Recipe

Chicken Creole with Rice

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 6 hr
Serves: 6

This slow cooker dish is loaded with chicken, vegetables, and rice. If you brown the chicken and saute the vegetables the night before, this can easily be put together in the morning to be ready in time for dinner.

Ingredients

6 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
1 cup (250 mL) green pepper(s), diced
1 cup (250 mL) onion(s), diced
1 cup (250 mL) celery, diced
1 cup (250 mL) carrot(s), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can canned diced tomatoes
2 tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar
3 whole cloves
1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) black pepper
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) thyme
1 tsp (5 mL) paprika
1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) hot pepper sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup (60 mL) tapioca starch
1 cup (250 mL) long grain brown rice , dry
1/2 cup (125 mL) parsley, fresh, minced

Instructions

1 Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add chicken to skillet. Brown chicken on all sides. Transfer to bottom of slow cooker leaving oil that remains in bottom of pan.
2 Add diced greens pepper, celery, onions, carrots and minced garlic to skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until softened and slightly browned. Puree the canned tomatoes. Mix tomatoes together with brown sugar, whole cloves, black pepper, thyme, paprika, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce and tapioca and pour over chicken. The tapioca will thicken the sauce as it cooks.
3 Cook on low for 6-8 hours until vegetables are tender, sauce is thick and chicken is cooked through and reaches a minimum of 165°F (74°C) (this could be shorter or longer depending on your slow cooker).
4 Cook rice in unsalted water according to package directions.
5 Remove chicken from slow cooker. Add cooked rice to sauce and stir. Top with cooked chicken breasts and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.