Cilantro Rice with Chicken

A sauce of fresh cilantro, green onions, ginger, and garlic is stirred into the cooked rice to give it intense fragrance and flavor. Shiitake mushrooms add an earthy, smoky flavor.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup rice mixture and about 1/4 cup tomato topping)
Ingredients
RICE:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups quartered shiitake mushroom caps (about 6 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped green onion bottoms
1 (1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 3/4 pounds), cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

SAUCE:
2 cups loosely packed cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops
1 teaspoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 garlic clove, peeled

TOPPING:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops
Cilantro sprigs (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare rice, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushrooms, green onion bottoms, ginger piece, and crushed garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in rice, cumin, and chicken; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

To prepare sauce, place cilantro and next 5 ingredients (cilantro through peeled garlic clove) in a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Stir into rice mixture. Discard ginger piece.

To prepare topping, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons green onion tops. Place rice mixture in a large bowl; spoon tomato topping over rice. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Calories:
339 (18% from fat)
Fat:
6.8g (sat 1.4g,mono 3g,poly 1.3g)
Protein:
25.3g
Carbohydrate:
41.5g
Fiber:
1.8g
Cholesterol:
82mg
Iron:
3.9mg
Sodium:
416mg
Calcium:
44mg