Southern-ish-style chicken and rice
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 to 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or 2 breasts), cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Boullion brand chicken base (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1⁄8 teaspoon MSG (optional)
- 1 1⁄2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1⁄2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional garnish)
Directions:
Add a tablespoon of butter to a large pot over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add diced onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until the onion starts to soften.
Remove all of the onion to a large bowl and add a teaspoon of butter to the pot. Add in just enough chicken pieces to cover the bottom of the pot but try not to crowd the pieces too close to each other. Cook for 3 minutes, flip each chicken piece, and cook for an additional 2 minutes, then remove the chicken pieces to the bowl with the onion. Cook the chicken in batches with a teaspoon of butter each time until all of the chicken pieces have cooked for about 5 minutes. The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point but it should have gotten a little bit of browning on the exterior.
Once all the chicken has been cooked a little and then moved to the bowl, add stock, Better Than Bullion, salt, pepper, MSG, and everything from the bowl with the onion and chicken in it, including any residual juices. Add the rice, stir everything in the pot together, and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, uncover the pot, add the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, and stir everything together. Add parsley if desired, stir, and serve.
Notes:
If you want to warm up a portion of this chicken and rice dish, you can do so in the microwave or in a small pot. Add just a splash of heavy cream, broth, or even water first, stir everything up, and the additional liquid will help keep the chicken and rice from drying out.