17 September 2009

Make It: Real Simple’s Baked Chicken and Rice

Oh, how I love Real Simple. The recipes I find in the magazine/on the website are always real (as in, realistic for busy people to make) and simple (as in, a streamlined list of ingredients that usually aren’t too obscure). Real Simple, I commend you on your accurate naming skills.

I picked this dish out to make for my boyfriend because his favorite dinner is basically chicken + rice + some vegetable (usually green beans). I’ve never made rice in the oven along with other things, but it came out beautifully. Sometimes, I find rice snooze-worthy, but this batch was super flavorful because it had been cooking with all the other yummy ingredients.

This is what the dish is supposed to look like:

To streamline this meal even more, I chose to roast my green beans in the oven during the last 15 minutes of cooking the chicken. Have I mentioned that I love roasting/baking things? I think so, just a few dozen times! I think most veggies taste great roasted, and green beans are no exception.

The prep time for this whole meal was about 15-20 minutes and then all I had to do was sit back and let the oven do its thang. One recipe note: I had to cook the chicken much longer than the 35 minutes suggested. Whether that has to do with the oven I was using or what, I don’t know, but it’s just something to keep in mind.

Another thumbs up for a Real Simple find!