Tuesday, August 14, 2012

My Go-To Meal

This is it. When I'm in a time crunch and need something quick, or I'm taking a meal to someone in need, this is usually what I'm making. Sarah's chicken and rice. So easy. So delicious. And I'm telling you from experience, if you're making it for somebody else, you'd better make one for you too. With this dish's fabulous aroma filling your house, your family just might disown you.

So here's what you'll need:
  • Chicken, whatever you like. Sarah always used a cut up fryer, but my group prefers dark meat so on this occasion I used all drumsticks. I've made it with thighs or boneless, skinless breasts too.
  • 1 cup long grain rice (yes, this just regular white rice)
  • 1 packet onion soup mix (Lipton or whatever)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Beau Monde (this is a seasoning blend put out only by Spice Islands, but trust me when I say it makes this recipe)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 4 cups water
Place dry ingredients into a 9 x 13 baking dish.


Add water, then lay in chicken pieces. Now Sarah didn't skin her chicken and she always dipped each piece in melted butter before placing it in the pan. However, I'm trying to cut out fat wherever I can so I skin my chicken and instead of butter, I simply mist the tops of the chicken with a little bit of olive oil so they won't dry out.


Place in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Every taste bud in the house will tantalized while this is baking.


Perfect! Just add a green veggie and dinner's ready.

Warning: You may find your family fighting for the rice. It is SO good.

What's your go-to dish? The quick and easy that everybody loves.

18 comments:

  1. that sounds good! now I'm hungry! Does it taste salty with the onion soup mix?

    Susanna

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    Replies
    1. Susanna, I'd say well seasoned, but not salty. Maybe because there's no seasoning added to the meat. My husband is usually quick to point out if something is salty, but I've not heard him complain on this recipe.

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    2. thanks - I noticed it didnt' have the cream of soups which add a lot of salt. this one sounds better with just the chicken and rice!
      Susanna

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  2. Im not sure I dont have one Im not that good at cooking (baking I do better). But mum use to make tuna mornay and we would often take that to people who were sick etc. I know its easy to make but mum was one who gave me the recipe with no measurements.

    She always had cakes or pies in the freezer and use to make buns at least once a week and would give on of them away most times she cooked them. (rings of 8).

    I am sure the chicken is good but after getting food poisoning from chicken I haven't wanted to eat it since.

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  3. Jenny, I don't blame you for steering clear of chicken.

    Don't you just love those mom/grandmom recipes that don't have exact measurements? A dash of this, a pinch of that.... If I do that, I always try to write down a measurement so my kiddos won't go crazy when they try to replicate something.

    By the way, how are you feeling these days?

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    1. I am improving. I still tired easy. I have been doing gardening and half an hour tires me for. I am able to stay up a bit later at night and read for a bit. I think last night it was lights out at 9.30 so thats a change.
      Its now 6 and a half weeks. I now know it takes time to get over things. I have to say am getting tired of working out what to eat. Getting sick of red meat.

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    2. Sick of red meat? Oh, girl. I'd love to be on a diet of red meat. But I suppose it would get kind of boring.

      Glad you're improving. It does take time, but a little improvement is better than no improvement at all.

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  4. Mindy, I think I can smell that dish cooking from here!

    My children have always teased me about having a "pastor's first visit" recipe - it's a chicken burrito casserole. And they're right. Every time we have our new pastor and family over for the first time, I serve that casserole, and that's about the only time I serve it since it feeds a crowd.

    I'm going to have to change that, though. Neither we or our pastor intend to move on anytime soon, so we'll have to invite another family over so I can make it again.

    But that recipe doesn't travel too well, so I have a Salisbury Steak recipe I make to take to families with new babies, etc. I also found a recipe for mashed potatoes that does well to travel. The new dads really appreciate the meat and potatoes meal.

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    Replies
    1. Jan, can you cut that recipe in half?

      Yes, men love their meat and potatoes. You'll have to share that Salisbury Steak recipe one of these days.

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  5. Mindy, I love chicken and rice meals! I must try this one, because one-dish baking is my cup of tea!

    And beau monde... This is the best seasoning ever for so many things, but it is a must in classic dip for rye bread/rye boats. I always have beau monde on hand and one time (when I was working in the big grocery store bakery) a desperate call came over the loud speaker to have someone tell the manager what beau monde was because a customer needed it that night...

    I called him and told him and earned serious brownie points, LOL! The customer knew she needed it for the recipe but didn't know if it was a fruit, veggie, meat thingie....

    All she knew was beau monde...

    Mindy, thank you for this! And Jenny, I hear ya'. If it makes me sick I can't face it again for a long time. I haven't eaten linguine with clam sauce in decades...

    That's a memory I don't care to ever revisit, LOL!

    Hey, when it's too hot to turn the oven on, I can bake things like this outside in the big roaster oven I have.

    I love that thing, just plug it in, let it heat up, and it will hold a 13 X 9 pan wonderfully. It's great for baking foods (not so much cakes, etc) when the temperature skyrockets and you're sick of the grill.

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    Replies
    1. Ruthy, you are so right about Beau Monde being one of the best seasonings. That is too funny about the grocery story. But then, if someone hadn't told me it was a seasoning up front, I may have wondered too. It is definitely a pantry staple.

      Great idea about baking it in the roaster. Me, I just usually crank the AC down a notch or two. But then, when it's 100+ what's a degree or two? :-)

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    2. I wondered about Beau Monde when I first heard about it, too. And then couldn't find it. Anywhere.

      So I Googled it and found a recipe for the spice blend - but since I didn't have all the spices on hand, I'm sure my mixture doesn't do it justice.

      Amazon carries it, so when I run out of my homemade, I'll have to order some from them and compare!

      (Amazon is a life-saver for those of us living off the beaten path...)

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    3. Ooo, I might have tolook up the spice blend too. In case of emergencies:-)

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  6. Yum!! I have chicken laying out to thaw right now! But no Beau Monde. Hmm... May have to google it like Jan did a while back. :)

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    Replies
    1. check the spice islands brand in the store - my walmart has had it ..got it once to make a chicken salad(never made it LOL!) but I remember looking everywhere but only that one brand had it.
      Susanna

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    2. Yes, Beau Monde is exclusive to Spice Islands. Missy, I'm going to look for that recipe myself.

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    3. Found it! Allrecipes.com:
      http://allrecipes.com/recipe/almost-beau-monde-seasoning/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=beau%20monde&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page


      Ingredients

      1 tablespoon ground cloves
      1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
      1 tablespoon salt
      1 tablespoon ground bay leaf
      1 tablespoon ground allspice
      2 tablespoons ground black pepper
      1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
      1 teaspoon ground mace
      1 teaspoon celery seed
      2 tablespoons ground white pepper

      Directions

      In a small mixing bowl. Sift together the clove, cinnamon, salt, bay leaf, allspice, pepper, nutmeg, mace, celery seed and white pepper; mix well and store in a tightly closed jar.

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    4. I wonder how it compares????

      (Says Ruthy as she pats the top of her little beau monde jar fondly... One jar lasts her a couple of years because it's not a blend Yanks use in everything... Unlike some grilling blends that I overuse daily.)

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