TheMysteryWriter Introduction/ Food Frenzy: Lemon Chicken & Rice

TheMysteryWriter here, just thought I might introduce myself a little better now that we are acquainted. I'm a quiet, more reserved kind of person, and I struggle through my shyness. I tend to hide behind the written word, slowly showing my personality through pen and paper. I don't like being the center of attention but hide behind my work of words, art, and photography. I greatly enjoy reading; it's my getaway from reality. I cherish my friends, and I pick them carefully, having been burned in the past. I'm still slow to open up, even to my close friends because the walls I have built up over time, as I mentioned in my previous post. I'm an introvert with extroverted qualities, and somehow I really love people, I just can't always be around others. I need my alone time but still enjoy talking to and meeting new people. Though, my shy side still shines through very strongly at times, even with my closest of friends. So there you have it, I'm an extroverted introvert who hides behind books, paper, art, and the camera.
And I hope with time I may open up with you fine readers.

And before we sign off today, I would like to introduce another segment of this blog: Food Frenzy.
We all love to eat, right?
Dumb question.
Should I just get on with it?
Okay.
So with this in mind, coupled with my passion for all things edible, I had the bright idea to share a couple of my tried and true recipes with my lovely readers.
Cooking should be a fast, relaxing, and enjoyable process- especially come dinner time when the day has already been long, and the family is already famished. It's my goal to present some instructions that are easy to follow, that even the simplest of cooks can recreate them.
So put on the latest episode of LORE, tie on your apron, and let's get cookin!

Lemon Chicken & Rice

Ingredients for Rice:
1 cup of jasmine rice (you can substitute any type of rice you please, this is just my favorite.)
1/4-1/2 cup of a yellow onion- diced (eyeball it depending on your taste in onion)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
Salt
Olive Oil

Ingredients for Chicken:
2 large chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour (in a shallow baking dish w/ salt and pepper)
The juice of 2-3 lemons
Chicken stock
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Chopped Fresh Parsley (optional)

Additional:
Parchment Paper
Kitchen Mallet

Instructions: (Feeds about 2-3, 4 if they are tiny.)

1. Put a medium sized pan on the stove, and turn up the heat to medium- medium/high. Prepare your onion and garlic as the stove is warming.
2. Once heated, add a coating of olive oil to your pan, and add the onion. Sprinkle over a pinch of salt, this will cause your onions to sweat and start turning translucent. Next, add your garlic.
3. Take a second to admire the heavenly fragrance. (Perfume idea?)
4. Let the onion and garlic meld for about a minute, then add your rice. Stir it into the garlic/ onion mixture. This toasts the rice, bringing out the nutty flavors and adding a well rounded taste to your rice. Let that go for about 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
5. Depending on the type of rice you are using, add your water to the pan. If using jasmine rice this amount will be 1 1/2 cups. Turn the heat to high, and wait until it comes to a boil. Once boiling, put the lid on top and turn down the heat to LOW. Set your time for 15-20 minutes.
6. Now it's chicken time! Set another pan over medium/high heat. Get out a large cutting board, and cover it with parchment paper. Add one chicken breast to the board with tongs, and cover with another sheet of parchment paper.
7. Grab your mallet, and it's time to work out all that built up anger from the day. Who's face are you imagining that chicken to be?
8. Pound out your chicken, using smooth and fluid movements. It should be about a 1/2 inch when finished. Cut the chicken with scissors, in half (This way they will cook faster). Grab the tongs and place the chicken in the baking dish the flour mixture.
9. Repeat steps 6-8 with the second chicken breast. Continue to coat the chicken breasts with the flour on all sides, shake off all excess.
10. Coat the pan with a shallow drizzle of olive oil. Place all chicken in the pan, it should be sizzling and start to bubble.
11. Let the chicken fry for about 3-4 minutes, then flip. They should be golden brown. (You are not cooking them all the way through.)
12. After frying for 3-4 minutes on both sides take them out of the pan and place them on a plate or cookie sheet.
13. Get a wooden spoon ready, and your lemon juice. While pouring the juice in the pan, scrape the bottom of the pan. BE CAREFUL! It will bubble! And steam! Be sure you get up all the bits on the bottom of the pan, this will help create a yummy sauce.
14. Continue stirring the lemon juice as you pour in about 1/4 cup of chicken stock into the pan. Keep adding the stock until you have a shallow pool for your chicken to set in (probably another 1/4).
15. Add the chicken back into the pan, and set the heat to HIGH. When the liquid starts to boil, turn the heat to LOW or MEDIUM/ LOW. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.
16. Your rice should be ready! Take off the lid and grab a fork. Scrape your fork across the rice to fluff it up. (This is my secret to fluffy rice.) Add salt to taste.
17. When the chicken is ready, uncover and turn the heat off. (Add salt/pepper if necessary)You're ready to plate!
18. Spoon a nice portion of rice on your plate, stack 2 pieces of chicken on top of the rice, and spoon some of the sauce on the chicken. Sprinkle over the parsley for a nice fresh flavor.
19. Serve to your guest or family. They are sure to be impressed by your newly found cooking skills.
20. Sucka! Now you have to cook all the meals.
21. You're welcome.

Always be safe while cooking, burns hurt. And even if it might seem like the pan is well balanced on the counter, it's not. And it'll fall. And then you'll have to order pizza, PLUS clean up the kitchen.
And that's what I'm here for, helping all to learn from my failed attempts in life.
Thank you MysteryWriter for the introduction, always enjoyable hearing from you.
And thank you family for eating my cooking.
And thank you all for reading these mediocre little posts.
So until next time,
Happy Reading
&
Happy Eating!

*Don't look at me like that Scout, you'll make a cameo soon enough...*