Healthy From Scratch Gluten-Free Chicken and Rice
I need something cozy and filling for dinner tonight and this Healthy From Scratch Gluten-Free Chicken and Rice Recipe fits the bill.
It’s an easy recipe! You just use simple ingredients in one pan for a complete meal.
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Is Chicken and Rice Healthy
I’ve always been a from-scratch cook and eat pretty healthy but I’ve recently stepped up my game by giving up gluten and dairy.
It only took one week off of gluten for my back and knee pain to disappear. This may not be the case for everyone but it seemed to help inflammation for me.
However, in general, chicken is a great low-calorie protein, and rice (especially brown rice) is a healthy, easy dinner choice.
What Can I Add to the Recipe?
As you know, “Handy” is a picky eater. That being said, you can add just about anything to this recipe.
- Broccoli florets
- Zucchini
- Cheddar Cheese
- Peas
- Green beans
- Bell Peppers
- Herbs
- Rice – You can use long grain white rice instead of brown rice
Gluten-Free
Being Gluten-Free is a must for people who have celiac disease. Other people just don’t handle gluten well and feel better when they eliminate it from their diet.
Gluten is a mixture of proteins that are found in wheat and all of its species and hybrids such as spelt, Kamut, and triticale, as well as barley, rye, and oats.
Gluten-Free Chicken & Rice
Equipment
- large skillet
- sharp knife
- Cutting Board
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 2 tbsps grapeseed oil (divided)
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup diced carrots
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2-1/4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp grapeseed oil
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp Redmonds Real Salt
- 2 green onions, diced (optional garnish)
Instructions
Chicken
- Add 1 tbsp oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, onion, and garlic to the skillet. Stirring continually for 2-3 minutes or until onions, garlic and chicken are a bit browned. Turn heat down to medium heat and continue to stir and cook until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. About 10-15 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the skillet and keep warm in a bowl
Cook Veggies & Rice
- Add another 1 tbsp of oil to the same pan with the veggies and the rice, stirring and cooking on medium-high heat until the veggies are a little cooked and the rice is slightly browned.
- Slowly add the broth to the rice mixture. Then add the thyme, salt, pepper and 1 tsp oil to the mix. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. When it's at a boil reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes.
- Add chicken back to the rice mixture and continue cooking for a 5 minutes until chicken is heated through.
- Add cheese at this point if you want it and garnish with green onions if desired. I choose not to add cheese as I want a dairy-free version.
Notes
Ideas for Busy Nights
You can shorten the cooking time by using a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and just shred the chicken and add it to the rice once it’s cooked.
Another shortcut for easy meal prep is to buy a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and eliminate cleaning and chopping time. Just add as much as you like to the pan with the rice.
Kitchen Fav’s
Healthy From Scratch Gluten-Free Chicken and Rice
While this is a healthy gluten-free chicken recipe, I would also consider it comfort food. There is something about the rice mixed with the chicken and veggies that make this a family favorite at our house.
It’s a perfect meal for busy nights as the prep is minimal.
I’m also a leftover eater and this is always lunch for me the next day. Just store the leftovers in an air-tight container and pop them in the refrigerator.
If I was just cooking this for myself on a night when “Handy” was at a board meeting, being the Mayor, I would add broccoli, peas, zucchini and all the fresh herbs from our garden. But that’s just me!
Peace,
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Hi Lynn, your recipe looks so yummy. I went GF 5 years ago because I was so sick all.the.time. I had tons of back pain and neck pain, but the killer was migraine headaches. I did so despite my doctors attitudes and opinions. It’s taken some time, and even though I’m dealing with other health issues, I would never go back. I eat a small amount of dairy because of osteoporosis. You’d think by now neuro doctors would “get it”, but so many glaze over when you mention gluten. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Debra – I agree! I’ve dealt with back pain most of my adult life and to have it go away in just a week when I stopped gluten in my 60’s is pretty amazing! I’m glad that it helped you too!
This looks delicious Lynn! I’m with you about the extra veggies. My hubby will eat just about anything I cook so I’m blessed in that. Especially since I’m not that good of a cook!
This would be so good with broccoli and cheese or just a whole medley of veggies. When Keith has his board meeting next week I’m going to make it again (my way). I also am going to add a bunch of herbs from my garden since I won’t have them for much longer.
This is my kind of a meal Lynn, I will pass it on to the chef and let you know when It gets served :)))
This looks so yummy! I have gone gluten free before and it truly does make you feel better!
It makes a huge difference, it’s just not easy to do.