"Chicken Rice Pilaf

By RoketJSquerl

This Chicken Rice Pilaf is a very simple dish to make, yet quite comforting and very versatile. It's a staple in my house because it uses simple, every day ingredients that we always have in our fridge or pantry.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 2 medium carrots chopped
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast skinless and boneless, diced
• 2 cups rice long grain, I used Basmati
• 5 cups chicken broth low sodium
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup peas frozen
• 2 tbsp parsley fresh, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated

Details

Adapted from jocooks.com

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions
Add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet or Dutch oven, and heat over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes until the onion softens and has become translucent.

Add the carrots and celery, season with half the salt and pepper, stir then cook for 3 more minutes, until the celery and carrots soften a bit.

Add the chopped chicken, season with remaining salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.

Add the rice, chicken broth and stir. Add the bay leaves and half and half; stir. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat to a simmer and cover the skillet or pot. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked.

Stir in the peas and cook for 2 more minutes or until the peas are cooked. Garnish with parsley and more pepper.

Serve warm sprinkled with Parmesan cheese if preferred.

Recipe Notes
Half and half can be found near the milk and cream in the dairy section of your local grocery store. Half and half is a blend of equal parts whole milk and light cream. It averages 10 to 12% of fat.

If you're not using half and half, just add another cup of chicken broth instead.

Chicken broth substitute: Replace the chicken broth with water and a chicken bouillon cube for extra flavor.