Sometimes it’s sooo nice to just cook dinner in one pot, don’t you think? I mean, maybe you happen to be one of those ultra-motivated and ambitious people that gets home late and just goes to town with the fancy pot twirling and stirring and boiling and frying and woking… but I’m just so not. And then there’s the issue with all those dishes… our dishwasher happens to be human, so having loads of dishes to do just doesn’t fly in the Heiner household.
Tell me you share my pain. You do? Oh good, I’m glad I’m not crazy. This is why I love this recipe, because everything cooks together in one pot (or skillet), and there’s no other pots to wash (yay, my sanity is preserved yet another day!).
Chop up a chicken breast into bite-size chunks. Heat oil in a big ‘ol pot (or skillet) over medium-high heat, then add chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink inside.
Here’s a tip with sautéing: Make sure your oil is nice and hot before you add the food to the pan. You want the food to make that crackly sound when you add it to the oil. This helps sear the food on the outside and keep it nice and juicy on the inside.
Once the chicken is done, scoop it into a little bowl (this one’s my polka-dotted ice cream bowl) and sprinkle some thyme and black pepper over it. Set this aside for later.
Chop up a one-lub package (and by lub and I mean lb.) of kielbasa into ½ inch rounds. Dice an onion and a green pepper and set aside. Oh, and if even the thought of chopping onions makes you cry, try out these onion goggles. I use them ALL the time, and they make the experience of chopping onions MUCH better!
Add your kielbasa rounds to the pot and fry them up for a few minutes over medium heat, until they start to brown a little. Add chopped onion and green pepper and some crushed garlic to the mix. Cook until the veggies are tender.
Then add your seasoned chicken back into the pot. Stir in your water, chicken bouillion, and tabasco. I know, tabasco can sound scary if you’re a spice-sissy like me, but I promise, this is just a hint of heat. If you have kids that you know won’t eat anything that resembles hot, you can just leave it out.
Bring to a boil, and then add a cup of uncooked Jasmine rice. I love that you don’t have to use a rice cooker here! Reduce heat, cover, & simmer until the rice is done (read on your rice package how long it says to cook for).
And now you can enjoy a meal untainted with the thought of piles of pots and pans to wash afterwards. Isn’t that lovely?
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. kielbasa
- ½ tsp. thyme
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2 T. olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 chicken breast
- 2 cups water
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- ½ tsp. Tabasco
- 1 cup uncooked Jasmine rice
Directions:
Chop chicken breast into bite-size pieces.
Dice onion and green pepper.
Chop kielbasa into ½ inch rounds.
Heat olive oil in a large pot or skillet over medium-high heat.
Once oil is hot, add chicken breast pieces and cook until cooked-through.
Remove cooked chicken and place into a bowl. Sprinkle with thyme and black pepper.
Add kielbasa rounds to the pot and cook over medium heat for a few minutes, until rounds are starting to brown slightly.
Add onion, green pepper, and crushed garlic in with the kielbasa and cook until vegetables are tender.
Once vegetables are tender, add back in the seasoned chicken, then add water, chicken bouillon, and Tabasco.
Bring to a boil, then add uncooked rice. Cover and simmer according to the instructions on the rice package, until rice is finished cooking.
