Quick, Easy, Healthy Meals from Scratch - Menu 4

I've had this menu started in my draft folder since I shared the other quick menus months ago. Since it's Thirsty Thursday, I thought I would finish it. hmmm... This might be great for dinner tonight!

For other quick meals, try the Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meal series. I like the format of her latest book, 2, 4, 6, 8: Great Meals for Crowds and Couples, the best of all her books. The recipes are great for big families too.

I love to watch her videos, but when I look at her original books, the recipes never seem to flow with the order she puts things together on the video. To me, order is the key to getting dinner on the table quickly or in Rachel's case, 30 minutes. This one adds more distinct order! The 2, 4, 6, 8 menus I've used so far integrate the various recipe steps in the instructions so they flow together like her video does. Check out Rachel's books at your local library.

This is another "fix it and walk away" meals that I love!

Janel's Easy Chicken Rice Skillet

Prep Time: less than 5 minutes
Cook Time: approximately 45 minutes
Serves: 6-10 depending on the size your "eaters"

In a large 12" skillet or frying pan with a lid, place in order: 3 cups of hot tap water, 1.5 cups of whole grain rice of your choice, 4 or 5 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts and two bags of frozen mixed vegetables of your choice. Season as desired. Cover and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes until the rice is fully cooked.

Tips and Tricks

If you use frozen chicken breasts, you can put all the ingredients in together. If you used thawed or fresh, you'll have to everything else in and let it cook about 15 minutes before you add the chicken.

You can substitute drumsticks or thighs for the boneless breasts. Just watch out for the bones! I keep an eye open for chicken breast on sale and stock up.

If you need more rice to feed your hungry brood, increase the water to 4 cups and add 2 cups of rice.

Different types of rice add different flavors. I generally use brown basmati or jasmine. Sometimes I sprinkle in a bit of wild rice for something different. But I only use whole grain rices in this recipe - not quick or minute or white rices.

Depending on how high you "low heat" is, you might have to adjust your setting. The "low heat" that came with the stove in this house it actually pretty high for my usual preference, but it's the perfect temperature for this recipe. You'll want the liquid to simmer at a fairly rapid pace, but don't let it boil too violently or you'll burn the rice.

If you need to add water during the cooking time, go ahead, but be sure to add hot water so you keep the temp in the pan hot and don't delay cooking time.

It's really great when served with homemade lemonade. :grin:

Enjoy!