DELICIOUS MEALS MADE SIMPLY: ONE POT CHICKEN AND RICE

Do you ever look in your fridge and have so many random ingredients, that you don’t even know where to start from to make a meal? We all do! Whether it’s been one of those busy periods which has meant you haven’t had the time to do your food shopping, but need to put dinner on the table and you don’t want to buy takeaway for the 2^nd time or 3^rd time in a week?

We have all certainly been there and have had to quickly become creative in the Kitchen. So what do I do to make a quick meal in as little time as possible when only working with basics? I follow the steps below.

1: Check what you have in store to decide what you can make.

The first point of call is to check your fridge to see what you have left. Do you have onions? Do you have tomatoes, do you have garlic? Chicken or meat products? Are there some vegetables left? Are they still in date? Create a mental picture of what you have in the fridge. I usually bring everything out in the open before I plan on what I need to cook.

2 : Have a look in your cupboard.

What dry foods are left? Pasta? Spaghetti? Potato? Rice? Beans? Quinoa? etc. Same again, bring them out to the table so you can see the whole picture.

3: Make a simple plan on how to execute the simplest delicious meal with what you have.
When it comes to cooking a simple delicious meal, you need to have some basics, including garlic, onions, ginger (optional) some dry foods, simple spices or herbs, and olive oil/cooking oil. With the basics, the staples are easily made by being creative and having a simple plan of execution.

4: Making a simply delicious meal.

The basics include olive oil, chopped garlic, chopped onions, dry foods, and any meats or vegetables to make a delicious meal. Here is a simple recipe for a simple delicious chicken dish. The below is based on the basic items that I have made the best out of, by using what I have in my fridge and my cupboard.
What you will need for a simple chicken and rice recipe.

Prep time 5 mins, Total time 15mins, serves 4 people
Ingredients

1. Boneless chicken
2. Olive Oil
3. Paprika
4. Instant rice/brown or white
5. Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup (unsalted).
6. chopped garlic, chopped onions
7. Soy sauce
8. Vegetables
9. Rosemary
10. Sea salt

• Season the chicken with some soy sauce. 
• Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. 
• Add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes until browned on both sides. To avoid sticking ensure the pan and oil are hot before placing the chicken.
• Remove the chicken from the pan. Place in an empty container/dish.

• Decrease the heat on the pan and add your chopped garlic and chopped onions until browned.
• Add ½ a spoon of paprika and fat-free chicken soup, stirring until mixed well.
• Stir in the rice and Vegetables.  Reduce the heat to low. 
• Return the chicken.  Sprinkle the chicken with Rosemary. 
• Add the chicken to the pan with rice and vegetables. Mix well
• Add 1 or 2 cups of water
• Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is done and the rice is tender. 
• Season with extra sea salt if needed and taste before serving.