Scrumptious Saffron Rice and Chicken

This dish was an experiment, but a winner, putting my own twists on a classic saffron rice and chicken dish.  On first bite there is a bit of tang, and then the complexity of the flavors works there way around, and you keep eating…I’ve never made anything involving saffron rice before, but there was this lonely packet sitting there in our pantry for quite some time, and I though hmmm, saffron and chicken, this will be fun to work with.  And it was, about as much fun to eat!  If you double this recipe, I suggest using a stock pot, or 4-5 quart boiling pot so you aren’t dealing with a space/volume issue, as it was this worked wonderfully in my regular skillet, and there wasn’t a bite left over.

Makes 2 hungry person servings

Ingredients:

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast

2/3 C dry saffron rice (I used Mahatma brand)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 t garlic powder

1/4 C margarine

2/3 C sherry

3/4 C water

1 1/2 C chopped fresh tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1/4 t ground black pepper

1/3 C roasted red pepper, chopped

1 t capers

2 T olive oil, for sautéing

additional salt and pepper for seasoning chicken and after plating

 

 

Just before covering

Method:

• Cut the chicken breast into four equal sized pieces 
• In a large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil on med/high heat
• Sear all sides of the chicken, adding salt and ground pepper to season, until chicken browns lightly on all sides
• Set aside in bowl, lower heat on skillet to med/low
• Add additional 1 T olive oil to skillet, sauté onion for about 3 minutes
• Add garlic powder, rice and margarine
• Cook for 1 minute (this will smell really good)
• Add sherry and boil for 2 minutes
• Add water, tomatoes, bay leaf, ¼ t black pepper and mix together
• Once it is boiling once again, nestle chicken pieces into the rice
• Lower heat to very low and cover, let cook for about 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed by the rice
• Remove from heat, add capers and roasted red pepper
• Cover and let stand for another 10 minutes
• Plate, adding additional salt and black pepper if desired 

Serve and enjoy!!