An experiment in living gluten free- with recipes!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Weekday Cooking - Easy Chicken and Rice Recipe

This gluten-free thing is getting easier. However, not less annoying. It has been 3 weeks and I don't feel a remarkable improvement. I haven't lost a damn pound, and I have been eating the most healthy I possibly can without being a rabbit or bored out of my frackin' mind.

A friend of mine on Facebook posted this recipe a while back that was originally from AllRecipes.com . I made several adjustments. I think the adjustments made the dish have more flavor and made the recipe gluten-free. For another variation, try adding wheat-free soy sauce to the broth.

Easy Chicken Thighs on Rice

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 C white rice
3 cups gluten-free chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped or sliced baby carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow or sweet onion
1/2 portabella mushroom cap, chopped, or several small mushrooms, chopped
1/2 - 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 -3 dashes of Tabasco(optional)
Cajun Seasoning to taste
black pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In 9 X 13in baking pan, combine rice, water, veggies, Italian seasoning, and Tabasco. Stir and make as even a layer in the bottom of the pan as possible. Season thighs with Cajun Seasoning and place on top of rice. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 15-20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. If thighs are not browned enough, broil for 3 minutes, taking care not to make the rice too crisp.

This serves 3-4, depending on the size of the thighs and how many children you are serving. I can easily feed all 5 of us and have some leftovers, since the kiddos are small. Leftover rice is delish the next day tossed with some wheat-free soy and cooked in the frying pan with a scrambled egg, and chopped leftover chicken.

There are several variations to this recipe- Mexican style would be to substitute cumin and chili powder for the Italian seasoning and Cajun Seasoning. Add a chopped tomato or some salsa to the rice before cooking.

Feel free to add your variations in the comments.