Chicken and rice with creamy herb sauce

This is so simple and so delicious that it pretty much shouldn't be legal.  But it is and is and is!  If you prepare the rice ahead of time and use pre-cooked chicken, it will only be as long as it takes to heat through before it's ready for dinner.  Even if you start from total scratch at dinnertime, it will only take about 40 minutes...the time it takes to do the rice.  Just start the chicken and sauce after the rice gets underway.

A fabulous vegetable accompaniment is fresh green beans stir fried in olive oil, topped with dried cranberries and a bit of sesame oil. 


Chicken and Rice with Creamy Herb Sauce

1 c long grain or brown rice
2 1/4 c water

3/4 c chicken stock
1/4 c dry white wine
4 skinned chicken breast halves

1 t cornstarch
1 T chicken stock mixture
3 oz Neufchatel-style cheese with herbs

Start the rice.  In a large skillet, bring the chicken stock and wine to a boil.  Add the chicken breasts, cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, turning so they are cooked completely.  Remove the breasts from the liquid and set aside.  Mix the cornstarch and a bit of the cooking liquid together and use to thicken the stock.  Stir the cheese into the liquid and heat well, stirring constantly.  Add the chicken back and keep warm until serving time.  Serve chicken and sauce over rice.