A note: Use whatever chicken you have on hand for this. If you have boneless skinless, do that. If you have bone-in, skin-on, use that. If you got a whole chicken from a farmer friend and roasted it for dinner two days ago and have leftovers, skip cooking the chicken and just throw in what you have when it says to return the chicken to the pot.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 5 carrots, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. salt
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ to ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 6-ish cups chicken broth
- 1-2 lb. chicken (breasts or thighs or both)
- 1 cup brown rice or wild rice
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- To taste dried parsley
- For serving Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Add the broth, chicken and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board. Use two forks to shred it (or chop it up if you prefer it that way).
- Return chicken to the pot and stir in spinach and parsley. If it’s too thick, thin it with more broth or water. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
