Feb 3, 2011

Pistachio Chicken with Coconut Rice


Now that I have got your attention with this delightful picture, FIRST I want to let everyone know...

tomorrow morning starts the first round of  this little contest


Thanks for putting up with sporadic posting this week, I spent most of my free time...which
wasn't much due to 2 snow days...working on my project for this round.
I finally finished it last night and had my photo shoot this morning with this Little Man


This photo is not of my final project, but I may or
may not have made that bowtie just for the photo shoot. Hehehe. Isn't it lovely?

So come back, have your friends come back, your friends of friends come back
tomorrow and the voting will begin on round 1.

Okay, back to Recipe Thursday.

Hubby brought this recipe to my attention awhile ago. At first I was skeptical because well it has peas, and I LOATHE peas. Yes I know that is a strong word, but believe me that is how strong my disregard is for the little suckers. Anywho, I ended up trusting him and thoroughly enjoying this meal.  The richness of the rice, the smell of this meal as it cooks. The YUMMY pistachios. Okay, I have gone on long enough.

This is one of those recipes that has a few extra steps. The good news is that it still comes together quickly. Oh and the GREAT news is that it is gloriously yummy. There are a couple of unique ingredients, so this is a meal you will have to prep for...that is unless you are far more culinary than I am.

Here is what ya need:

  • shopping list
  • 4 boneless, chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion , minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garam marsala (this is the tricky ingredient to find...The Mart will not have it)
  • 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 (13 1/2-ounce) can coconut milk 
  • 4 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup chopped pistachios, toasted
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

Pound each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap to a uniform 1/2-inch thickness. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat or a rectangular electric skillet, until just smoking. Carefully lay the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook until lightly browned on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garam masala, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and garlic and cook until fragrant (so fragrantly delicious), about 30 seconds.

Stir in the chicken broth and coconut milk, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle the chicken into the rice and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the thickest part of the chicken registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a clean plate, brushing any rice that sticks to the chicken back into the skillet, and tent the chicken loosely with foil to keep warm. Cover and continue to cook the rice over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 10 minutes.

By now your house smells absolutely D-vine.

Take the rice off the heat (or turn skillet off), sprinkle the peas over the rice, cover, and let warm through, about 2 minutes. Add the pistachios and cilantro and gently fold into the rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the chicken.

4 comments:

Red Couch Recipes said...

This does sounds devine with such yummy flavors such as coconut milk, pistachios, and cilantro -- well, I agree with you about the peas too. If they are frozen, they are OKAY. I haven't seen any Garam Marsala lurking around my cupboards -- that one might be hard to find. Best of luck on your competition! Joni

Michele said...

That sounds delicious, my kind of meal. I love coconut and cilantro. I have purchased garam masala at Walmart before, it wasn't hard to find for me. Hope others have better luck. Thanks for sharing!

Stockhoff Family said...

I really want to try this, I keep seeing recipies that take coconut milk so I am excited to try one that you have taste tested first. Good Luck!! P.S. My prayers ALL include "when and how can you bring Larissa and Spencer back West"-just sos ya know. I feel like I have been patient, hopefully my patience will be rewarded soon:)

Mel said...

Wow this sounds wonderful, I will definitely cook some this week! Just a note, garam masala is a blend of seasonings, it may be labeled as yellow curry powder :-) lol I'm one of those weird people who have all these ingredients on hand.

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