There’s almost nothing better than cooking a great tasting meal and having only one pan to clean. Many tasty recipe ideas fitting that bill can be found in Cover & Bake.
Tonight, Renée and Ali had an errand to run so I had the kitchen to myself and an opportunity to cook dinner for the three of us. It’s a cold, snowy night here, so I was looking for something that would warm us all up. I settled on Skillet Chicken and Rice with Mushrooms and Green Beans.
This dish calls for split breast of chicken. A split breast is a breast quarter with the wing removed, but you could make it just as well with thighs or whole legs. You definitely need bone-in pieces or the flavors just won’t be there.
Here’s the rest of what you’ll need:
- 1/2 pound of fresh green beans
- 10 ounces of button mushrooms
- 1 medium onion or an equivalent amount of shallots
- 4 medium cloves of garlic
- 1 1/2 cups of long grain rice
- 3 1/2 cups of poultry stock
- 4 ounces of Havarti or Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup white wine
Begin by heating a couple tablespoons of oil over medium high heat in a 12 inch skillet. I used my Calphalon Everyday Pan (which I love, more about that in another post) and some good olive oil. While that heats up, cut the breasts crosswise. You may have to press a little to cut through the bone. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season liberally with salt and pepper. Carefully drop them in the pan skin side down and let them brown, about 4 minutes, then turn them over to brown the other side, another 3-4 minutes.
While the chicken is browning, remove the ends from the green beans and cut them in 2 inch pieces. Then brush clean and quarter the mushrooms. When the chicken is brown, remove it to a plate and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the liquid in the pan. Add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown. The salt will draw liquid from the mushrooms and onions which you can use to deglaze the pan.
Use homemade stock; it’s worth the time and the taste!
Then add the rice, uncooked, and stir until the edges begin to clarify. Next, add the wine and stock (I can’t overemphasize the difference homemade stock makes in a dish like this; you’ll appreciate the richness of flavor immediately) and mix well to further deglaze the pan and combine the liquids with the rice. Cover and bring this to a simmer, then add the chicken back and reduce the heat to low and let it continue to cook for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 160 degrees.
Remove the chicken to a plate once again and cover it to keep it warm as well as continue cooking with a little carry over. Add the green beans to the pan, again mixing well to combine with the rice. Cover and let it go about another 10 minutes, until the beans and rice are tender. The green beans won’t be bright green like they would normally be if you blanched them, but they’ll still turn out crisp and flavorful. Then add your shredded cheese, salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately! A great meal on a cold night, and all in one pan!
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