Chicken and Rice with Coconut Milk and Pistachios

This is a great variation on chicken and rice. Bart made this for us for dinner tonight. We all absolutely loved it! We served it with an Asian lettuce salad.

Recipe from The Best Skillet Recipes.

4 (5- to 6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed and breasts trimmed
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
1 ½ cups long-grain white rice
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk (we used regular coconut milk because that’s what we had on hand)
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup chopped pistachios, toasted
½ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

Pound each chicken breast between two sheet sof plastic wrap to a uniform ½-inch thickness. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dredge in the flour, sahking off the excess.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Carefully lay the chicken breasts in the skillet and ocok until lightly browned on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garam masala, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the chicken broth and coconut milk, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle the chicken into the rice and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the thickest part of the chicken registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a clean plate, brushing off any rice back into the skillet. Tent the chicken loosely with foil to stay warm. Cover the skillet and continue to cook the rice over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 10 minutes.

Off the heat, sprinkle the peas over the rice, cover, and let warm through, about 2 minutes. Add the pistachios and cilantro and gently fold into the rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the chicken. (Note: we served the pistachios on top instead of mixing them in—just to make sure they kept their crunch.)