Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Tasty Tuesday: One Pot Cajun Chicken and Rice

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love one pot meals. My least favorite part of the cooking process is cleaning up, so the fewer dirty dishes I have at the end of the evening, the better.

Today's one pot meal is also super simple (I used a couple of previous recipes I've shared as inspiration to create a new dish, so it's clearly not something you need to be a master chef to make!) and quick enough to make on a weeknight.

 photo OnePotCajunChickenandRice_zpsqlsbdaw0.jpg

When I make meals with Cajun flavors (like this Creamy Cajun Pasta or this One Pot Turkey Kielbasa Dirty Rice), I always make my own Cajun spice blend. You can obviously buy a Cajun spice blend at the store to use, but I always have all of the spices I need on hand and it doesn't take that much effort to mix them in a small bowl.

I also like the fact that I can adjust the spices a bit. For this particular recipe, I decided to make it a little spicier by adding a little extra cayenne pepper and added some smokiness by using smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. The recipe below reflects these changes, but feel free to adjust the spices to your personal tastes (assuming you decide to make your own Cajun spice, of course).

One Pot Cajun Chicken and Rice

A Divulge and Indulge original recipe.

Ingredient List:
  • 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 large chicken breasts.)
  • 2 cups long grain white rice (I've tried making one pot meals with other types of rice, but I've found that long grain white rice is the only rice that consistently works well with these types of dishes.)
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with their juices
  • 1 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cloves garlic (or, if you're lazy like me, the equivalent of jarred, pre-minced garlic)
  • 2 tbsp butter (I used low fat margarine.)
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (You can also use regular paprika if you don't have smoked on hand, or if you're not a fan of that type of smoky flavor.)
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (This will give it quite a kick, so if you're not a fan of super spicy food, I'd recommend cutting back on the cayenne. I recommend using at least 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper in Cajun style dishes.)

Instructions:

1.  Whisk the smoked paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl. (If you're using a store bought Cajun seasoning blend, you can skip this step.)

2.  Heat the 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with the Cajun seasoning (leave approximately 1 tsp for later!) and drop into the skillet with the butter. Cook on both sides until lightly browned and mostly cooked through, then remove to a plate and set aside. (Please note: The chicken doesn't have to be completely cooked at this point. It will continue to cook when it's added back to the skillet later.)

3.  Add the diced green pepper and diced white onion to the skillet, cooking until the vegetables are just softened. (This should only take a few minutes.) 

4.  Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant.

5.  Add the rice, chicken broth, diced tomatoes with their juices, dark red kidney beans, tomato paste, and remaining 1 tsp Cajun seasoning to the skillet. Mix thoroughly and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.

6.  Cut the chicken breasts into smaller chunks and add the chicken to the boiling mixture in the skillet. 

7.  Give everything a good stir, cover, and turn the heat down to medium low. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated and the rice is thoroughly cooked. (You'll want to stir this occasionally to prevent sticking.)

And that's it! This recipe makes quite a bit, but I thought the leftovers were just as good.

1 comment:

  1. this looks so yum! good to know it makes a lot, leftovers for lunch. I am a fan of one pot meals as well, i don't mind cleaning up afterwards but we only have so many dishes and only the 2 of us, so the more i use for 1 meal, it means they won't be clean and available for the next meal (because we don't run the dishwasher as much) unless i hand wash it, and sometimes handwashing turns into 'frozen pizza' night haha. but this looks so yum!

    ReplyDelete