Food Friday: Green Chicken PeppeRoni

photo credit

This recipe began as a stuffed green pepper dish that a college roommate shared.  There were 5 of us living together and we each took a night of the week to cook for each other.  It worked out great!

We don't eat green chicken, that would probably make us sick, but the name Green Chicken PeppeRoni seemed to flow better than Chicken Green PeppeRoni.  The dish began has Rice-o-Roni stuffed in steamed green peppers with melted cheese (I think) on top.  Yum!  Well, then I got married and had a baby.  The peppers seemed to take too long to steam now that other persons were demanding my attention and time.  So I chopped the green peppers and cooked them with the rice-o-roni.  Then eventually the chicken was added, instead being cooked in a separate pan.  And it has become a ONE PAN RECIPE  :)  Now I even make the rice-o-roni part from scratch. So this is how it goes:

1/4 Cup onion, diced

6 Tablespoons butter

2 Cups long grain rice

1 Cup vermicelli (or 1/2 inch long pieces of capellini or angel hair noodles)

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 pinches tumeric (for coloring-you don't want to add too much or it will change the flavor of the dish)

6 Cups chicken broth OR 6 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 6 Cups warm water

2-3 Green Peppers, chopped

2 Chicken breast, chopped

1 Cup cheddar cheese, grated

In a large skillet saute onions in butter.  Add rice and vermicelli -> lightly brown.  Add garlic, broth, tumeric, chicken and green pepper.  Bring to boil.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is done.  Add cheese and let sit covered for a few minutes for cheese to melt.  Mix and serve.  Goes well with garlic bread.  Enjoy!

Sorry, this isn't a very appetizing photo.  It tastes a lot better than it looks here.