Skillet Pesto Chicken and Rice
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder or granulated garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons sea salt divided
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken pieces (breasts and/or thighs), patted dry and cut into 2-inch pieces (thighs can be cut in half or left whole if small)
- 3 Tablespoons unrefined oil of choice – olive or avocado
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 large fresh tomato diced or 1 cup of whole cherry tomatoes, or ¾ cup chopped jarred tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice Trader Joe's and Thrive Market organic white basmati rice are my favorites
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock vegetable stock or water*
- ¼ cup Italian green olives pitted
- 1 cup artichoke hearts or 2-in pieces of zucchini
- ⅔ cup pesto plus more for serving if desired
- Fresh basil large leaves torn by hand, for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the garlic powder, paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Add the chicken and toss to coat well. This can be done a day in advance, if desired.
- Make the pesto, if making from scratch. See recipe below. Blend ⅔ cups of pesto with 2 cups of water or stock until combined. Set aside.
- In a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces in one layer and brown on two sides, about 2-3 minutes each side. Do not cook through and do not brown too much. Transfer the chicken back to the bowl (it doesn’t matter that this had raw chicken in it since the chicken still has to be cooked again.)
- Add the onion to the pan and sauté until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and 1 teaspoon salt (be conservative if using a seasoned stock) and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan and raise the heat, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze and remove the bits stuck to the bottom. (If using cherry tomatoes, add with the next ingredients.)
- Add the rice, pesto water/stock, olives, and artichoke hearts and bring the liquid up to a boil. Arrange the chicken pieces on top. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Most of the liquid should have been absorbed. Test the rice for tenderness. If the water has been absorbed, but the rice is not perfectly done, keep it covered and off the heat for another 10 minutes.
- Garnish with herbs (if using) and serve immediately or allow the dish to sit off the heat, covered, for up to 20 minutes. Drizzle with extra pesto and fresh basil, if desired, and mix everything together before serving.
Notes
*If using unsalted stock or water, use 1 teaspoon salt in step 1 and 1 ½ teaspoons salt in step 3.
If you don't eat chicken, swap a pound (or so) of COOKED chickpeas or white beans. Start the recipe with sautéing the onion and add the spices with the garlic. Add the beans with the rice. Same cook time.
If you need more chicken, multiply chicken and spices times 1.5. Same cook time.
Do not use a skillet that is too large or the rice will not cook properly.
I have found that some white rice brands take longer to cook - like Whole Foods. You may need to cook for an extra five-ten minutes and allow to sit off the heat COVERED until the tenderness is perfect. You can also use quinoa. Reduce water by a little. BASIL-PARSLEY PESTO
Makes 2 cups ¼ cup raw walnuts
¼ cup raw pine nuts
1 ½ - 2 Tablespoons chopped garlic
2 ½ cups basil leaves, lightly packed
2 ½ cups flat-leaf parsley leaves, lightly packed
¾ teaspoon sea salt
couple of grinds of black pepper
1 cup unrefined, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
½ cup grated pecorino-romano or parmesan cheese** 1. Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until finely chopped.
2. Add the basil and parsley leaves, salt and pepper. Start the food processor and slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the parmesan cheese and puree until well blended. Pesto freezes beautifully. **To make a dairy-free/vegan version, eliminate the salt and cheese and substitute ¼ cup brown rice miso or other hearty miso or swap in your favorite vegan Parmesan OR vegan pesto. Taste for salt.
To make it nut free, use hemp seeds.
If you don't eat chicken, swap a pound (or so) of COOKED chickpeas or white beans. Start the recipe with sautéing the onion and add the spices with the garlic. Add the beans with the rice. Same cook time.
If you need more chicken, multiply chicken and spices times 1.5. Same cook time.
Do not use a skillet that is too large or the rice will not cook properly.
I have found that some white rice brands take longer to cook - like Whole Foods. You may need to cook for an extra five-ten minutes and allow to sit off the heat COVERED until the tenderness is perfect. You can also use quinoa. Reduce water by a little. BASIL-PARSLEY PESTO
Makes 2 cups ¼ cup raw walnuts
¼ cup raw pine nuts
1 ½ - 2 Tablespoons chopped garlic
2 ½ cups basil leaves, lightly packed
2 ½ cups flat-leaf parsley leaves, lightly packed
¾ teaspoon sea salt
couple of grinds of black pepper
1 cup unrefined, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
½ cup grated pecorino-romano or parmesan cheese** 1. Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until finely chopped.
2. Add the basil and parsley leaves, salt and pepper. Start the food processor and slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the parmesan cheese and puree until well blended. Pesto freezes beautifully. **To make a dairy-free/vegan version, eliminate the salt and cheese and substitute ¼ cup brown rice miso or other hearty miso or swap in your favorite vegan Parmesan OR vegan pesto. Taste for salt.
To make it nut free, use hemp seeds.