Chicken and Rice (Mirepoix)

This dish is French/Italian: slow-simmered and full of root vegetables – the absolute simplest of ingredients and the ones that make your entire house smell like heaven and talk about a comfort food? Sooooo good – right up there with mac’n cheese when it comes to simple, filling flavor. This is a 100% keeper for anyone and a cheap meal to boot.

Ingredients

Preparation

  • 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 2 C onions, diced
  • 1 C carrots, diced
  • 1 C celery, diced
  • 4 T olive oil
  • 1 C white wine
  • flour
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 T garlic, chopped
  • 1 T thyme, chopped or 1 T Italian dried herbs
  • 1 1/2 C chicken broth
  • 1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • cooked rice

Rinse the chicken thighs in water, pat dry, season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. Heat 1-2 T oil in a deep pan (see photo) and fry them 5 minutes on each side or until slightly browned. Remove and set aside.

Add remaining oil and saute the onions 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, tomatoes, herbs, and additional salt and pepper. Remove from the pan.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the chicken broth. Put the mirapoix (vegetables) back in the pan and layer the chicken thighs on top. Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve over rice.