Chicken and Rice Skillet

Rice in America began by accident in 1685, after a storm damaged ship from Madagascar docked in the harbor of Charleston, SC. The captain of the ship gave a small bag of “Golden Seede Rice, “as a gift to a local planter. 

It was not likely to be the first appearance of rice in the New World. Colonists from Europe had also brought rice with them in the 1600s. 1726, Charleston was exporting more than 4,000 tons of rice a year, and “Carolina Golde” later became the standard of rice throughout the world. When America gained independence 50 years later, rice was one of the major agricultural crops.

America has exported more rice than it consumed. From the 18th century until the beginning of the Civil War, rice was a major crop of the Carolina and Georgia. Very labor intensive crop but wealthy rice plantations had hundreds of slaves, and from 100 to 300 were required, depending of the size of the plantation. Familiar with African rice cultivation, the slaves are credited with contributing significantly to the area’s industry before it was destroyed by the Civil War. Following the war, and with the mechanization of agriculture, rice growing moved west to Louisiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas and Mississippi.

1849, gold rush brought many immigrants to California, including an estimated 40,000 Chinese, whose staple food was rice. Rice production became a necessity. Fortunately, it grew well in California’s Sacramento Valley, in clay soil that was largely unsuited to other crops. Today, California is second largest rice producer, after Arkansas, the twelfth largest rice producer worldwide and the second largest exporter of rice, the first is Thailand.

Research Source: The Nibble

I’m not surprise one pot recipes are on the top of so many of our list when it comes to dinnertime. Try this one pot chicken and rice skillet recipe.

Chicken and Rice Skillet

Copyrighted 2014, Christine’s Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup

1 (14.5 oz.) can green beans, drained and rinsed

1 onion, chopped and sauteed

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

Mix all ingredients and pour into the skillet. Heat through. Serve and enjoy!

Note: Looking for more of my best rice recipes, click here.