Chicken and Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf

It is SO hard to get back into the swing of things after a long vacation.  Hubby and I have been gone for a week long "culinary" tour of the mountains.  Yes, we ate our way through Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.  Then home again, home again, jiggety-jig.

Or should I say jiggety-jiggle?

More to come on all that later, WITH photos I might add.  

I know.  You're hanging on the edge of your seat, right, to see my vacay photos?  Be patient, my peeps.  I'll get to it.  And that's a threat promise.

Before we left, my totally awesome husband planted me a field of sunflowers for a fall crop.  I'll keep you posted on their development.  So far, not much.  But we dream big.

Ahhh, fall.  I eagerly await your arrival with outstretched arms. 

Changing the subject, here are two food products I just LOVE.

First off, this rice:

This rice is a blend of white, brown, wild, and red.  I love this but have to get it when I am out of town at Publix.  It only takes 15 minutes to cook and makes the perfect side dish. 

And this chicken:

I can actually get these at my hometown Wal-Mart.  I love them because they don't have all that nasty injected stuff that other chicken breasts have.  They come from humanely raised chickens and are raised cage free.  Yes, they are well over twice the cost of regular chicken breasts but this is one of the areas where I splurge.  We're definitely not vegetarians in my house but I do have concerns about the processing of chicken and beef nowadays.  I just don't think it's healthy when a single chicken breast weighs 10 ounces.  When I go out of town, I have been able to get the boneless chicken thighs in this brand and I love those too.

So here is my easy recipe that combines the two.  Simple, healthy, quick.  When served hot, it's a rice pilaf.  But it can also be served cold as a salad, which was actually my favorite way.  

Here are my notes:

-Make sure you toast the pecans.  It will make all the difference in the world.

-I like to cook the veggies just until crisp-tender.  I like the celery to have a bite to it.

-I almost always add a couple of chicken flavored bouillon cubes to my cooking rice.  It just adds so much flavor.

-I grilled my chicken breasts in a grill pan and used an all-purpose Greek seasoning.  You could use any seasoning you'd like.

 

Chicken and Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf

Printable Recipe

1 cup uncooked wild rice blend

2 chicken flavored bouillon cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled, then cubed into bite size pieces (I used an all-purpose Greek seasoning to season mine)

3/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice according to package directions adding bouillon cubes to water.  Place in a large bowl when done.  Sauté the onion and celery in 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until crisp-tender; add to the rice.  Add chicken and toasted pecans to rice and stir until mixed.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm as a rice pilaf, or cold from the refrigerator as a rice salad.