

I highly recommend this dish - it feels totally decadent, but won't break your waistline, and would probably be well received by your kiddos.

AND - it's impressive enough that you could serve it to company and they would think that you slaved over it!

xoxo - Heather

Creamy Chicken and Rice

1/4 cup olive oil

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 medium onion, diced

2 large carrots, grated

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1" pieces

2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 bay leaves

1 cup dry white wine

5 cups hot low sodium chicken broth

2 cups jasmine rice

1 head garlic

1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. In a heavy saucepan or ceramic baking dish, heat the olive oil and 2 Tablespoons butter over medium-high heat.
2. After the butter has melted, stir in the onion, carrots, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Cook until softened, about 8 - 10 minutes.
3. Add the chicken thighs, the bay leaves, the remaining salt, and the black pepper.  Cook until the chicken is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
4. Increase the heat to high and add the white wine.  Cook until the most of the wine has cooked off.
5. Stir in the hot chicken broth.  Then stir in the jasmine rice.
6. Cut the top off the garlic bulb and press the garlic cut-side down into the center of the rice.  Bring the mixture to a rolling boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the rice is fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
7. After the rice is cooked, remove the garlic (you may choose to press the garlic out of the skins into the pot or discard it). 
8. Stir in the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter until melted and well combined.
9. Stir in the parsley and parmesan cheese until the cheese is melted and the mixture is creamy.
10. Serve immediately.

Source: Natasha's Kitchen