Saturday night supper in St. Charles County
June 28, 2008
St. Charles County
Here is a quick, stove-top supper menu which won’t heat the house too much. This entire meal can feed a family for around $8.
Tip: Take advantage of those boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale at Schnucks this week for $2.39 a pound*.
Stove-top chicken with rice and carrots.
Prepare the chicken: Snip the boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Place them in a bowl near a large skillet on the stove. Toss the chicken in the bowl with some salt, pepper and garlic powder. (Wash your hands often when dealing with raw meat.)
Start some rice: The traditional way is to put one part rice to two parts water and a little salt in a saucepan. Heat until the mixture boils. Stir often. When it gets to boiling, turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and let cook for 20 minutes.
Start the carrots: Place some baby carrots in a microwave-safe bowl and fill the bowl halfway with water. Make sure the bowl is big enough for the water level to rise. Microwave for about 15 minutes, uncovered.
Sauté an onion: Slice an onion and sauté it in the large, heated skillet with a little oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. When done to your taste, remove the onions to a separate dish.
Cook the chicken: Turn the skillet heat to nearly high. The chicken should make some sizzle noises when placed in the pan, but not stick, burn or get gummy with too-hot of oil. The oil shouldn’t spatter out, either. That means the heat is too high. You may need to add a smidge more oil—just a drizzle, not like deep frying.
Drop the chicken pieces into the skillet just enough to cover the bottom. Don’t pile them on top of each other. Cover the skillet and turn the heat down to medium. Stir the chicken occasionally. The chicken is done when it is no longer pink and the juices run clear. The temperature should be at least 170 degrees when checked with a meat thermometer.
When the chicken is done, throw the onions back into the skillet to heat them again.
Finish the carrots: Drain the water from the carrots. Then add some butter and brown sugar to make a quick caramel sauce.
Plate it all up and serve.
*Check your local Schnucks to verify the price in your area.
Copyright 2008 Neighbors About Town