Creamy Smothered Chicken and Rice with Cheddar-Parmesan Sauce
By Emma Collins
Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
To make a four-person meal, make the rice and smothered chicken ahead of time. Serve individuals ready-to-eat meals or make the cooked rice and coated chicken with sauce for future meals. Serve this skillet dish of chicken in a cheese sauce with white long-grain rice.
Chicken breasts are seasoned with garlic, onion, and smoked paprika seasonings and cooked in olive oil. Rice is prepared in chicken broth. Milk and broth are cooked with butter and flour. Shredded cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and garlic powder and fresh thyme are added to the sauce for extra flavor and texture.
The chicken should turn golden brown during the initial cooking process. The flour ingredients should be lightly golden before adding other liquids. Whisk constantly when adding milk and broth to the pan to avoid lumps in the sauce. Some issues to avoid include not cooking the sauce long enough and not whisking constantly, both can lead to a lumpy sauce.
Serve the rice. Place portions of chicken and sauce over the rice. Sprinkle chopped parsley over servings. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container. Freeze leftovers in a freezer container or bag. Rewarm leftovers using oven, microwave, or stovetop methods described in the recipe.
Why this recipe works
- Four servings is a good number for batch cooking because the chicken and rice with sauce are prepared together and can be portioned after resting.
- Old refrigerator food can be kept in a container with a lid and reheated using various methods, as outlined in the article, such as the stove, microwave, and oven.
- Freezer storage is suitable for bulk storage because the source allows using freezer-safe storage containers or bags and says that products can be stored for up to two or three months in a freezer.
- Dividing rice is helpful when packing lunches because the rice is already cooked and can be eaten, and the chicken can be covered with sauce.
- A skillet can be used to brown and make sauces, saving time washing dishes if you are preparing several servings. Rice should be cooked in a medium saucepan.
- Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses are added to the thick sauce. Reheated leftovers will taste like the cheese in the original dish but less like the rice dish.
Ingredients
- •4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- •1 tsp garlic powder
- •1 tsp onion powder
- •1 tsp smoked paprika
- •salt (to taste)
- •black pepper (to taste)
- •2 tbsp olive oil
- •1 cup long-grain white rice
- •2 cups chicken broth (for the rice)
- •½ tsp salt (for the rice)
- •2 tbsp unsalted butter
- •2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- •1 ½ cups whole milk
- •½ cup chicken broth (for the sauce)
- •½ tsp garlic powder (for the sauce)
- •¼ tsp thyme
- •½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- •½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- •fresh parsley (chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
- 1
Season the chicken breasts with garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.
- 2
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- 3
Sear the chicken for 4–5 minutes on each side until golden brown.
- 4
Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- 5
Bring 2 cups chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- 6
Add the rice, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15–18 minutes or until tender.
- 7
Fluff the cooked rice with a fork and set aside.
- 8
Melt the butter over medium heat in the same skillet used for the chicken.
- 9
Whisk in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes until lightly golden.
- 10
Gradually add the milk and 1/2 cup chicken broth while whisking constantly.
- 11
Stir in the garlic powder, thyme, cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese.
- 12
Cook the sauce until thickened.
- 13
Return the chicken breasts to the skillet and spoon the creamy sauce over them.
- 14
Cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes until fully cooked.
- 15
Plate the cooked rice first, then top it with smothered chicken and sauce.
- 16
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
580
Protein
38g
Fat
29g
Carbs
48g
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