One pot wonder: cheesy chicken and rice

This morning I decided to ask the kids what they wanted to eat for dinner. I was fully prepared to hear suggestions like "pizza", "sandwiches with pickles", or "peanut butter and jelly". To my surprise though, Sophie said "chicken and rice", then she added "with veggies would be yummy", and Bret chimed in "with cheese!". Ok, totally doable and a much better idea than I expected out of a 4 year old and a 3 year old. 

The best part about this particular idea for dinner is that it is super easy to make and only takes 1 pan. Who doesn't like cutting down on the dishes? That's right, the answer is no one. I don't know one person that would ever say "I wish I had more dishes to wash". So this meal being a one pot wonder is just that much better, and I have to give all the credit for this meal to my mini-me's (Or at least they are mini me's depending on who you talk to. 1/3 of the time I am told S looks like me and B looks like his dad. 1/3 of the time I hear B looks like me and S looks like her dad. The other 1/3 of the time I hear they both look like me.) 

I minced/cut everything before starting to cook anything so that I wasn't rushing around to mince the garlic when it was time to add it. I suggest doing this, since for the most part this doesn't take a ton of time until it's time to simmer. I chopped half of an onion (I used white, but you could also use yellow), minced 2 cloves of garlic, cut 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast into bite sized chunks, and cut about 2.5 cups of broccoli florets into bite sized pieces (I used frozen and used quick thaw, but fresh is probably better). 

The other ingredients you will need are 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 cup uncooked long grain rice (I used uncle ben's long grain wild rice, but you could also use white rice), 2 cups broth (I used vegetable since I ran out of chicken, but I would normally use chicken broth), 2 cups shredded cheese. 

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet or pan on medium heat and add onions. Saute until onions are soft. While that is going on, season chicken chunks with a dash of salt and pepper. Once onions are soft turn heat to medium high and add chicken. Brown the chicken. Once browned, add in minced garlic and cook 1 minute longer. 

Push the chicken and onions to one side of the pan and add the other tbsp of olive oil to the other side. Add the rice to the olive oil and saute for a couple of minutes. Pour broth into mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 12 minutes. Add broccoli and cook on low, covered for 8 more minutes. Remove from heat and mix 1 cup of the cheese in. Sprinkle the other cup of cheese over the top, cover, and let it sit for a couple minutes to let the cheese melt. Now enjoy the deliciousness! Seriously, it's delicious. I am so glad my kids randomly gave me this idea. This is one I will most definitely be making again. I'm fairly certain my husband will love it just as much as we did.