Chicken Rice Skillet 8/28/2011

Chicken-Rice Skillet (4 servings)

The Recipe:

1 tablesoon vegetable oil

1 ¼ lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups water

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 bag (1 lb) frozen broccoli, red peppers, onions and mushrooms (or other combination), thawed, drained

2 cups uncooked instant rice

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Cook chicken in oil 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in center.

      2. Add water and butter, heat to boiling.  Stir in vegetables, rice, salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with cheese; remove from heat.

      3. Cover and let stand about 5 minutes or until water is absorbed.

     For my first new cooking attempt, I wanted to try something relatively simple.  When I came across the recipe for the Chicken-Rice skillet, it looked simple enough.  Not to mention that it is filled with veggies and chicken, so it’s also reasonably healthy.  However, this particular recipe required me to overcome one of my big disgusts: raw chicken.  I don’t know what it is, but I hate the look and feel of raw meats.  But, in my own attempt to ‘grow,’ I decided to tempt fate and handle the raw meat.

     Overall, the experience of cleaning and cutting the chicken was not as bad as I had thought it would be.  I put on some music (Britney Spears Femme Fatale) and jammed out while I handled the meats.  Although it wasn’t as bad as I had thought, I was glad when it was over.  Luckily, I didn’t have to deal with any ‘extra’ chicken parts still attached, but I’m sure it will eventually happen. 

     The recipe was just as simple as I had thought it would be.  The entire thing took about 20 minutes to make, but I’m also a very slow cook.  The one thing that I was concerned about was the chicken being cooked through and the veggies being cooked.  However, chicken and veggies came out fine, probably from it being in the covered pan for 5 minutes.  Another thing that was different, was the type of rice I used.  While I used the instant rice, the brand that I had gotten came in a small bag in which the rice was cooked in.  So, the water in the pan was not completely absorbed because the rice was cooked in a different pot.  

     In general, I would say that my first ‘major’ cooking experience was a success.  The food itself was not the best meal I’ve ever had, and probably could have used a bit more flavor, considering my experience level, it was pretty good.