Brown Rice with Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom & Feta

Brown Rice with Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom & Feta

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups brown Basmati Rice

• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 lbs chicken breasts, cubed

• 1 9 oz. pack fresh spinach, chopped

• 8 oz. mushroom, 1/8" sliced

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 tbsp chopped thyme

• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

• salt and pepper to taste

• 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil

• 2/3 cup crumbled feta

1. In a large saucepan, place chicken/vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add rice and salt to taste; stir, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. At this point add the spinach to the rice without stirring it in. Let it sit at the top of the rice, the steam will wilt the spinach. Cook rice for an additional 15 minutes, or until all liquid has evaporated.

2. As rice cooks, heat 1 tablespoon oil on medium-high heat in a fry pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and half the thyme. Add to heated oil and cook stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Remove chicken from fry pan. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, cook onions for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, thyme and garlic to pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add salt to taste and red pepper flakes.

4. When rice is done, add cooked chicken and mushrooms to rice. Add crumbled feta and gently fold in.

5. Serve.

Serves: 4 to 6

Notes&Tips:

• This Brown Rice with Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom & Feta is a quick weeknight dinner. Serve with a salad of your choice. It's simple and delicious and the flavors meld well together.

• You can make this vegetarian by omitting the chicken. Or serve it as a side to roasted or grilled chicken. I have done it this way many times and no matter how you serve this rice up, it's always a hit.

• Any type of brown rice can be substituted for the Basmati rice. This way you have more whole grains in your diet. Also brown rice tends to keep the grains more individual than white rice.