Tonight's dinner: chicken-spinach "casserole." That's right, a faux casserole. It's not baked, stewed, or cooked slowly. But like any traditional casserole, it's a good way to make a little chicken (and a lot of spinach) go a very long way. Because the chicken is from the roaster made earlier, this dish is made in the time it takes to cook the brown rice (about 45 minutes). And there's a bit of vodka thrown in too. I was tempted to freeze the leftovers but opted to relegate them to tomorrow's lunch instead.Still no word from the fine folks at Hellmann's.
Chicken-Spinach Faux Casserole
Serves 4 to 6
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1.5 cups water
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5 ounces baby spinach
1 small onion, chopped small
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 oz vodka
1/2 chicken breast (about 4.5 to 5 ounces)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons parmesean cheese
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine water, chicken stock, and brown rice. Cook over medium-low flame for 45 minutes, covered.
2. Meanwhile, cut chicken into small bite-sized pieces.
3. Meanwhile, saute spinach, garlic, and onion in olive oil until translucent (about 10 minutes).
4. Deglaze pan with shot of vodka.
5. Lower heat and add spinach.
6. Let the spinach cook down, then add chicken.
7. Cook on medium-low heat until chicken is warmed.
8. Add salt and pepper, season to taste.
9. Mix in parmesean cheese and serve.
Nutrition Information per Serving
Calories: ; Carbohydrates: ; Protein: ; Fat: ; Cals./g:
*Points:
2 comments:
What is and how do you "deglaze pan with shot of vodka"? Pls explain process.
According to "Bob," deglazing is usually the beginning of the sauce-making process. Why deglaze? Deglazing 1) stops the stuck-on food fragments at the bottom of the pan from browning any further (and burning); 2) adds another flavor to the dish (like vodka); and 3)gets the browned bits into the sauce-making process for added flavor. The process of deglazing is as follows: You can either remove the item (chicken, beef, fish, etc) you're cooking from the pan or leave it in. With the pan still on the heat (don't change the flame for this process), add approximately one shot of whatever deglazing liquid you're using (vodka, white wine, etc). [NOTE: You don't have to deglaze with alcohol. You can deglaze with juice or even water, but wine and brandy are very common and effective for this process.] After adding the shot of liquid, it will bubble up because of the heat, and the pan will cool slightly. At this point, you should scrape the bottom of the pan to get the browned bits up. That is the end of deglazing. You can proceed with your sauce-making from there.
Post a Comment