:: Quick and Easy Chicken Recipe ::

I call this “stew” but it’s really not… it’s the story of how a very busy and stressful day ended with the blissful smile on my husband’s face.

I had taken chicken out and put it in the refrigerator the day before to thaw. Then, as many days do, we got caught up in far more than we signed up for! On our way home I secretly began to freak out – what was I going to do with that chicken that would come together as fast as I needed it to?

I remembered making venison stroganoff the week prior, the idea bombarded me to copy that recipe with the chicken, and I just dove in courageously which isn’t always characteristic of me. I used all the same steps with the chicken that I did with the stroganoff. First let me give you the list of ingredients for the dish I’m featuring here.

3 chicken breasts cut into large chunks

flour for dusting chicken and vegetables

1/2 onion cut up

5 carrots cut up

5 stalks of celery cut up

1/4 cup oil (I used olive oil, but any oil will be fine.)

seasonings (I used a no-salt seasoning from Costco and topped the dish with cracked black pepper)

1 regular sized can of any soup or sauce base (I used a white wine sauce made by Emeril.)

2 cups of uncooked long grain rice

Alright! Just to give you a visual, I rushed into the kitchen and put the rice in my rice cooker. The rice was taking the place of the egg noodles from our wonderful experience with venison stroganoff. I began cutting up the vegetables.

These vegetables were taking the place of the onions and mushrooms from the stroganoff. Once the vegetables are cut, toss chicken chunks in seasoning then dust with flour, tossing again. Brown in 1/2 the oil in a hot skillet. Remove chicken when it begins to brown. Set aside.

Heat vegetables in the other 1/2 of the oil, sautéing when they begin to get tender. Dust with flour. Add the chicken back in. Add the soup, or sauce (the stroganoff called for mushroom soup with milk; I decided to use a canned white wine sauce with the chicken and it was WONDERFUL. This recipe is very versatile and forgiving!)

Simmer 15 min until everything is tender. Serve over rice, top with fresh cracked pepper… and watch your family smile!