Honey Chicken with Snowpea Rice

This dish has become a semi-regular in the TartReform kitchen. It is a super easy Rachael Ray classic that I got from her 365 book. It is chicken in a sweet and spicy sauce of honey and red pepper with broth served over rice with hints of wine, lemon and broth and then filled with veggies. Healthy tasty and easy. Oh, and bonus, even the boy eats it!Each time I make this dish, I switch it up a little bit based on what mood I'm in and what I have on hand. You can use the snow peas the recipe lists, sugar snap peas, or even a mix of frozen peas with chopped carrots! Just play around with what you prefer.

I normally don't have an extra lemon laying around, so I just use extra lemon juice instead of the zest the recipe uses in the rice.

I also sometimes decrease the red pepper depending on who's eating it because the boy doesn't like spice and the roomie doesn't enjoy too much red pepper.

Depending on how saucy you want the dish, you can decrease the amount of broth you add to the chicken.

Honey Chicken and Snow Pea Rice

• 3 tbls vegetable oil
• 1 tbls unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
  
• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 large handfuls snow peas, thinly sliced across the width (Substituted with 1 bag frozen sugar snap peas, chopped in thirds)
  
• 2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated (couple pinches of ginger)
  
• 3 tbls honey
• 1 tbls cornstarch
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Heat a medium saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbls of the vegetable oil and the butter to the pot.
2. Once the butter melts, add the rice, season with salt and pepper, and lightly brown the rice for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the wine and allow it to evaporate entirely, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add the chicken stock and the lemon zest to the rice. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat. Cook the rice for 18 to 20 minutes, or until tender.
5. Once the rice only has about 3 more minutes (5 if the peas are frozen) of cook time, remove the lid and add the sliced snow peas. *Don't stir the rice; just add the snow peas on top and put the lid on.* They should still have some crunch to them.
6. While the rice is cooking, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tbls of vegetable oil.
7. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and brown for about 3 minutes.
   
8. Add the red pepper flakes, onions, garlic, ginger, and honey.Stir frequently and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions are tender.
9. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock to the pan and bring up to a simmer.
10. Once at a simmer, combine the cornstarch with a splash of water, and mix to create a thin paste.
11. Add the cornstarch mixture to the simmering chicken, mix thoroughly, and continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until the liquid is thickened.
12. Add the sliced scallions and the lemon juice to the chicken and stir to combine.
13. Serve the honey chicken over the snow pea rice.