This is so typical.
Typical Monday night Gerard food.
And when I say Gerard I mean Creighton, Trevor, Brendan, me, Malachi, Red, Asher, Mom and Dad. The other Gerards out there in Ohio? Yeah, I have no idea what their typical is.
This meal is our staple meal.
Chicken and white rice.
The veggies have only been added recently and same goes for the avocado. If it were not for me cooking, my family would eat this every single night of the week.
Except their meal really would only be grilled chicken and rice.
You guys, they are so boring.
My mom has gotten a ton better and has strayed from her beloved noodles with butter, but my brothers?
Ugh.
They are awful.
Sometimes though they are right.
Only sometimes, most the time it’s my way or they are all getting fish for dinner. And if you have been reading for any amount of time you know that only my dad and I do fish, the rest of them want to barf if they come within fifteen feet of the said fish.
No exaggeration.
I shoved a lobster tail with the shell still on it in my seventeen, going to be eighteen in November, younger brother Kai’s face and he freaked. Honestly, you should have seen his face.
Priceless.
Oh and I don’t normally go around shoving lobster tails in people’s face.
This was just on odd day. For some reason I just couldn’t resist.
I think my brain was going stir crazy from only seeing the inside of our dark, dark kitchen in our little condo we rented in Hood. I spent way too many hours staring at the wall while chopping, mixing, and whatever else it is I do. The place needs a skylight.
Reason number eighty-eighty why I am so happy to be home. Windows.
Everywhere!
Moving along.
The chicken is tossed in a super simple seasoning with tons of parsley, basil, olive oil and lemon juice. Then I skewered the chicken and placed them on the grill. This is my favorite method of cooking chicken, but of course the chicken can also be seared on the stove or roasted in the oven.
Same goes for the veggies, but again I love the flavor the grill adds to the zucchini and red peppers. Plus, it’s August and that means it is probably really hot wherever you are. The grill keeps things cool and easy.
About the white rice?
I pretty much always only ever cook white rice. Never brown and not because I don’t like it, I do. It’s is because for the life of me I cannot not ever properly cook brown rice. It always, always no matter how long I cook the rice stays somewhat hard. Never soft like my trusty basmati or jasmine white rice that I can cook with my eyes shut if needed too.
It never fails.
But if you guys prefer brown, that works too.
Ingredients
Chicken
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, cubed if using skewers, leave whole if not
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (may sub 1 tablespoon dried)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (may sub 1 tablespoon dried)
The Rice + Veggies + Avocado
1 1/2 cups jasmine or basmati rice
3 cups water
2 red pepper, cut into fourths
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt + pepper
2 avocados, mashed very well
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
salt + pepper, to taste
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled (optional)
Instructions
*At least 30 minutes before grilling, soak your skewers (if they are bamboo) in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from charring.
In a large bowl combine the olive oil, garlic, onion powder, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, parsley and basil. Add the chicken and toss well. Cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the meal.
Make the rice. Add the water to a medium size pot. Bring to a low boil and then add the rice. Stir to combine and then place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely and let the rice sit on the stove, covered for another 20 minutes (don't take any peeks inside!). After 20 minutes remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Note that rice can cook differently for everyone, this is just what works for me.
Pre heat the grill to medium high heat.
Add the red pepper and zucchini to a gallon size ziplock bag. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Seal the bag and shake well so the veggies are coated with olive oil.
Remove the chicken from the fridge and if using skewers, skewer the chicken (or if you do not have skewers you can leave the chicken whole and cut after grilling).
Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, gently flipping 2-3 times until chicken is cooked through and has light char marks. While the chicken is grilling grill the zucchini for about 4 minutes on each side, or until tender and the red peppers for about 5 minutes flipping once or twice during cooking. You may also use a grill pan to do this or even just cook everything on the stove.
Remove everything from the grill and let cool 5 minutes. Once cool slice the red peppers into strips and if you have whole chicken breast cut those into cubes.
Add the mashed avocados to a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
To assemble the bowls, divide the rice among 4 bowls or plates. Top each bowl of rice with equal amounts of chicken, grilled peppers and zucchini. Add a large dollop of the avocados and then add the fresh tomatoes and walnuts. Sprinkle with blue cheese if desired. Serve warm.
