T1B

When I tell people that you can cook chicken in the microwave the usually look at me like I'm nuts. But if you start with whole chicken breasts and do it right it comes out moist and tender every time.

We have been doing this dinner about once a week, with occasional variations like cabbage or brussels sprouts for the veggie or substituting a sweet potato or brown rice for the white rice, for 20 years. The entire thing takes 30 minutes or less from start to finish, unless you're cooking brown rice or baking a sweet potato which take longer.

This dinner typically consists of steamed rice (jasmine or brown basmati are my preferred types). White rice works best for quick turnaround.

First thing to do is start the rice in a rice cooker.

Place three large chicken breasts, skin side up, in a large shallow Corningware dish. Add some Lawry's Seasoned Salt



Cover and microwave on HIGH for 18 minutes (19 or 20 for really large breasts )
When the microwave is done leave it in the oven, or remove but keep it covered, for 6 to 7 minutes. It helps to uncover it for a few minutes before serving it because it will be REALLY HOT at this point.

This is what it will look like when it's done. Slightly browned with about 1/4" to 1/3" of stock in the bottom of the dish:




While the chicken is in the microwave, trim your broccoli and get some water boiling for the vegetable steamer. When the chicken comes out and while it's steaming in its own juices, cook the broccoli for 7 to 9 minutes depending on how well cooked you like it. By the time the broccoli is done steaming the rice should be ready too.

Put it all on a plate and pour some of the stock over the rice and you have yourself an awesome, quick, low fat high protein dinner (unless you pour ranch dressing all over the broccoli).

I pretty much do the same thing on school nights since the kids are good with brown rice and a veggie, except I use the oven and wait a little longer. Besides I need the nuker for the kids chicken. Little fuckers won't touch it unless it's in some sort of breaded form that came from the freezer.

Maybe if I chucked a frozen chicken strip at their heads they would eat the fresh stuff.

It doesn't really take much longer to do it in the oven and flash it under the broiler, does it? That's our basic weekday meal. Broiled chicken or pork with some rice and steamed veg. Quick and easy.

mvscal wrote:It doesn't really take much longer to do it in the oven and flash it under the broiler, does it? That's our basic weekday meal. Broiled chicken or pork with some rice and steamed veg. Quick and easy.

I've never done it under the broiler. Baking it takes an hour and we often do that as well. Nice thing about this way is that cleanup is basically a quick wipe with a soapy sponge, rinse and dry.

A chicken breast takes about 20-25 minutes or so under the broiler depending on size, bone in etc and you can get a nice crisp on the skin. The trick is to mix up the seasonings so it doesn't get old. You can do it basic evoo, garlic powder, s&p. You can do BBQ or teriyaki glazes.

You should try tossing steamed broccoli with butter, s&p and just a little bit of ground chipotle powder.