Pulled Chicken with Rice and Chick Peas

Pulled Chicken with Rice and Chick Peas

About this recipe

I love chicken!  In fact a few of my friends even have a running joke with me about my menus.  Whenever we discuss making a meal, they'll say something like, "Oh wait, don't tell me...it's another chicken dish?!"  Quite often the answer will be, "Why yes, how did you ever know!?"  In my defense though, chicken is just so very versatile and cost effective when planning a budget for a weekly menu that I would be foolish not to include at least a couple of meals utilizing the mighty flavorful bird!

Quick side note about this recipe as well as for the majority of the meals you'll see on this blog:  I usually improvise.  What do I mean by that?  Well, I'll use whatever I may have on hand at any given moment to spice up a dish. I love to be creative!

On Sunday's I usually have a big afternoon dinner.  Served with salads, possibly a side of soup, extra sauces, etc.  I reserve some of the main protein I used to make that meal; in this case it was roasted chicken leg quarters, to have on hand for the remainder of the weeks meals.

Please Note

 I am cooking only for 2 people.

So adjust all recipes to accommodate your particular needs.

Recipe

Pull the meat off the bones of a roasted chicken leg quarter.

Discard the bones, any grizzle & skin.

 (In my case I hand off the crispy skin to be eaten by my son who can afford the extra calories.) 

 I use a non-stick skillet where I melt approximately 1/4 of a teaspoon of butter; which to my taste buds adds a hint of nuttiness to the finished dish.  You can use oil if you prefer or just water in a non-stick pan, but I prefer a smidgen of butter.  Toss the pulled chicken into a warm greased pan over low heat. 

Prepare white rice or whatever type of rice you prefer ahead of time.  For this dish I used white rice which I slightly undercooked by 2 minutes, so that it would not turn to all mush when I added additional liquids to it and re-heated it with the other ingredients.

 

  Also cook dry beans of your liking ahead of time, or simply open a can of beans.  I personally prefer the canned seasoned beans for majority of my dishes.  In this case it was a 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans (or other wise known as chick peas) in onion, garlic, and pepper sauce.    

As a finishing touch and to add a bit of richness, I add  2 tablespoons of tomato paste. At this point I turn up the heat to a medium low & continuously flip the ingredients in the pan.  Do not stir too vigorously or it will break the grains of rice up, making it clumpy.    

After the chicken becomes slightly browned I add 1/8 of a cup of chicken stock to bring it all together.

I served this meal with a few pinches of finely chopped flat leaf parsley.  On occasion & if I have it on hand, I could add grated carrots for myself.  For my cheese loving son, I would garnish with grated Monterrey Jack, Sharp Cheddar or Parmigiana.

PRICE OF THE MEAL

1 chicken leg quarter - aprox $2.00

Can of beans - aprox $2.00

1/2 cup of cooked rice - aprox $0.50

Tomato paste - aprox $0.20

This served us dinner the night I first prepared it & lunch the next day!

So a meal prepared for aprox $5.00 for 2 people works out to be $1.25 a meal!

*Even if I add the garnishes & the cost of the utility I used to cook the meal, it still works out to be approximately $2.00 a serving!   

PREP & COOKING TIME

Rice cooking - 20 minutes

Pulling chicken, adding ingredients, heating time - 15 minutes

TIP of the Day

After opening a can of tomato paste, scoop 2 tablespoon globs into a zip lock baggie.  Be sure to keep them separated in the baggie.  Place in the freezer.  When a dish calls for extra richness and/or color pull out a frozen piece of the paste!