Gastronomy: Monday Night Eats, Cumin Chicken with Red Pepper and Coconut Rice

This recipe is a savory and incredibly easy dish for a weekday meal. Preparation and cooking time take about thirty minutes. For picky little ones, you can easily remove the peppers. An added bonus is deglazing the pan with white wine gives the cook a chance to have a glass herself, which makes the "witching hour" a little easier. Mondays just became a bit more tolerable.

Cumin Chicken with Red Pepper and Coconut Rice

1 c white rice

1 c light coconut milk

2 c chicken stock

1 T olive oil

1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 ½ inch pieces

2 large red bell pepper, sliced in julienne strips

2 large minced garlic cloves

2 t ground cumin

1 c white wine

1 T unsalted butter

1 bunch basil, roughly chopped

Cook rice according to package instructions—replace one cup of water with the coconut milk and 1 cup of water with chicken stock. Heat olive oil and butter in large deep skillet over medium heat. Pat chicken dry and salt and pepper both sides—brown about 10 minutes on each side until the chicken surface is brown. Add white wine and scrap the chicken bits off the pan—reduce wine by half and add garlic, cumin, and stock. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Add peppers and cook until softened, another 7 minutes or until juices are almost reduced. When rice is finished, salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken and peppers over rice—top with basil. Serves 4