Growing up in an Asian home was a delicious treat. We always had rice at mealtimes. Always. Every single meal included a side of rice. Some people remember having turkey every Thanksgiving; I remember having rice. When I went off to college, I seriously missed having rice available 24/7. As a newlywed, I prepared rice often for my husband. When my kids came along, it became harder to get home-cooked meals on the table in between school, extracurricular activities, and bedtime. For several years we resorted to fast food meals and take out; however, in 2013 we decided to make a concerted effort to cook at home. Every meal is prepared at home except for an occasional special meal out. You know how busy life can be; my family is sometimes lucky to get some canned tomato soup at mealtimes when we’re in a major rush.
Well, mother knows best. Like my mom, I’ve incorporated rice into our meal rotations. Whether we eat it steamed, fried, or as a mix-in, rice is an easy ingredient to include in our menu. For example, earlier this week I made Italian chicken and was in a pinch for a good side dish. I stole a few ingredients that were already in my fridge as part of another recipe and tossed them in with some quick-cook rice to make a super easy, delicious side dish. In fact, my kids ate most of the rice dish before I even plated it! This recipe is easy and convenient to double the recipe to suit your needs. If you don’t like the veggies I used, or if you have others on hand (fresh from your garden would be even better!) feel free to change it up.
Italian Chicken and Confetti Rice:
1 lb chicken tenders or boneless, skinless breasts
1 bottle Italian dressing (any brand)
honey, if desired for color
Minute® Ready to Serve Rice– I used the Jasmine rice
1/2 cup spinach leaves, washed and chopped
1/2 cup matchstick carrots
1 tsp of olive oil
Place chicken breasts or tenders in a baking dish. Pour 1 bottle of Italian dressing over the chicken. For a hint of sweetness and a pretty golden color, add a teaspoon of honey to the top of each piece of chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour, then broil for 5-10 minutes until golden brown.
Confetti Rice: In a small skillet, saute chopped spinach leaves and carrots in oil until soft. Remove film from one cup of Minute® Ready to Serve Rice. Cook in microwave for 1 minute; add to veggies. Stir well and serve with chicken. My daughter helped with the rice and said it was easy for her to prepare….she’s 8 years old. I love letting her help in the kitchen. I hope that it teaches her healthy eating habits and also to develop a love for veggies!
Be careful when you’re opening the rice package….I found a valuable coupon inside the packaging!
The rice was a gorgeous addition to the chicken. The bright colors just feel like springtime. The rice has a rich, nutty flavor that makes it really filling. What shortcuts do you use to make it simpler to #LoveEveryMinute of mealtime?
Minute® Ready to Serve Rice is an ideal portable solution for lunch or breakfast because you can eat it on the go, straight from the cup. In just 60 seconds, you have fully cooked rice for any meal or snack. You’ll never get bored with your lunch since there are 10 flavorful and wholesome varieties. If you’re looking for a healthy option, Minute® Ready to Serve Rice provides easy portion control since it’s conveniently packaged in two individual single-serve cups.
Visit http://www.minuterice.com/ for recipes, including Minute® Ready to Serve Stir it Up recipe ideas and more information about the Minute® Rice family of products.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Ready to Serve Rice.
I have actually used the brown, white and spanish ready rice and am a fan
sounds really dlicious…my husband always is saying we need to eat more rice…i agree!
I need to come to your house for dinner!
This looks like a yummy chicken recipe! We eat a lot of chicken and I am always looking for new recipes to try. Thanks!
i have used the brown rice a few times. i cant ever get brown rice to turn out right when i cook it myself so i cheat and use ‘already made’ rice. i like whipping up little batches of vegetable fried rice for myself using brown rice instead of white rice.
This sounds great, especially since my family loves rice of all kinds.
i like the idea of it i do not like rice though
I am originally from India and I LOVE rice. In fact, my favorite dish is lamb biryani. But I like all kinds of rice and recipes that use it(jambalaya, paella…). Rice is often a staple on our dinner table b/c I prefer it over bread. I make it different ways depending on my mood and the occasion. I use basmati rice.
This sounds so yummy and I love how it looks on the plate!
this sounds yummy! I luv all kinds of rice, I like experimenting with different varieties from Whole Foods – no favorite – luv them all!
We usually had rice at every meal growing up as well. The Italian Chicken and Confetti Rice sounds delicious, I can’t wait to give it a try. Thank you for sharing this recipe post.
I like the idea of having rice, because it is so good for you. I appreciate this great review on health.
I often don’t have rice because of the time it takes for it to cook. I haven’t tired these, but they sure look good, I want to have rice more often, I want to try!