Tag: one pot meal

Chicken and Arborio Rice Skillet

We know a couple things about me and my cooking – I like rice, I like chicken and I love a one pot / skillet meal! I love the simplicity of it (not to mention the easy clean up!).

This recipe uses just a few ingredients: chicken, arborio rice, onion, garlic and a few seasonings. I intended to also add in mushrooms, but – sadly – my mushrooms had started to go bad.

The first thing you’ll want to do is to spray your chicken breasts with avocado oil (you could use canola oil or other oil, if you like) and sprinkle on some salt, pepper and umami seasoning. These seasonings are in addition to what is mentioned in the recipe, below. You’ll just want to season to your liking.

In a hot pan (I used a large non-stick skillet, but a large cast iron pan would work too), add in your seasoned chicken breasts. Allow them to cook for 3-5 minutes, or until you get a good sear on the chicken – then flip the chicken breasts and sear the other side. Then, remove from the pan.

There may be some residual oil in the pan, but if not, spray in a little avocado oil and add in your onions. Cook for a few minutes, until the onion starts to soften.

Then add in your garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

To the onion and garlic, add in your arborio rice. Certainly, you can use another rice if you like – but, the arborio rice is so starchy and it makes the dish very creamy (without any cream added). If I were to use another rice, I would probably add a bit of cream, personally. Stir the rice around and let it toast a bit with the onions and garlic.

Then add in the chicken stock, salt, pepper and umami seasoning. You’ll want to bring it up to a boil, then reduce the heat.

Finally, add the chicken back into the skillet – cover and cook for approximately 35 minutes (or until your chicken is done – 165 degrees – and the rice has absorbed most of the stock).

This skillet dish is super creamy. It seems so decadent, even though you don’t add any cream to it!

Chicken and Arborio Rice Skillet

We ate this with some delicious brussel sprouts

2-4 Chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 onion, rough chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt (+ an extra dash for the chicken)
1 tsp pepper (+ an extra dash for the chicken)
1/2 tbsp Umami seasoning (+ and extra dash for the chicken)
Avocado oil spray

  • Chop onions, set aside
  • Spray chicken breasts with avocado oil
  • Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and umami seasoning
  • In a hot skillet, sear the chicken on both sides (about 3-5 minutes each side) and then remove from the pan
  • Add in onions and let them start to soften
  • Add in the garlic and let it cook
  • Add in the rice and stir to toast the rice a bit
  • Add in the chicken stock, salt, pepper and umami seasoning and mix through – let come to boil
  • Add the chicken breasts back into the pan
  • Cover and cook for 35 minutes (until your chicken is 165 degrees and rice has absorbed most of the liquid)
by Michelle

Cheeseburger Pie

This recipe is one that I’ve been cooking for years. Some might even say that it is my ‘signature’ dish. It’s good, comfort food! I can remember having something similar when I was a kid – over the years, I’ve tweaked it and adjusted it to our taste. It’s a layered casserole type dish that makes me so happy (it is PERFECT for leftovers – it just gets better!).

The dish is topped with mashed potatoes, so the first step is to dice up some potatoes and get them on to boil.

Then you will start making the base of the dish – the meat mixture. You’ll add your olive oil to a pan (or dutch oven) and heat it up – then, you add what all good dishes start with – garlic and onion! Cooking the onions until they are translucent.

Next, add the ground beef, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cook until the ground beef is fully cooked.

The next step is to add the tomato paste, tomatoes and green beans.

Once all of the ingredients for the base of the dish have been added – cook for 10-15 minutes, allowing all the flavors to mix. Reduce the temperature to low-medium heat for the 10-15 minutes.

While the meat mixture is cooking – make your mashed potatoes. I’m a very picky about mashed potatoes and I make mine the way I grew up eating them – with Duke’s mayonnaise as part of the mix. This may not be to your liking (but, if you’ve never tried it – you should!!) – so, just make the mashed potatoes that you’d normally make.

After both components (meat mixture and potatoes) are you complete – you’ll add the potatoes on top of the meat mixture and top with grated sharp cheddar cheese (you can certainly use pre-grated cheese, but it will not be a good as if you grate it yourself !)

Put the baking dish or dutch oven in the preheated oven and cook until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown – change the oven over to broil for the last couple minutes and you’ll have a beautifully browned top to your cheeseburger pie.

If you like, you can top it with fresh basil – but, this is definitely not necessary.

I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as I do – it is, without a doubt, one of my favorite things that I make! And, has always been something that people have loved for me to make!

Cheeseburger Pie

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 can french style green beans
1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 large can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
4 oz (1/2 small block) grated sharp cheddar cheese
Mashed Potatoes (my recipe below)

  • In pan (or dutch oven, if you want less to wash 🙂 ), warm up the olive oil
  • Add onion and garlic ad cook until onion is translucent
  • Add ground beef, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and cook until ground beef is fully cooked (if you use lean enough ground beef, there is no need to drain the meat, otherwise, drain out the excess oil before next step)
  • Add in tomato paste, tomatoes and green beans and combine – allow mixture to cook for 10-15 minutes
  • If you did the meat mixture in a pan, transfer to a large baking dish – other wise, you’ll use the dutch oven for the next step.
  • Top meat mixture with mashed potatoes and cheese
  • Put in 400% oven for 30 minutes (on the last couple minutes, turn oven to broil to help brown the top).

Mashed Potatoes
8-10 potatoes, diced
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
2 tbsp butter
salt to taste

  • Boil potatoes in salted water, until fork tender. Drain potatoes and return to pot
  • Add butter, milk and mayonnaise
  • Mash with masher to your desired consistency (I don’t like mine too smooth)
  • Salt to taste

by Michelle