Chicken and Rice with Vermicelli and Almonds

This is the first meal I have cooked since I got back from Philadelphia. The day I left, Sophie had a stomach bug and the day I came back, Klint had one. I have avoided it thus far...knock on wood. So tonight, I decided some good ole chicken and rice was in order, but I wanted to do it a little differently. I once had rice that had slivered almonds and vermicelli in it and I absolutely loved it. So I took that idea and ran with it and added chicken to make my chicken and rice. I also made revamped black beans and I used canned collared greens. Here is what I did!

Chicken and Rice with Vermicelli and Almonds

2 chicken boneless chicken breasts

1/2 large onion diced

1 small handfull vermicelli

1/4 cup slivered almonds

2 cups of uncooked rice

1. Boil the chicken breast in five cups of water with the diced onion. I read in a blog that the onion just adds a little flavor to the chicken and it really does make a difference.

2. Shred the chicken.Take the chicken out of the pot and keep four cups of the water that you used to cook the chicken. You will use it for cooking the rice. I use my Kitchen Aid mixer to shred the chicken.

My stock with onions in the bottom. I added the
 onions to the rice as well.

Shredded Chicken

3. Break the vermicelli and brown with almonds. I took the vermicelli and broke it into 1 inch to 1/2 inch pieces. I started using my kitchen shears and when it was small, I just broke it. I used a small handful (as shown below. Then I poured a little olive oil in my pot and browned my broken vermicelli and almonds.

5. Slowly add water to the pot along with the two cups of rice. Stir in the rice and let it sit for a few minutes. Then add your shredded chicken and bring to a boil for five minutes or so.

6. Simmer until rice is tender and there is no water in the pot. I am really going to sound like my grandma on this, but you just have to keep checking it. My grandma is notorious for just telling you to cook something until you smell it and then start checking it. I didn't smell this, but I did keep a close I on it. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve it up!

Okay, for my black beans, I did something really simple. I added the other half of my diced onion and a teaspoon of crushed red pepper to two cans of the beans. I tasted it and it had a good bite. I was a little worried that it would be too much for Sophie so I added a little vinegar to take the heat out. Just a splash. It made it perfect. I let the beans simmer until the onion was tender. I served with a dollop of sour cream.

The greens are good all by themselves. We discovered them from a lady at church. She brought them to a fellowship dinner and we loved them! We asked her how she made them and she confessed they were canned. Now, I do not eat canned food unless it is in soups or casseroles, but these greens (and the black beans) are my exception. They are just good!

So, my rice wasn't completely awful health wise, but the two canned sides are completely out of character for me. Needless to say it was all good!

Yummy!!!

I am not aware if there is a recipe like this out there. I just had something similar to this the one time. I can't take complete credit. If you know where the original came from, I will gladly give credit!

Happy cooking!