Rub a Dub Grub

First let me give credit where it is due. This is a modified version of a Rachel Ray recipe. Hers is probably way better than mine, but we use a few different ingredients.
So this is one of Bec's Fav meals and we always make it together. Also not all the ingredients are shown here. I had not picked the fresh thyme from the Garden when we took this shot and we only use about a Table spoon of Butter so don't be frightened by that big ol cube down there. I know we live in the south and all but we don't eat like some of the folks here do. I also used some apple cider vinegar and some apple juice. Bec Also thought it was important to show a cup of water as part of this pic too.

What you will need;
3-4 Leeks that actually look good. sometimes the Leeks look pretty scary
at least 4 Chicken Breasts, thighs wings legs whatever
4 cups of Chicken Broth, or two cans of chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1/4 cup Apple Juice
1/8 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Cup of Water!
Salt and Pepper
1 Lemon Zested
as Much thyme as your taste buds can handle - or a few sprigs :) I love thyme.

Make the rice first because it takes longer to cook. the Rice should be done around the same time as everything else.
First Dice up your Shallot and Sauté it in about 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and 1 Tablespoon of Butter until softened and translucent.
Next add your rice and brown for about 2-3 minutes stir frequently, or shake the pan violently around and back and forth, thats what I do.
Add 1/4 cup of Chicken Stock and a splash of apple juice and a splash of apple cider vinegar and allow all that to evaporate, but don't burn the Rice, it will evaporate pretty quick.
Next add 2 cups of Chicken Stock, 1 cup of Water and another splash of the juice and vinegar, bring to a simmer, cover and cook till tender and liquid is gone, about 25 minutes. When it is finished stir in your Lemon zest.
This Rice is awesome, your gonna love it.

put about a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the pan, or enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Salt and pepper your chicken and then put it in the hot pan. Hey the chicken is going to stick to that pan and its gonna be a pain to clean later! yup its gonna stick and the pan will be a mess but you will deglaze it later and get to eat all that sticky goodness later so just relax.

Flip the chicken when its good and browned, by the way did I say you want to cook on pretty high heat? And you might want to use a splatter screen because uhh... well you'll see.

See all those golden sticky chicken bits in the pan? Those are going to add some nice flavors to your Leeks. Your chicken should be browned on both sides and don't be concerned if you think it might not be cooked all the way through. just take it out and let it sit on a plate for a while. Now add your leeks to the pan. Oops! Your supposed to clean and cut those bad boys up first. We could discuss this one for a while, and unfortunately I didn't take a lot of pictures of this meal. even though Bec requested an action shot of her chopping away on the leeks. Cut the ends off the leeks and split lengthwise then cut into chunks discarding the darkest greenest tips. You can figure it out. Oh yeah these grow in Sandy soil so rinse the cut up pieces really well. I put them all in a colander and then dump them into the pan, right about now!

Now is when you get all fancy and stuff and slice your chicken on an angle and fan it out on top of a bed of leeks. Unfortunately for us the rice was not done in time for this picture. We were hungry and ready to eat. However notice those 2 tupperwares back there? Can you say awesome lunch tomorrow

So here is a shot with the rice. I'm pretty excited about lunch tomorrow. If your job sucks, and your boss is a jerk, and your co-workers are mean, and your commute is long, and you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and your underwear is too tight... At least you can eat a good lunch and that will make most of those things bearable.