What's for dinner?

I decided to mix it up for this post and talk about and share a recipe I made for my boyfriend and I the other week. I love to cook, and that is very important when you're in school for nutrition. Especially when you have to take 3 cooking classes and labs in order to graduate! However, I discovered my love for cooking and baking long before college started. I regularly help my parents with dinner prep at home, and at least cook dinner once a week while at school for my boyfriend and I. Dining hall food gets pretty old pretty fast. When boyfriend suggested the other week that we should make dinner at his apartment before I went home for the weekend, I immediately when on Pinterest to see what tasty, easy and nutritious meal ideas I could find. He suggested something with chicken and rice because he had been making a lot of pasta lately, and had a lot of chicken in the freezer his mom bought his before he came back for the second semester. I found many, many recipes that sounded really appealing, but most looked like they would take over an hour to make. I was losing hope of finding a chicken and rice dish until I found One-pot Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice. It sounded easy and really tasty, especially with the broccoli and cheese in the recipe. We both agreed on it and headed to the store after we were both done with class. This recipe was really easy, super quick, cheesy, and we both loved it! Lots of leftovers, and it has something from every food group!

Easy One-Pot Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice

Ingredients           

• 1 lb Chicken breasts, boneless skinless                                                           
• 2 1/2 cups Broccoli florets                                                    
• 2 cloves Garlic                                                    
• 1/2 Yellow onion, medium                                                       
• 2 1/2 cups Chicken broth, low-sodium                                      
• 1 cup White rice, long grain                                 
• 1 tsp Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper                                                  
• 3 tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin                                                    
• 2 cups Reduced-Fat Shredded Cheddar cheese, sharp

Instructions

1. In a large skillet or pan, sauté onions in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Once onions soften, increase the heat to medium high and add chicken to the pan.
3. Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 more minute.
4. Push chicken to one side of the pan and add additional tablespoon of olive oil to other side.
5. Add the uncooked rice in the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid.
7. Cook chicken and rice mixture covered for about 12 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the broccoli evenly over the chicken and rice mixture and stir to combine.
9. Continue to cook covered another 8 minutes on low, or until broccoli and rice are both tender.
10. Remove from heat and stir in half a cup of cheese.
11. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover with a lid, letting it sit for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve.