Brown Rice Chicken Skillet Dinner

Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

3 cups cooked Riceland Long-grain Brown Rice

2 Tablespoons Riceland Rice Bran oil or canola oil

1 (10-ounce) package frozen Pictsweet Seasoning Blend (or 1 1/2 cups chopped onion, 1/2 cup bell pepper, 1/2 cup sliced celery)

2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons minced garlic)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs or a combination),* cut into 1-inch cubes.

1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium petite diced tomatoes with juice*

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste (I prefer using double-concentrated tomato paste in a tube and will use about 1/2 cup here.)

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided

Preparation

1. Prepare brown rice according to package directions or by following my directions for Perfectly Prepared Brown Rice. Set aside.
2. Thaw spinach. Snip a small piece from one corner and squeeze the package to remove as much liquid as possible. Place the drained spinach on several layers of paper towels, wrap and squeeze until spinach is dry. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 Tablespoon oil; add seasoning blend and sauce until softened. Add minced garlic and cook an additional 2 - 3 minutes. Remove onion and garlic mixture to a plate and set aside.
4. Wipe skillet clean and heat additional 1 Tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until it loses its pink color and is browned on all sides.
5. Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, broth or water and onion-garlic mixture; bring to a slow simmer and cook 5 minutes.
6. Add in Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
7. Stir in rice, spinach and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Stir well and heat thoroughly over low heat.
8. Adjust seasonings.
9. Sprinkle with remaining cheese at serving.

*I used a 3 cups of deli rotisserie chicken, a combination of breast and thigh meat. Skip the browning if you use deli or leftover chicken.

* For variation, use different tomato varieties such as Italian Tomatoes, Stewed Tomatoes or Rotel. With Rotel, you will need to add additional broth, tomato juice or water.

Adapted from USA Rice Federation by The Women Bloggers/Riceland Blogger Debbie Arnold of DiningWithDebbie.net