After the holidays we’ve been having issues eating properly around the homestead due to work fatigue and everyone’s busy schedules. My stomach can only take so much emergency food, though finally we have managed to get somewhat back on track for prepping actual meals. The above is what I made for dinner last night. I took a chicken breast, cut it up and cooked it in caramelized onions and garlic, then added them to some rice cooked in butter and oil and homemade chicken broth with peas and carrots. I also have a salad with Russian dressing on the side with a little touch of chipotle, so it’s more of a Mexi-Russiantalian meal. I got the idea to make this meal from a Russian cookbook that I picked up years ago as part of Time Life’s Foods Of The World Series, and was inspired by a Lamb Pilaf recipe. But I don’t care much for lamb, so opted for chicken instead. The recipe also called for raw carrot and onion, but I opted for caramelized onions, carrots and peas for added flavor and color. For additional flavor I threw in some Italian influence by cooking the grains in butter and oil first, the rice is jasmine, giving it a little boost of flavor and overall aromatic goodness, and much more welcoming to my stomach.
It was either going to be this or panko crusted chicken breasts with fries, but we’ve had too much potato substance recently and needed a severe break (something I’d never thought I would say). Tonight we’re going to have pizza, it’s cold outside and it’s definitely a good night to either bake or get baked.