My Favorite Summer Chicken Dinner

This dinner has been a staple in my house this summer for a few reasons. It meets my criteria for almost any meal I consider cooking:
1. It's delicious
2. It's easy
3. It's fast

Doesn't any girl want a meal thats delicious, easy, and fast? Better yet, this meal is made using my air fryer, which is my new favorite kitchen tool. This recipe can easily be done on the stove top/using the oven, so I'll explain how I'd prepare this meal using all vehicles. See an upcoming post on my air fryer!!

This meal also works for me right now as a dairy free individual. My 8 month old daughter, who is still breastfeeding, has a milk protein intolerance. The proteins found in dairy products/milk upset her little belly so I've been dairy free for about 5 months now. It was an adjustment at first, but I've found a lot of foods that work and most of them are delicious!

Back to dinner....! This dinner hits all your major food groups - a protein, a veggie, and a starch. I'm a midwestern girl and any good midwestern girl knows that a well rounded meal has these three things. Check out my simple ingredients and steps for a dinner that's ready in less than 30 minutes.

Easy Summer Chicken & Rice:
Serves 2-3

• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups instant rice (white or brown, whatever you prefer)
• 2 cups water
• small bundle of asparagus 
• 3 cups fresh cauliflower
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• salt
• pepper 
• sesame seeds
• extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I don't have measurements here. I season to taste and have learned overtime what a well season chicken breast looks like visually. Coat each side of the chicken with a good dusting of each of these three spices. Quick tip: throw your chicken breast in a baggie, pour in some oil, add your seasonings, and shake. This is a perfect tip for marinating anything ahead of time, too! Stick it in the fridge and let it sit for a few hours. It'll only make the flavors pop. Another tip - poke some holes in the chicken breasts to really help the flavors marinate. 

2. I make instant rice usually because it's the easiest. Measure out 2 cups of rice and 2 cups of water and combine in a microwave safe dish with a lid. Any rice will do, though. Want basmati or jasmine? Follow the directions on the back of the box or bag to cook on the stove. Rice is hard to screw up. Keep an eye on it. Is all the water absorbed? If so, try the rice. If it's soft, take it off the heat and put a lid on it until the rest of your dinner is ready. 

3. Next step is to prep your veggies. Cut the tough ends off your asparagus. You definitely do not want to eat those! Chop your cauliflower off the head and then chop into smaller chunks. Lay veggies on a plate or baking sheet and drizzle EVOO over the top and season as you see fit. I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder on both veggies and sprinkled sesame seeds over the asparagus before cooking. 
               

                                                   


4. The next step involves the prep of your meat and veggies for an air fryer prepped dinner vs. a stove top/oven prepped dinner. Follow accordingly. 

• Air Fryer: 

• Place your seasoned chicken in the air fryer basket. Drizzle about a tablespoon of EVOO over the top of the chicken. Place your cauliflower alongside the chicken in the basket. Drizzle more EVOO over the veggies. According to your air fryer's settings, cook. On my air fryer, I set the temp to about 380° for about 12 minutes. The asparagus cooks the quickest of all three of your air fryer items, so you'll want to do that last (or once the cauliflower is done if the chicken still needs some time). Depending on the size of your basket, you may be able to fit your everything in there at the same time. If not, no worries. You can always cook your asparagus in the oven at 350° for about 10-12 mins while your chicken and cauliflower cook in your air fryer. 

• Stove Top/Oven:
• Lay the asparagus and cauliflower out on a baking sheet. Drizzle EVOO generously over the top of all the veggies. Season with whatever spices you like (I use the spices listed above or whatever else I feel like). You can also dump your veggies in a bowl and toss with EVOO and spices and then dump on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven at 350° for approx. 12 mins. The asparagus may be done first depending on how thick it is. If you've got thinner asparagus, cook the veggies on separate baking sheets so you can cook your cauliflower for about 5-8 minutes first and then throw your asparagus in the oven last. 
• Heat 1-2 tbsp EVOO in a pan on the stove top. Once the oil is hot, add your seasoned chicken to the pan. Cook on each side depending on thickness of your chicken (approx. 4ish mins. a side). If you've got thicker breasts, it'll take longer. 

A few chicken tips:

-- Filet your chicken (this means cut a thick breast in half to make two thinner breasts) and it'll cook faster. A thick breast often cooks fairly unevenly. The edges get overcooked while the thick middle takes a long time to cook. If you filet it, it'll cook a bit faster and tends to cook more evenly. 

-- Need to know if it's done? Just take it off the heat and make a small cut in the center. You want it to be moist, but if there's even a little pink in there, you need to keep it on the heat for a couple more minutes. Don't cut into it too much or cut it in half because you're draining out some of the moisture then. 

Once you've got everything cooked, plate it up and enjoy! Simple, fresh, delicious, and healthy!