Chicken with Red Rice and Spice
Serve with fruit salad
An easy one-dish menu

Chicken with Red Rice and Spice

Serves 4

Get ready for praise—this is a crowd-pleaser! Both sweet red and green peppers are an excellent source of Vitamin C, beta carotene, two antioxidants that are protective against heart disease.

1 cup brown rice
1 14-oz can low-sodium chicken broth, divided (1 cup, 1/3 cup)
1 cup water
½ cup tomato sauce (½ of an 8-oz can)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
12 ounces skinless boneless fryer chicken breast, bite-sized pieces
1 large green bell pepper, bite-sized pieces
1 large red bell pepper, bite-sized pieces
1½ teaspoons paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
black pepper to taste

1. Cook brown rice in 1 cup of the chicken broth, water, and tomato sauce for 40-45 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

2. While the rice is cooking, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent.

3. 3 Add chicken, bell peppers, paprika, cayenne pepper, and oregano to skillet. Add 1/3 cup chicken broth, cover pan, and cook 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

4. Stir in cooked rice, adding a little more chicken broth if the mixture seems dry. Adjust seasonings to taste.

5. Stir peas into chicken and rice and cook just until peas are heated through, about two minutes longer.

Per serving: 379 calories, 27 gm protein, 52 gm carbohydrate, 6 gm fat, 1 gm sat fat, 3 gm mono fat, 49 mg cholesterol, 7 gm fiber, 408 mg sodium

THE SEASONED COOK makes extra servings to have leftovers the next day and likes to serve with fruit salad, which is a refreshing contrast to the spicy chicken.