Sweet-Spiced Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/4 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1 medium)
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3/4 cup pitted prunes
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 2/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Place a large ovenproof Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan. Add onion, carrot, and parsnip; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in ginger and cinnamon; cook 1 minute. Add broth, chickpeas, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.
3. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Stir chicken and prunes into pan. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Meanwhile, bring 1 1/3 cups water to a boil. Add rice; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Serve chicken mixture over rice.