Chef notes
Nothing says comfort food quite like a family-style meal of chicken and rice. More importantly, nothing appeals to those of us who loathe doing the dishes more than an easy one-pot meal. Everything starts to sound more delicious when you know that cleanup is only going to take a few minutes.
This level of simplicity extends to the ingredient list too. The recipe calls for only eight ingredients (one of which is ready-to-cook wild rice, so does that even count?). Since there are so few ingredients, it’s important to build up as much flavor as you can during the cooking process. We use chicken breasts, but you could use chicken thighs, which are a fattier and more forgiving cut. Either way, sauté them in olive oil, flipping them once, until they develop a golden brown crust on each side. This will help lock in a lot of the chicken’s moisture and flavor.
To the same pan, stir in a mixture of hearty chicken broth, honey, dried thyme and whole-grain mustard. The classic honey-mustard combination coats all of the chicken and rice as it cooks, and it makes this dish even more comforting and satisfying. From there, snuggle the chicken breasts back into the pan, cover and simmer until they’re almost cooked through. The rice only takes another five minutes or so, and its nuttiness brings the whole dish together. Finish this dish by stripping the leaves from a few sprigs of thyme and sprinkling them over the top — a little goes a long way, but it’s always nice to add something fresh to a hearty dish.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 8.8-ounce packages instant rice
- fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Preparation
1.Heat the olive oil in a deep, 12-inch skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 5 minutes, without moving, until the chicken is golden brown. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more, until the chicken is opaque but not cooked all the way through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2.Add the broth, mustard, honey and dried thyme to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan and cook, flipping once, about 10 minutes more. Add the rice to the pan with the chicken, stirring it in to incorporate into the sauce.
3.Cover and cook for 5 minutes more, until the chicken is cooked through and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken breast reaches 165 F.
4.Garnish with fresh thyme or parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.
