Cold Comfort Lemon Chicken and Rice

James and I have a wee beastie of a bug - nothing bad enough to take us out, just bad enough to make us wish it would. So, when the breathing's bad and the lungs are achy and there's nothing to do but deal, a bowl of what James calls "Chicken Glop on Rice" really hits the spot. "Chicken Glop on Rice" can take may forms - Chicken Mushroom, Chicken Veggie, Chicken Something Else - but this one in particular is my mild-mannered favorite: Lemon Chicken and Rice.

While I would never call this dish bland, I would say that the recipe I'm posting is gentle. You can amp up the flavors by adding more onion and garlic, and an extra tablespoon of lemon juice at the end. You can even lower the ratio of rice to sauce and eat it as a thick chicken and rice soup. The variations are pretty extensive, so you can play around and make it your own whenever the craving for "Chicken Glop on Rice" strikes.

Adapted from a recipe posted on seriouseats.com by Blake Royer.

Ingredients:

- 4 chicken breasts, 1 1/2 - 2lbs., patted dry and cut into 1 in. chunks

- 2 tbs. butter

- 4 tbs. flour

- 4 cups chicken broth

- 1 cup milk or half-and-half

- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

- juice of 1 lemon, 2 tbs. reserved

- zest from 1/2 a med. lemon, cut into strips

- 1 lg. clove of garlic, crushed

- 1 shallot, sliced thin

- 1 - 1 1/2 cup rice

Process:

1. Rinse the rice and cook it until tender. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium - low heat until the foam subsides. Add the garlic and cook only until fragrant - 30 sec. Add the flour and whisk it into the butter, breaking up any clumps, then quickly add the stock while whisking. Add the lemon zest, then bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.

3. Remove the zest with a wooden spoon, then add the milk, nutmeg, 2 tbs of lemon juice, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the sauce is creamy and thick. Off heat, add an additional tbs. of lemon juice (or more / less to taste). Set aside and keep warm on the lowest possible heat.

4. Season the chunks of chicken with fresh pepper, kosher salt and dill. Saute half of the chicken until it's cooked through, and looks nice and brown. Transfer it to a plate and tent with foil, then saute the rest of the chicken, and tent it with the rest.

5. While the chicken is resting, saute the shallots in a dab of butter until translucent but not browned. Add the shallots to the sauce. Then add the chicken and juices to the sauce. Stir and let the sauce simmer at very low heat for 1 or 2 minutes.

6. Put the rice into a serving bowl, and then the sauce into another. Spoon portions of rice into individual bowls and top with the chicken and sauce. This recipe makes enough for 4 hungry adults. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Eat, enjoy and feel better :-)