Bright, balanced, and bursting with flavor, this recipe for my Easy Shrimp and Chicken Skillet Rice is about to become your new favorite weeknight wonder. Lean protein, lots of veggies, and long-grain white rice combine forces with a spicy garlic-lemon marinade for a delectable, balanced meal that's ready in just 30 minutes!
Add chicken to a resealable gallon-size bag, along with bell peppers, jalapeño, onions and cilantro.
In a separate resealable gallon-size bag, add the shrimp.
In a small bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and combine.
Split the marinade between the two bags. Seal the bags and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.
Cook the rice. (See directions.)
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook chicken mixture. Cook chicken about 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and chop.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the same skilletwith drippings over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes per side.
Stir chopped chicken, veggies and cooked shrimp into the rice.
Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired and serve.
Rice:
Heat butter in a medium stock pot over medium heat and add rice. Stir until rice is slightly browned. Add the onions and stir for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add chicken broth. Stir and let mixture come to a boil; lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Notes
Optional Variations
Dairy-Free - Use plant-based butter to make this dish suitable for lactose-intolerant folks.
Brown Rice - Swap in long-grain brown rice for a boost in fiber and nutrients. Just note that the rice cooking time will increase by about 10-20 minutes.
Expert Tips
Add Extra Flavor To Your Rice. First, toast the rice with a bit of butter and sautéed onions, and then slowly simmer it in an organic chicken broth for the tastiest rice around. Toasting and cooking your rice in broth provides a delicious, savory flavor that quickly transforms plain white rice into something special.
Use Large Shrimp To Help Prevent Overcooking. Shrimp cooks super quickly! It only needs a few minutes, but using larger shrimp gives you a slightly larger window. Once it turns pink and opaque, it's ready. If you cook it too long, it'll start to curl up into "O's" and become rubbery.
Buy Frozen Shrimp. Not only is it usually cheaper than the "fresh" kind (that's just been defrosted for display), but you can also buy the shrimp peeled and deveined to keep the preparation process as quick and easy as possible.
Don't Toss Your Drippings! Use the leftover yummy pan drippings from the chicken skillet and a bit of butter for the perfect mixture to cook up the shrimp.