Tuesday: Pomegranate Chicken with Jasmine Rice and Green Beans

 

 The night I made this dish, my husband came home from work and asked "What are you baking?" This Rachel Ray chicken dish smelled SO aromatic that he thought I was baking cinnamon bread. :) I gotta say, at first I was a little skeptical adding Pomegranate juice to the dish, but I was surprised to find all the flavors blended very well together. This meal only took 30 minutes to cook! It took me about 10 minutes to prep everything, but if you do that ahead of time (see my section Prep Ahead below) that will make for a no stress dinner. Add rice and steamed green beans with cherry tomatoes to the menu and you've got a delicious dinner for you and your family!

Chicken Recipe
4 servings

5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 lb), cut into quarters
1 TB olive oil
1 onion, cut in half then sliced
1 clove garlic, smashed
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4-1 cup pomegranate juice (or cranberry-pomegranate)
2 TB flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Spray large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Place chicken carefully in skillet, and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until browned but not all the way cooked. Transfer to a plate. Add the onions, garlic and walnuts to skillet and cook, stirring often, until softened about 5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon. Return the chicken to pan, add pomegranate juice and simmer until chicken is cooked all the way through, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer chicken mixture to a plate. 
3. Cook sauce about 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Add parsley. Serve with green beans and rice.

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Plan and Prep Ahead

Here are some helpful techniques to make life a little easier once dinner time hits. These tips will especially help those that work full-time and don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner.

~Slice onion and chop walnuts. Keep in refrigerator until time of use.

~Chop parsley and keep in fridge. 

~Make rice ahead of time, and reheat when you need it. 

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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP?

~Try slivered almonds or cashews instead of walnuts.
~Use diced sweet potatoes or your favorite vegetable instead of green beans. 
~Use cranberry juice instead of pomegranate.
~Try this sauce on pork or beef.

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