I like dinners that have to "simmer". I get to put everything in a pan and walk away. This recipe called for chicken thighs- which I love- but my husband won't eat chicken that has bones in it. I KNOW. So I used two leg quarters and a pack of chicken breasts. My big Good Housekeeping book (where this comes from) called for 14-16 oz can of tomatoes but I didn't want to save the extra so in went my entire 24 oz can. It was fine. I served this over white rice with a little basil added.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 chicken thighs
1 teaspoon salt
1 large onion
4 medium carrots
1 large celery stalk
1 14-16 oz can Italian style stewed tomatoes
Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken thighs, sprinkle with salt. Cook each side until golden brown. I always turn too early, I'm nervous it's going to burn. It's not going to burn. You'll see in the picture, it's barely browned. I had to turn everything back over.
While the chicken is browning, chop up the onion. Dice the carrots and celery.
Transfer the browned chicken to a plate. I used a paper plate so I wouldn't have to wash anything.
Dumb the vegetables in the skillet and cook until lightly browned. About 10 minutes. Then put the chicken back in the skillet.
Add the can of tomatoes. Bring it to a boil over high heat. (I stirred the vegetables around in the tomatoes at this point so they wouldn't be just on the bottom of the skillet.)
Cover, and turn heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, this is where I started the rice. Plain white rice is super easy. Directions were on the box, and I used vegan butter- Earth's Best is great is you're looking for a dairy free option. Rice takes 20 minutes to cook, so I had both pans on the stove for 20 minutes while I went and did something else. When the rice was done, I added dried basil and a pinch of salt for flavor.
Check chicken by piercing with a knife. Do the juices run clear? It's done. (Being paranoid, I slice up the chicken breast just to make sure.)
Plate by placing chicken over rice.
DID THEY EAT IT? ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Not a slam dunk, but pretty close. My 9 year old loved this, and his little 6 year old brother followed along. The Bigs (ages 16 and 14) gave it two thumbs up as well. Mr Picky, the 12 year old, poked at his plate and may have eaten a grain of rice. Not a fan. I may reserve plain chicken and plain rice for him next time. The hubs and I really liked this, and it was relatively easy. Will be adding to my dinner repertoire!
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