One Pot Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli with Rice

Ok, the picture of this meal doesn't really do it justice. But here it is anyway.

The picture on the original recipe website was so pretty looking, but seeing as how the cheese in India is white, and not bright orange and yellow, it kinda ruins the photogenic effect.

However, don't let that influence your opinion of this meal! This.was.good. Yum. It was cheesy, smooth, creamy, yet the onion and garlic gave it some savory depth of flavor. I've never actually had risotto before, but for some reason as I was eating, I kept thinking, "This is how I imagine risotto to be." (Just for the record, I know this is not risotto. This is not how you make risotto. But something about it made me imagine it was like eating risotto, even though I have never, in fact, eaten risotto. Glad we cleared that up.)

Landon and Layla even approved! 

And the great part - you make it all in one pot! Easy! And fewer dishes! (ok, that's not entirely true...since we have to make our own cream of chicken soup in India, that makes for 2 pots).

One Pot Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli with Rice

Original Recipe

1 lb of chicken breasts, cut into pieces

1 small onion, diced

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 TBS olive oil

2 cups of chicken broth (2 chicken cubes dissolved in 2 cups water)

1 recipe of cream of chicken soup substitute

3/4 cup of rice (I used white basmati - rinse it with cold water first)

2 cups of broccoli florets

1 cup of shredded cheese (give or take...I probably added more in all honesty)

Salt and pepper to taste

To begin, boil 3 cups of water and add 3 chicken cubes to get your chicken broth. Save 2 cups aside for the recipe, and then use 1/2 cup to make your cream of chicken soup (you'll wind up discarding 1/2 cup of the broth, or you can refrigerate for later use, if desired). After your chicken broth and cream of chicken soup are ready, begin the meal.

Heat large skillet or pot to medium heat, and add olive oil. Once hot, add onion, garlic, and chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the chicken starts getting browned (it doesn't have to cook completely at this stage, because it still has lots of time left in the pot). Season with some salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and rice to the pot and stir to combine everything. Lower heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Let cook until the rice is cooked through. This took about 15-20 minutes for me. I occasionally stirred and checked the rice, and also checked to make sure there was still liquid. If the liquid starts to run out, add some more water or chicken broth. When rice is soft add broccoli florets and cheese. Cook for 5 more minutes, or to whatever softness you like your broccoli. Ready to serve!