Skillet Chicken and Rice with Corn and Tomatoes

07

One of the hardest parts about going back to work after a second child (besides, of course, the inevitable difficulty of leaving your children for so long each day) is the evening routine. It’s HARD. Ours is compounded by the fact that our kids are at two different daycares/schools, so pick up takes even more time. If Tom gets both kids, I start dinner and then he finishes it up while I feed Ian. If we each pick up a kid, then I feed Ian, Tom starts dinner, and I finish it. Then there’s the whole eating thing, trying to get some time with the kids, and bedtime routines. I really have no idea how single parents do it. Hell, I don’t know how parents of more than 2 do it, either. As soon as the kids start outnumbering the parents, things must get exponentially more difficult.

At any rate, you can see why it’s important to have quick and easy meals during the week. Tom is pretty good about starting or finishing dinner but things have to be laid out really clearly. This meal is pretty easy and straightforward. Rice is par-cooked in the microwave to make sure the chicken doesn’t get dried out as the rice finishes cooking in the skillet. The chicken and rice are quickly finished off in one pan, leaving you about 10 minutes to play trains, make silly faces, or do dishes. Then, you stir in tomatoes and lime, making this bright and summery.

When I made this, sweet corn wasn’t really at its prime yet so I used frozen/thawed corn, which worked just fine (and obviously cut my time a little bit too).  I ended up just using 3 chicken breasts since that’s what we had, but I kept everything else the same. Mmm, extra carbs. I’d imagine brown rice would work here too, but would probably require more liquid and a longer time in the microwave to par-cook. I plan on trying that next time. I’m all about the one-pan meal these days.

 

Skillet Chicken and Rice with Corn and Tomatoes

  • 10 minutes
  • 30 minutes
  • 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup long-grain white rice
  • 2 cups chicken broth, divided
  • Salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 16-20 oz.)
  • 2 Tbsp. canola oil
  • 8 scallions, sliced, whites and greens separated
  • 3 ears corn, kernels removed from cobs or 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered or 1 pine grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 tsp. grated lime zest plus 1 Tbsp. juice

Directions

  1. Combine rice, 1 cup broth, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave until liquid is absorbed, 10-12 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder to taste. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; transfer to plate.
  3. Heat remaining oil in skillet. Cook scallion whites and corn until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  4. Stir rice and remaining broth into skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, nestle chicken into rice, and cook, covered, until liquid is absorbed and chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter. Stir tomatoes, lime zest, and lime juice into skillet with rice and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in scallion greens and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chicken.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen
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7 thoughts on “Skillet Chicken and Rice with Corn and Tomatoes

  1. I can’t even imagine having to juggle so many things at once! Kudos to you for even getting dinner on the table. And I love a one skillet meal like this also. Especially one that’s so pretty!

  2. I have 2 littles as well, and the mornings are what get me! I’ve come to realize that the whole getting two boys under 5 to get shoes on and out the door anywhere close to on-time is not my forte 😉 Dinner can be really hectic too, so I love seeing new one dish meals..can’t wait to try this one!

  3. Do you do dinner with Z or does he eat on his own? I feel all the more hectic because I’m trying to get everything ready so we can all eat together. I would imagine that would be even harder with 2.

    1. We do dinner with Z. Family dinners are really important to me. When he was younger (around 1) there were a couple months where we just ate after he went to bed since he was going down so early. But, we eventually got the hang of it (and he slowly started going to bed later). Ian is the chillest baby in the history of the world (at least currently) so he hasn’t made dinner time any more difficult – yet. 🙂

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