Garlic Balsamic Crusted Chicken & Wild Rice Pepper Salad

Are you all sugared out yet?  Hopefully you all had a great Halloween!

I thought I’d start out the month of November with a simple dish – filled with yummy veggies, delicious wild rice and a solid serving of protein.  We’ll hold off on the sweets until tomorrow, okay? 

Frog Prince and I absolutely LOVED this dish.  It’s light, yet filling, and the combo of flavors is wonderful.  It does take some time – marinating the chicken ahead of time and cooking the wild rice (about a 1-hour job); but it’s well worth it! 

Garlic Balsamic Crusted Chicken & Wild Rice Pepper Salad
Chicken recipe inspired by Kitchen Confidante {Pinned here}
Wild Rice recipe inspired by One Perfect Bite {Pinned here}

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 C uncooked wild rice
• 3/4 C brown rice {long-grain preferred}
• 1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
• 1 1/1 C water, divided
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 tsp. parsley, dried
• splash of lemon juice

Directions

Begin by combining the 4 minced garlic cloves, 2 T balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. sea salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper & 1 T olive oil. 

Pour over thawed chicken breasts, and allow them to marinade {while refrigerated} for 4-8 hours.  If you don’t have that much time, 20-30 minutes will do just fine. 

About 1 hour before dinner, begin the rest of the preparation.  Start by cooking the wild rice* in a large saucepan.  To do so, combine 1 C broth and 1/2 C water along with the 1/2 C wild rice.  Bring the rice to a boil, then reduce heat and cover allowing the rice to cook at a simmer for about 50 minutes. 

Using a second saucepan, combine the brown rice, the remaining broth (about 1 C) and 1 C water and prepare in a similar fashion.  Allow the rice to come to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until the rice is tender. 

Alternatively – you can use a rice maker here for one or both of your rice options. 

At this point, fire up your grill.  Toss the marinated chicken breasts onto the grill and set your grill to medium heat.  Cook for 20-25 minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so.  Check the internal temperature for doneness – they should read 180 degrees. 

Next, chop up the bell peppers into 1-inch pieces and the zucchini into quarters, about 1/2 inch thick.  Toss those into a large skillet. 

Sauté over medium heat, using some olive oil if needed (about 1 tsp, or 1/2 tsp), until veggies are crisp tender. 

When the wild rice & brown rice are done cooking, stir those into the sautéed veggie mix.  Add the 1 tsp. parsley & splash of lemon juice to this addition & stir.   

Keep the dish warm on the stove while the chicken is finishing up.  Serve warm – enjoying the chicken & wild rice salad together. 

Refrigerate any leftovers, and enjoy them for lunch the next day.  The salad can be serve warm or chilled – we enjoyed it both ways! 

Here’s to a healthy, wholesome meal after all that candy ;-)

*Note: You can try this recipe using Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice – although any local would say to use the real thing (i.e., plain wild rice), in a pinch, subbing this will be just fine. 

Linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, what’s on your plate? Pintertest Kitchen