Chicken and Spinach Risotto

It has been awhile since I've blogged.  I have reasons, most of them valid,  I swear.

1. We spent the last two weekends making the drive to Michigan, and I thoroughly enjoyed having other people cook for me.
2. I cooked a lot last week, and so when we returned from Michigan we had enough leftovers to get us through several meals.
3. I couldn't help myself, I had to make Pumpkin Chili again, which didn't leave me much to post about as I've already shared how completely awesome it is.
4. Apparently I've stocked up so many goodies (thank you big batch cooking!) in my freezer that it doesn't seal completely.  Not good.  Must work off what is in stock!

See?  Valid.

But I've been wanting to make this meal for several weeks now and as the last of the must-eat-now leftovers were depleted by the end of the week, it seemed like a perfect opportunity.  This recipe was donated by a friend after my failed Bacon and Spinach Bowties (I'm not linking back to that travesty.  Trust me, it is not worth it.) attempt earlier this month.  This recipe was much more successful, and I am so glad she shared!

Recipe:

1 T oil
1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
4 cups baby spinach
1 1/2 c minute rice uncooked; (I use brown minute rice)
1 c grape tomatoes
1 can (10 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1/2 c water
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
optional: add pine nuts

Heat oil in large deep nonstick skillet on medium heat.
Add chicken; cook & stir 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Add spinach, rice, tomatoes, broth, and water; mix well.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer 5 min, stirring occasionally.

Stir in Parmesan cheese.
Makes 4 servings

optional: Substitute 1/2 c dry white wine for 1/2 c of broth.  

Diva Notes: I cut the recipe in half because I really don't like reheated spinach.  It was the perfect size dinner for two.

I definitely went with the optional white wine substitution.  

And instead of grape tomatoes, I used the new variety Sunburst tomatoes because I had a double coupon deal for them last week.  Super tasty!  Great in salads.  Great to munch on.  Try them!  

Also, cutting chicken can be such a pain.  Slimy.  Wet.  Germy. Gross.  Please know that when I was a teenager and would help my mom in the kitchen, I did whatever was possible to avoid touching raw meat.  Including using plastic Ziploc bags as gloves.

Oh yes.  Picture that.  It's a little trick I learned in 9th grade biology because our teacher refused to allow us gloves for dissection, and neither of my lab partners would go near dead animals with a scalpel.  I didn't mind the cutting so much but I was not about to go to lunch after touching dead animal flesh soaked in formaldehyde without protection.

But I digress.  The point is, I have matured significantly in my attitude toward raw meat, but it's still not my favorite part of the cooking process.  I read on one blog or another that to make cutting chicken easier, leave it in the freezer for 30 minutes first.  Do this!  It really was a breeze, no Ziploc bag protection required.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 368
Total Fat: 12.7g
     Saturated Fat: 3.4 g
     Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.6 g
     Monounsaturated Fat: 6.5 g
Cholesterol: 76.9 mg
Sodium: 513.4 mg
Potassium: 667.4 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 27.4 g
     Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
     Sugars: 0.4 g
Protein: 34.7 g

Not only does this dish include super-healthy spinach, but it also contains tomatoes, which are good for you on their own, but did you know that for optimal absorption of iron into your body, you should consume something acidic at the same time?  And if I'm going to eat something like spinach just because it's super good for me, I darn sure want to get the most iron that I can out of it.  Ta-da!  Spinach + tomatoes = perfect combination!

Verdict:

As a recipe possibility to make spinach more palatable this was a victory.  Because guess what?  The spinach didn't taste like spinach.  It tasted like chicken!  Both the spinach and the rice took on the flavor of the broth in which they were cooked.  The tomatoes retained their own distinctive flavor for little bursts of sweetness throughout the meal.  And, bonus, this was quick and easy.  A meal that can go from stove top to table in 20-30 minutes is every dinner chef's best friend.  And in one pan no less!

I'm no fortune teller, but I see this making many reappearances on our dinner table in the future.