Spicy Chicken and Rice Pilaf

After the gym today, I thought I'd check out the new Chinese supermarket that opened up only four blocks away from where I live. I lamented previously how my neighborhood is almost devoid of any food shopping apart from one big grocery store that is always packed and crazy. This new supermarket looked huge from the outside, and I thought I'd have a look and see if they actually sell meat and fish, which other stores do not.

Yes, they sell meat and fish, plus countless other things I totally need on an ongoing basis. I'm so psyched! I picked up some chicken breast, and inspired by the Asian market, I had it in my mind to create a sort of Asian pilaf for lunch.

I wanted to include the chicken in the pilaf, and it being boneless and skinless chicken breast, I figured I'd need a big flavor booster, since chicken like that tends to dry out and be flavorless. I marinated some cubed chicken briefly in the marinade my friend Coby uses for her spicy wings. I did it by eye and to taste, as it is the type of marinade that can be wholly adapted to fit one's pantry ingredients.

Then, I added a small amount of peanut oil to a warm saucepan. I chopped up half of a carrot, and added that to the oil. I let this fry for only a few minutes, and then I added the chicken cubes out of their marinade. I seared the chicken on both sides, not cooking them through, as I knew they would cook further with the rice. To the chicken and carrots, I added some uncooked jasmine rice, and roughly double the amount of boiling water. I let this all come to a boil, then lowered the heat, and let it cook covered for about 25 minutes.

Turned out fabulously well. I'm really pleased with my little experiment this afternoon. If I had some parsley, I would have added that at the end for freshness and color. The pilaf was delicious with the marinaded chicken, and the rice picked up on all those flavors. I'll definitely make this again for a filling lunch.