One Pot Meal: Chicken with Spinach & Rice
There was no naptime cooking yesterday. Instead there was naptime book launch work and naptime house work. Ah, well. You can’t win ’em all. In lieu of naptime cooking there was one-pot-meal-night. That is, a quick delicious dinner that I could make in one dish. It was an easy recipe that my mom had given me years ago to try and this week I finally got around to it. Here is the jist:
You stir up onion, rice, chicken broth, tomatoes and let it simmer. Then you add in spinach and chicken and warm it through. Then you sprinkle in some toasted pine nuts (optional), make sure there is enough salt, and serve it up. It is honest to goodness that easy. And, on top of being easy, it is soooo darn good. I like to think of it as a hot salad with rice and chicken. Because, really, you are eating leafy greens, tomatoes, a little rice, and lean protein. A weekday win-win all around.
This dish would also work well with leftover cooked turkey or cubed ham. Or, you can even put some pre-cooked shrimp on top.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cup uncooked basmati rice
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1 14-ounce can low sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 6-ounce package baby spinach, stems removed
- 2 cups cooked chicken cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet or heavy bottom sauce pan warm 1 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook it until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Then add the tomato, a large pinch of kosher salt, chicken broth, and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce it to a simmer and simmer with the lid one for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through.
- 2. Stir in the spinach and stir well until it is cooked and wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cooked chicken. Taste the dish for salt and pepper and add as needed. I added about ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper. Serve hot.
