Chicken, Veggie & Rice Bowl

I found the recipe for the rice bowl on pinterest. It was called California chicken, veggie, avocado and rice bowl originally posted by Halfbakedharvet.com. The marinade is really good. I will use it in the future for chicken. It does have a bit of kick to it - not much though- just a bit. I drizzled some homemade pablano sauce over the top of my rice bowl - I will post the recipe later.

serves 4

for the marinade:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, or tenders, cubed
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic,minced or grated
1/2 tsp EACH - onion powder, black pepper, smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp roasted ground cumin ( my addition. I found it in the spice aisle and had to try it. yummy)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, or 1 Tbl dried
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, or 1 Tbl dried

Combine marinade ingredients in a large plastic zip lock bag. Shake to mix. Add chicken. Place in refrigerator and marinate while you cook your rice and veggies. ( I didn't use the parsley or basil I had neither dry nor fresh on hand) When ready to grill chicken, thread on skewers and grill over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, gently flipping a few times until chicken is cooked through and has light char marks.

for the rice:
1 1/2 cup jasmine or basmati rice
3 cups water

Add the water to a medium size pot. Bring to a low boil ( I added 1 tsp of chicken base) and then add the rice. Stir to combine and then place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat completely off and let the rice sit on the stove, covered, for another 20 minutes ( do NOT peek - you heard me! ) After 20 minutes remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork.

Grill any veggies you want. Grilled zucchini, red bell pepper, onions.

To assemble bowls: divide rice into 4 bowls, divide chicken and any grilled vegetables. Also can use fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh avocado, feta or blue cheese. Drizzle salsa or poblano sauce or cheddar cheese if you like.

Stacey's Arroz con Pollo

The rice has such depth of flavor!

• 8 chicken thighs, with skin & bone
• salt and pepper
• olive oil for the dutch oven
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 slices of smoked ham (or bacon), chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 generous pinch of crumbled saffron threads
• 1 tsp paprika (sweet paprika if you have it- I used regular)
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups of chopped canned tomatoes
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. In a heavy dutch oven heat olive oil and add your chicken. Brown on both sides for about 8 minutes, or until skin is getting crispy. Remove chicken from the pan with tongs and set aside. ( I did this in two batches)

Pour off all but 2 tbl. of the oil in the pan. Add your onions to the pan, smoked ham, garlic and red peppers. Saute a few minutes and add your saffron, cumin, a pinch of salt, and the paprika. Coat the onion mixture with the spices for a minute or two. Add the stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add rice to the pot and place the chicken thighs back in the pot on top of the rice. Simmer on low, partially covered for about 25-30 minutes. (I simmered for 40 due to the liquid not being absorbed enough yet). Scrape the brown bits on the bottom of the pan once or twice by moving a wooden spoon through the rice gently while simmering. Garnish with peas, fresh parsley and roasted red pepper strips if desired.

Chicken Baked Pork Chops

• 4 to 6 thick pork chops
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbl drippings, or oil
• 1 cup INSTANT rice
• 1 can (10 1/2 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup milk

Brown chops in hot oil. Place in oven proof pan, cover with rice, combine soup and milk, pour over rice, making sure all rice is moistened. Cover tightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.