Parmesan Chicken and Rice Skillet with Peas
Comfort food. Family dinner. Done in about 30 minutes. I think that about says it all! A super easy meal perfect for any busy day. Nobody even complained about this meal (i.e. the picky three year old). I call that a super success.
Did I mention how it’s all in one skillet too?! Who does the dishes in your house? The cook? The eaters? Do you all take turns? This is probably another of those times I’m really going to suggest you use chicken thighs instead of breasts. Lot’s more flavor and they just don’t dry out.
Get them all nice and browned and seasoned, add some rice and peas and of course some cheese! You could up the veggies by adding carrots or mushrooms too!
Parmesan Chicken and Rice Skillet with Peas
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups instant brown rice
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup cream or milk
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in skillet over medium high to higher heat
- Chop chicken into large bite sized pieces and season chicken with thyme, salt and pepper
- Add chicken to skillet and sear for 6-8 minutes on each side or until cooked though and browned
- Add rice, peas and broth to pan and bring to simmer
- Cover and let cook for 5 minutes or until rice is tender (add a little more broth or water if needed)
- Add cream and heat through
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese
Is there any way to make this with long-cooking rice instead of instant?
It’s not ideal with this particular recipe but one way to make it work could be to par-boil the rice separately so that it’s close to being done and then drain and add it to the skillet as instructed with the instant rice.
For long cooked rice, just fix your rice the way you like it and simply add it to the skillet with the rest of the ingredients. Works for me…..
This recipe was good. It all hinged on the value of the taste of the cheese. You can use a similar cheese for the flavor you like, such as some varieties of Romano and other flavors like blue or roquefort. You might even add some salad dressing like a Ranch. But this one is simple and good.
Glad you enjoyed! I think blue cheese would be delicious!