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Lemon Chicken & Broccoli with Rice

January 8, 2012 By Kate 3 Comments

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Here in Michigan, Coney Island restaurants are a staple. You’ll find one in nearly every strip mall and it’s rare to drive more than a block or two on a main road without seeing at least one, at least in the Detroit-area. The restaurants serve Greek-American style food in addition to the ever popular Coney Dog.

One of my favorite things to get when we go to a Coney restaurant is Chicken Lemon Rice Soup. It’s a rich, flavorful, creamy soup that is so comforting. It’s one of those recipes I’ve thought about recreating countless times, but I always opt not to because I love it as a rare treat, and that’s how I want it to remain.

However, the flavor is definitely worth duplicating on a regular basis. So, when I’m craving the soup, I love to throw this quick replacement together instead. The flavor is very similar, although this dish is definitely much healthier and lighter without all the additional cream and the addition of broccoli. And best of all, it’s a one-dish meal, so it takes very little prep work or clean up. Sure, it’s not as easy as sitting down at a restaurant and being served a big, steamy bowl of soup, but this definitely fulfills my cravings without any of the guilt.

Lemon Chicken & Broccoli with Rice

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or cubes
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb. fresh broccoli, cut into florets*
  • 1 1/2 c. white rice
  • 1 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 t. thyme
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1 large lemon, juiced and zested
  • 2 c. chicken stock
  • 1 c. water
  • 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (or 1 T. dried parsley)
  • Freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook about 5 minutes, just until browned. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Stir in broccoli, rice, salt, thyme, pepper and lemon zest.

2. Pour in the lemon juice, chicken stock and water. Stir just to incorporate. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in parsley and season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

*Note: You can use frozen broccoli if you’d prefer. Just add it during the last 5 minutes of the simmering process instead of before boiling.

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Chicken Enchilada Chili

November 12, 2011 By Kate 6 Comments

Alex joined Cub Scouts this year and now on Wednesday nights, he has his pack and den meetings at 6:30, which is our usual dinner time. And it also just so happens that Wednesday night is the only weeknight when Eric isn’t at work. So, we’ve made every effort to continue a family meal on those nights even though it can get a little crazy around the house at that time.

To minimize the stress for all of us, I’ve been relying on crockpot meals or things that can simmer all day. Chili seems to be my top choice lately. But since we all like variety, I’ve been experimenting with some different kinds. This Chicken Enchilada Chili has definitely been our favorite so far. It’s spicy, but in a subtle way so that the kids enjoyed it just as much as the adults.

This is definitely an easy meal that is a little different from my norm since it relies on canned enchilada sauce. Although I make homemade red enchilada sauce, I’ve never attempted a homemade green sauce, partially because I always have a difficult time finding tomatillos. If you have a good homemade sauce recipe though, I’d definitely recommend using that! (And if you do have a good recipe, I’d love if you’d share it with us!)

Chicken Enchilada Chili

  • 1 T. oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 6 oz. can diced fire-roasted green chilies, not drained
  • 1 lb. chicken breasts
  • 4 c. chicken stock
  • 2 14 oz. cans green Enchilada sauce
  • 2 15 oz. cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1/3 c. diced cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • 2 T. corn meal
  • Additional garnish: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips

1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Stir in diced green chilies and liquid.

2. Add chicken to pot and pour in the stock, enchilada sauce and beans. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer at least 30-45 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked. (Or simmer all day, if you want.)

3. Remove chicken and shred or dice. Return to the pot along with the salt, pepper and 1/3 cup cilantro. Stir to combine then stir in cornmeal just until thickened.

4. Garnish individual bowls of chili with shredded cheese, sour cream and extra cilantro, as desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

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Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

September 25, 2011 By Kate 2 Comments

I am so not a photographer. I might play one here on this little blog, but considering I have to take a least twenty shots to find one I’m even remotely happy with, I’d say I most certainly fall into that amateur-wannabe category. And that’s okay. For the most, I’m fortunate enough to get some decent shots of most of my recipes.

Unfortunately, the one thing that I consistently have the hardest time photographing is soup. Considering I could live on soup, this is not a good thing. In fact, I’ve been holding off posting this delicious recipe because I’m just not happy with the photos of it. But in the end, the taste won out. So, here you go…a creamy, flavorful, fulfilling soup paired with a not-so-lovely image. Please look past that and just trust me on this one.

Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 T. butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. pepper
  • 1/2 t. paprika
  • 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 8 c. chicken stock
  • 1 c. rice
  • 3/4 c. milk or cream
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced
  • Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large stock pot. Add onion, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and red pepper and cook until mushrooms are browned. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.

2. Add chicken breasts and pour in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 45 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked. (This can simmer all day if you want.) Remove chicken and set aside.

3. Return soup to a boil and stir in rice. Remove heat and simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, shred or dice chicken.

4. After rice is cooked, stir chicken back into the pot. Add milk or cream and green onions. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

Note – If you want your soup a little thicker, combine 1 T. corn starch with 1/4 c. water . Bring the soup to a boil, stir in cornstarch mix and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

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