Chicken and Rice (Easy Pseudo-Paella)

I’ve been making lots of chicken stock and shredded chicken to have ready in the freezer, thanks to the organic 2-packs of whole chicken at Costco. So, I’ve been looking for easy chicken dinners that don’t involve dairy since the baby is not a fan (I miss cheese!). Here’s a one-dish meal I made last night that was reminiscent of paella, thanks to the saffron, but very easy. The key is to have good ingredients stocked!

Ingredients:

• 1 c. brown rice
• 2 c. chicken stock
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
• Pinch of saffron
• ~3 c. vegetables, diced (zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, carrots, corn, etc)
• ~1 c. cooked shredded chicken
• 1 T butter
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, saute onion, celery, and garlic in the olive oil until tender. Add rice, broth, thyme, and saffron. Simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.
2. In a large skillet, saute vegetables in butter, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add chicken to warm.
3. Add cooked rice to skillet with vegetables an mix. Season, and optionally, turn the heat up and don’t stir to create the socarrat, the crispy bottom.