Five Ingredients Friday

Chicken and Rice
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
water or chicken broth
1 ½ cups rice
1 bag of frozen vegetables
chicken base

Pour enough water or broth in pot to cover chicken breasts, and bring to simmering boil. Add chicken breasts and cover pot. Reduce heat so that you do not have a rolling boil. Poach chicken until cooked through, usually about 20 minutes. Remove chicken, and cut or shred into bite-size pieces.

Pour leftover liquid into measuring cup. Strain the liquid, if necessary, as you pour. Add a little olive oil to your now empty pot and heat until oil is sizzling. Pour rice into pot and stir until rice is coated with oil and starting to turn opaque. Be very careful not to burn. You can also add a handful of chopped onions at this stage. Add water or broth to measuring cup to equal slightly less than 3 cups. Pour the liquid into pot. It should sizzle. If you use water, add approximately 1 tsp of chicken base per cup of water. If you want more flavor, you can add more or add it to broth, but do it carefully as it is very salty. When the liquid comes to a boil, add frozen vegetables and bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to lowest setting, and let cook until liquid is absorbed, approximately 20-25 minutes.

This is my comfort food. I “perfected” the recipe when I was single and would live for days off of this. I would swap out the type of meat and veggies and make this all the time. I especially liked the Bird’s Eye California blend in this. Fresh vegetables are even better. It’s a great way to use leftovers. I love to add a pat of butter to my serving. My husband thinks it’s okay, but too bland, so he adds hot sauce. You can also add more seasoning to the pot. I’ve added poultry seasoning, garlic & ginger, lots of other combinations. My favorite is still the original.

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