Baked Chicken and Rice

Based on reviews, I made some changes.  I tried to mimic somewhat Cooking Light's Baked Chicken and Rice from 2010, which we have loved for years.  This rice is more Spanish in flair but it needs a little help to be worthy.  Bone-in breasts work best.  I doubled the rice making 1/2 cup a brown/wild mix, the remaining 1.5 cups were Jasmine.  I did not double the tomatoes or the OJ, but definitely tripled the garlic and doubled the cumin and pepper.  Important steps:  Pan saute the chicken in a skilled in a bit of olive oil, 3 minutes each side - set aside.  Add onion (I chop vs. slice the onion) for 8 minutes, then garlic 1 minute, and then rice 1 minute.  Put in dish along with liquids.  (Next time I use cilantro instead of parsley) then drizzle a bit of heavy whipping cream along the top.  Cover and bake for 40 minutes, then add the chicken, re-cover for another 30 or so.  Delish.  An avocado salsa would make a great side here.  Definitely a weekend type meal. 

Well, I am trying to make quick and healthy meals for my family of five. My children who are seven, six, and four are not picky eaters. However, they did not like this meal. The chicken was dry, but the rice was mushy. I cooked it in a dark metal pan for about ten minutes longer and kept it covered. I also used five pieces of chicken thighs (with the bone) to make sure there was enough leftover for me to take to lunch tomorrow. My husband said he liked it, but I'm not sure I believe him. We ate dinner really late tonight so maybe he was just really hungry. I will not be making this again. I guess you could try to spice it up some kind of way, but I'm not sure how. Happy eating!

Based on the previous review, I added more broth. I doubled the recipe because there are six of us. I always use brown rice...knowing that takes longer, I boiled all the liquid and spices, poured it over the rice, covered tightly with foil, and baked for 20 minutes before adding chicken. It still took an additional 45 minutes after that but probably because I doubled it. We also sprinkled parmesan on it. We all ate it; no one disliked it. It just was okay though. I thought the OJ flavor stood out a lot, which I didn't think complimented the garlic, onion, tomato flavors. I also was not a huge fan of the texture of the chicken. Almost spongy. I might use this method again with like a broccoli and cheddar sauce instead of tomato and OJ. Maybe...

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I baked the meal 10-15 minutes longer than the assigned time, the rice in the middle was done but the upper layered rice was still crunchy, so if I make this meal again I would add more broth and less rice.