Mediterranean Chicken and Wild Rice is that flavorful, healthy, yet delicious recipe you have been looking for, with a great Mediterranean vibe and fantastic smoky, nutty flavor. Combining a quality wild rice blend with boneless skinless white chicken breasts, organic fresh spinach, plum tomatoes, and feta crumbles with a hint of fresh lemon and Mediterranean herbs, all cooked in one skillet.
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you are stuck eating bland, tasteless dishes that are less than desirable. It just means adjusting the recipes that you love, getting rid of the bad or higher-calorie ingredients, and substituting them with the good-for-you ingredients.
I’ve been making this recipe for Mediterranean Chicken and Rice for years and decided to get rid of the regular white rice and add a more healthy wild rice blend in place of it. The nutty flavor of the wild rice blend really adds a new flavor dimension to an already fantastic-tasting recipe.
When you are shopping, take a few extra moments to do a bit of research on your package of wild rice blend. Don’t just opt for any old package. Some of them are a blend of mostly regular white rice with a bit of black rice tossed in for the namesake of wild rice blend. You are looking for a blend that has long-grain brown rice, wild rice, whole-grain Wehani rice, and whole-grain black Japonica vs. the usual white with a few tidbits of black wild rice.
What are the benefits of wild rice in the recipe for Mediterranean Chicken and Wild Rice
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Wild rice is Gluten-free.
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Wild rice is slightly higher in protein than most other whole grains.
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Wild rice is a great source of fiber, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, Vitamin B6, and niacin.
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Researchers at the University of Minnesota determined in 1994 that wild rice is extremely high in antioxidants. More recently (2009), scientists at the University of Manitoba analyzed eleven different samples of wild rice and found that the antioxidant activity of wild rice was 30 times greater than that of the white-rice control.
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Also, in 2009, researchers in China found that wild rice effectively lowered cholesterol and other lipid measures.
Mediterranean Chicken and Wild Rice Blend
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3- 6- ounce- boneless chicken breasts
- kosher salt to season chicken
- freshly ground pepper to season chicken
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth + more if needed
- 1 ½ organic wild rice blend
- zest and juice of 1 fresh lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
- kosher salt to season rice
- freshly ground pepper to season rice
- 1 cup diced plum tomatoes
- 1 â…“ fresh baby spinach
- 3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 2 lemons thinly sliced
Instructions
- Place a large deep metal skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and let heat to medium heat.
- Add diced shallots and minced garlic; let cook for about 2 minutes on medium heat.
- Meanwhile, season boneless chicken breasts with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to your own taste.
- Add chicken breasts to the large deep metal skillet and cook on each side 1-2 minutes. Remove and place on a clean serving dish momentarily.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Add the low-sodium chicken broth to large metal skillet, bring to a boil, add wild rice blend, zest, and juice of one lemon, fresh parsley, a sprig of rosemary, chopped fresh oregano, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper to own taste. Boil for 4-5 minutes. Reduce the heat and cook on low another 5-6 minutes on reduced heat.
- Arrange chicken breasts on top of wild rice blend, arrange lemon slices over chicken cover with a tight-fitting oven safe lid and place the metal skillet in the oven for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Remove chicken and wild rice blend from oven, remove the chicken momentarily and place on a clean serving dish. Add diced tomatoes, fresh spinach, and feta cheese. Gently stir the rice to mix ingredients in and fluff rice. You may need to add a bit more chicken broth if dry.
- Remove lemon slices from chicken on serving platter and place chicken back on top of rice, replace lemon slices with fresh lemon slices and bake for another 15 minutes at 350 degrees or till rice is done. Careful not to overcook the chicken if needed remove the chicken slightly ahead of time.
Nutrition
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You should re-do your image it doesn’t even come close to bringing this awesome recipe justice. A keeper for sure.
Yes, I totally agree, very old post. Glad you enjoyed it.
I made this and enjoyed it. Had to make a few tweaks but all in all very good.
Thank you, Beth, so happy everyone liked it.