Ever since the holidays, we have been battling one sickness after another. Add to that the fact that my husband has been away for several days at a time on trips, and it means that I have been seriously struggling to get a decent dinner on the table at all. I. just. don't. feel. like. cooking.
This recipe, however, is helping me get out of my cooking funk. It was so easy. So delicious. And so full of nutritious yumminess … I'm feeling new inspiration. The prep for the chicken here seriously consists of throwing three (count them, 3!) ingredients into a crockpot, letting it sit for hours until you're ready to cook up the rice, mix in just a couple more things to liven up the flavor, and then serve. I kid you not, it's pure brilliance on a plate!
The original inspiration for this recipe called for the meat to be served in whole pieces over white rice. My kids do better when the meat is shredded down, plus that opened up the chance to add in some veggies by mixing in onion and red peppers. To further simplify, I opted for a super simple method with the coconut rice, and just cooked the rice as usual in the rice cooker, then mixed in coconut milk and beans with the cooked rice. It gave great flavor to the rice, without adding any complexity to cooking it.
4 SERVINGS
PREP: 15 minutes COOK: 3-6 hours in the crockpot READY IN: 3 hours, 15 minutes
| SIMPLE | HEALTHY | YUM |
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INGREDIENTS
- 1 can lite coconut milk, divided
- 1/2 cup store-bought peanut sauce (Trader Joe's has a good spicy peanut vinaigrette or peanut satay sauce that both work well, but you should be able to find something similar in the Asian section of any market)
- 2-3 chicken breast pieces (about 3/4-1 pound total)
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can red (kidney) beans
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- diced green onions, cilantro, and peanuts for garnish
DIRECTIONS
- In a medium-sized crock pot, place the chicken topped with 1 cup coconut milk and 3/4 cup peanut sauce. Cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 3 hours.
- When the chicken is cooked and tender, remove from the crock pot and shred with a fork. Add back into the crock pot, along with the diced onion and red pepper. Let simmer until the rice is ready.
- About 45-60 minutes before eating, cook the brown rice with 2 cups water in a rice cooker or over the stove top. When the rice is cooked, add in the remaining coconut milk and beans, as well as the ginger, if desired. (Season with additional salt, if needed.)
- Serve the chicken over rice, topped with diced green onion, cilantro, and peanuts.
NUTRITION FACTS
Serving size: approx. 1 cup rice with 3/4 cup chicken 550 calories 12.5 g fat 61.8 g carbs 47.9 g protein 6.2 g sugar
Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats.
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