Creamy Chicken and Rice with Mushrooms

It’s no surprise to those that know me, but once again my week has been crazy and busy. My only escapes come when I get to go for a nice run or when I get to spend few delicious minutes “playing” in my kitchen.

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of playing/baking (probably when I should be furthering my education) with my maple-walnut pull apart scones, chocolate peanut butter oat bars and chocolate chip cookies. I’ve also added a fun new page in the top tabs (beside recipe archives) called Wish List. It’s basically a list of all the things that I would love to put on this blog. Some of the items I’ve made before and would love to post here. Most, though, are brand new to my kitchen. I’m looking for a fun and exciting challenge, and I’d love to hear YOUR feedback on what you think I should make!

Anyway, enough about me. Your hungry, right?

I’ve been craving chicken and rice for several days. When I have a craving it must be satiated. Multiple times.

So, on Tuesday I made a chicken and rice soup.

And on Wednesday I made chicken and rice with mushrooms.

And on Thursday I made chicken and rice chocolate bars with caramel sauce…

I lied. They were actually chicken and rice peanut butter bars…

You know I was kidding right? I’m not that weird.

I’m going to bring it back to the chicken and rice with mushrooms. It’s way better than my unusual humor. I fell in love with this dish. It was insanely simple and delicious. I was amazed at how creamy it was with no cream or butter whatsoever. It had great flavor and was very warm and filling. I went back for seconds…

Okay, thirds. Don’t judge.

The chicken was sautéed in paprika, salt, and pepper.

That’s all. And it was tayyy-sty!

I sautéed the mushrooms and onions in the same pot as the chicken to pick up the yummy flavor bits.

The rice was then cooked in the same pot with the mushrooms and onions. It became infused with all the flavors in the pot. Yummmm.

I used jasmine rice for this recipe. Mainly because I needed to make it quickly since my incredibly understanding roommate and I were insanely hungry and I had been clicking on foodblogs for an hour forgotten to actually start dinner.

I was so happy with this dish. It definitely satisfied my craving. Healthy, fast, creamy, yummy, loveliness.

Make a bowl. Eat a brownie. Have another bowl.

Creamy Chicken and Rice with Mushrooms (inspired by Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 3/4 cup onion, diced
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 3/4 cup uncooked jasmine rice
• 1-1/2 cup hot water
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• Sprinkling of fresh or dried thyme, to taste (optional)

Methods

1. Sprinkle chicken with paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat a large non-stick skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and swirl to coat. Add chicken and cook until cooked through and no longer pink, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken from pan, set aside.
2. Return pan to medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil. Add onion and mushrooms along with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until slightly softened and a little brown, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in jasmine rice and 1-1/2 cups hot water. Bring to a boil. Cover, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 16-20 minutes, or until rice is tender.
3. Stir in chicken, peas, and thyme (if desired). Cover and cook over low to medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken and peas are hot. Serve immediately.