Creamy Smothered Chicken and Rice
A comforting and delicious one-skillet meal featuring tender chicken breasts in a rich, creamy sauce served over fluffy rice. This recipe is quick, easy, and perfect for weeknight dinners.
Equipment
- Skillet large, or Dutch oven
- Plate
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts similar size for even cooking
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 0.5 teaspoon parsley fresh or dried
- 1 cup frozen peas do not thaw
- 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup rice your favorite kind
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle them all over with your salt, pepper, and paprika. Give them a good coating!
- Grab a nice big skillet or a Dutch oven. Heat your olive oil over medium-high heat. You want it nice and hot, but not smoking.
- Carefully place your seasoned chicken breasts into the hot skillet. Let them sear for about 3-4 minutes per side, until they’re beautifully golden brown. Don't overcrowd the pan; if you need to do this in batches, that's totally okay! Once they're seared, take them out and set them aside on a plate for a moment.
- See all those lovely browned bits left in the pan? That's flavor, my friends! Toss your chopped onion into the same skillet. Sauté them for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften up and look a little translucent.
- Next, add your minced garlic. Stir it around and cook for just 1 minute more until it smells wonderfully fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
- Time to deglaze! Pour in the chicken broth. Use your spoon to scrape up all those tasty browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. This adds so much depth to our sauce.
- Stir in your dried thyme and parsley.
- Now, nestle those seared chicken breasts back into the skillet. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, then turn the heat down to low, pop a lid on, and let it cook for 15-20 minutes. You want the chicken to be cooked through and tender. While your chicken is doing its thing, go ahead and start cooking your rice according to the package directions.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, carefully remove it from the skillet and place it back on that plate you used earlier.
- Now for the truly decadent part: pour in that glorious heavy cream! Bring it to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. Let it cook for a few minutes until the sauce starts to thicken up slightly.
- Stir in your frozen peas. They'll only need about 2-3 minutes to heat through.
- Finally, gently return the chicken breasts to the skillet. Nestle them down into that creamy, dreamy sauce.
- Serve this amazing Creamy Smothered Chicken and Peas spooned generously over your freshly cooked rice. Dinner is served!
Notes
For best results, don't skip searing the chicken and scraping up the browned bits from the pan. Cook chicken on low and covered to keep it tender. Prep ingredients ahead of time for a quicker cook. Ensure rice is ready when chicken and sauce are done.