Quick Lemon Chicken with Rice

This meal is so easy to make and very satisfying. You can throw this together after a long day at work and have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. 

(Photo from Women's Health Magazine)

Quick Lemon Chicken with Rice

Adapted from: Women's Health Magazine

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
• 2 tbsp black olives, sliced
• 2 cups quick cooking white rice

And Action:

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink and the juices run clear. During the last few minutes of cooking, add the garlic and onion.

When the chicken is done, stir in the carrot, lemon zest, broth, parsley, olives, and rice. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Nutritional Facts per serving

CALORIES

375.8 CAL

FAT

5.8 G

SATURATED FAT

0.9 G

CHOLESTEROL

65.8 MG

SODIUM

592.8 MG

CARBOHYDRATES

45.9 G

TOTAL SUGARS

1.8 G

DIETARY FIBER

2.4 G

PROTEIN

31.3 G

Spring Chicken with Leeks and Peas Served with Lemon Rice

"Feel free to make this dish in all four seasons. I just call it 'Spring Chicken' because it tastes light and crisp, like spring air, and because 'Spring Chicken' sounds more appetizing than 'Leeky Chicken,' which was what I called an earlier version of the recipe." - A side note from Rachael Ray's cookbook. 

Omit the chicken and you've got a quick and easy meal to put together for "Meatless Monday". The rice is refreshing with the lemon peel stirred in and is then topped with the chicken, leeks, and peas with white wine. The white wine and veggies with the lemon rice is what really stands out in this meal. The chicken is bland and adds nothing more than a lean protein to this meal. I think that shrimp would do much better in this dish.

This dish came together in less than 30 minutes making it an ideal meal for a weeknight. The prep time and clean up was just as quick.

The dish is light and well balanced with reasonable taste. Chicken tends to be our go-to protein of choice in our household since it tends to be lighter on our grocery budget. Whichever way you choose to make this: meatless, with chicken, or shrimp this will not disappoint.

Spring Chicken with Leeks and Peas Served with Lemon Rice

Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

Makes 4 Servings



Stars of the Show:

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup white rice
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 to 2 lb chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 medium leeks, trimmed of tough tops and roots, slice in half lengthwise then into half moons - Be sure to rinse the leeks well since dirt and grit gets in between the layers.
• 1/2 cup dry white wine - You may also substitute chicken broth is you don't have the wine on hand. I recommend the wine though since I feel this gave the dish an incredible amount of flavor.
• 10 oz frozen peas
• salt and black pepper
• handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped - I used dried parsley.

And Action:

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a small pot. Stir in the rice, lemon zest, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 17-18 minutes or until tender.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil and the butter. Once the butter melts into the oil add the chicken to the pan and saute until lightly golden on both sides for about 4 minutes.

Cook the leeks with the chicken until they wilt down, 3 minutes. Add the white wine to the pan and scrape up any pan drippings. Add the peas and heat through, another minute or two. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the lemon juice over the chicken and leeks.

Fluff the rice with a fork. Add the parsley and toss the rice to combine.

Pile the chicken and leeks on dinner plates and top with a small mound of lemon rice. Rachael Ray suggested using an ice cream scoop to serve the rice which is a novel idea but when you've got a hungry guy and toddler ready to eat presentation normally goes by the wayside.

This recipe was a great alternative to the standard sauteing of chicken in olive oil for a quick protein for dinner. Another "Stir The Pot" item on the list gets to be marked off, number six, chicken. Although not anywhere as good as the Chicken Francese with Wilted Spinach it was delicious enough to fit the bill. 2 items down 22 to go!

Don't forget about the Culinary Smackdown Battle! Check it out to link your recipe and for a chance to win a prize! Best of luck!

Cajun Grilled Fish Fillet Quesadilla with Spanish Rice

When it comes to convenience it's no surprise that even I turn to frozen foods to help put dinner on the table in a hurry. Gorton's has a large selection of seafood products to choose from and their website has an even larger selection of recipes to make. After hosting a giveaway from their company they were kind enough to pass along a handful of coupons to me for free product. I already loved their products beforehand and now I have even more reasons to love.

Because of these coupons I have been able to try out products, risk free (cost wise), and have found some new items I enjoy that I wouldn't have thought to purchase before such as these All Natural Cajun Grilled Blackened Fillets.

Mr. Sideline Chef had come home after a long days work and thinking we had enough leftovers to make a meal realized I was wrong. Thankfully I had planned out some meals for a couple of days and had the ingredients on hand to make this recipe.

Cajun Grilled Fish Fillet Quesadilla with Spanish Rice

Gorton's

Makes 4 Servings



Stars of the Show:

• 4 Gorton's All Natural Cajun Grilled Blackened Fillets
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup unprepared instant white rice
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 soft tacos

And Action:

Prepare the All Natural Cajun Grilled Blackened Fillets according to the package directions.

While those are cooking, bring the water and salsa to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the white rice, cover and remove from the heat for 5 minutes. *Note: I didn't follow this step exactly. I didn't have instant rice so I brought 2 cups of water and the salsa to a boil, added the rice, and then covered and simmered for the 15 minutes while the fish cooked.



The Cajun fillets on their own were delicious but took this meal over the top!

Lay 2 tortillas on a baking sheet and lay 2 fish fillets on each tortilla. Smash the fillet down and spread it to the edges of the tortilla. Top each with 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

Broil until the cheese is melted. Top each half with the other tortilla and cut into wedges. Serve immediately with the Spanish rice. Optional: Serve with some guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.

On a side note: Please check out Smart Girl Reviews to enter a giveaway for Nordic Ware The Great Cookie Book Giveaway! Tell her Pretend Chef sent you! Thank you in advance for doing so.

Ginger White Rice

Really this recipe was nothing outstanding. No photos even. Imagine a bowl of brown rice. I came across the recipe while browsing the Internet and thought it would be perfect for continuing on with eating up the contents in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. The end result was just like eating straight white rice. Both the ginger and soy sauce taste nonexistent and I had to add more after scooping the rice into my bowl.

There is plenty of leftover rice so the game plan for another night will be making a chicken stir fry out of it and adding more of those Asian flavors that I love and lots of egg! My stir fried rice can never have too much egg in it. Hoping to salvage what I have so I don't have to eat another side of blandness.

As for the Ginger White Rice making an appearance in this house again it doesn't look promising.

Ginger White Rice

MyRecipes.com and Real Simple, March 2001

Makes 4 servings

Stars of the Show (It's a long stretch.):

• 1 1/2 cups white rice
• 1 tbsp peeled, grated or minced ginger - I used ground ginger.
• 2 tsp soy sauce

And Action (Obviously the ingredients forgot how to get along together.):

Place the rice in a large pot and add the ginger, soy sauce, and 2 1/2 cup water. Over high heat bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover and cook for 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

The original recipe suggests serving this with Salmon with Black Bean Sauce and I am sure that is where the flavor really comes from and the rice is there to soak up the sauce rather than being the "it" dish.