Comfort foods are great to repeat over and over in the kitchen. They welcome family and friends. Growing up some of my favorite comfort foods were Tuna Noodle Hotdish, Mom’s Fried Chicken and Chicken & Rice Hotdish. Being from the midwest, comfort foods often times were hotdishes (AKA casserole, for those of you not from the midwest). This recipe is not a hotdish and is actually made on the stove, but really reminds me of the ones I grew up with at home and at my friends’ homes. When I made this tonight, I decided to use some leftover frozen rotisserie chicken I had in the freezer. That was a great move! It was more tender and in finer pieces, which works well with the rice and peas. Also, it eliminated any planning ahead with thawing chicken and cut the preparation time drastically.
1/2 t garlic powder
1/8 t pepper
1 skinless boneless chicken breast, halves (~1#)
2 T butter (with a little EVOO)
29 oz GF chicken broth
2 c frozen peas
1 T fresh thyme leaves, crushed or 1 t dried
3 c uncooked quick cooking brown rice
4 T parmesan cheese, grated