It’s late. You just got home from a workout, and the family wants to know what is for dinner. Last night you finished up some leftovers, so you’ve got nothing. The less-health-conscious parent would call for pizza delivery and hit the shower. But not you! This one-skillet, quick-and-easy dish will have everyone eating and happy in under a half hour without exhausting you further.
Smoky Chicken and Rice Skillet http://www.readyseteat.com/recipes-Smoky-Chicken-and-Rice-Skillet-5197.html
- 1 lb chicken, diced
- 4-6 oz turkey smoked sausage, ½” slices
- ½ cup frozen chopped onion – big time saver!
- ½ cup frozen chopped bell pepper – I chopped ½ fresh pepper
- 2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
- 5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes w/ garlic
- 14 oz low-sodium chicken broth
Spray 12” skillet and heat over med-high. Add chicken, sausage, onion, and pepper. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 5-7 min or until mixture is of desired consistency. Makes 6 protein/carb servings. While this simmers, toss a baggie of frozen veggies in the microwave to steam for a simple, healthful veggie side.
I didn’t have fire roasted tomatoes with garlic so I just used a standard can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes and added some minced garlic from a jar. It’s easy to add extra spices and seasonings to a dish if you don’t have the exact canned ingredients – and likely save your family a lot of sodium. Feel free to halve the rice and broth too, to decrease the carbs.
Tips to get this and other recipes done even faster:
- Pre chop veggies like onions, carrots, celery, and bell pepper once a week so you have everything ready to go when needed.
- When you buy chicken breasts in bulk, trim the fat and immediately divvy them into smaller Ziploc baggies. Some can have one breast for times you may just cook for yourself or three-four breasts to feed a whole family or have lots of leftovers. I always make at least 2 small baggies of diced chicken for stir-fry and recipes like this. Freeze them until needed and pull out whichever type of baggie you need the night before or morning of.
Remember that we want to limit the use of turkey and chicken “products”. Be mindful of how much turkey smoked sausage you use and think of it as a flavor enhancer, not the bulk of a dish. The smaller you cut pieces of sausage, the more the smoky flavor can be disseminated without using as much. Feast smoky, feast fast, and as always…FEAST ON!!!
~Coach Lauren
