chicken looks perfect - I like the rice & noodley thing too!
that rice is a huge hit. butter, cooking oil, a bunch of mustard seeds and a half bag of Mexican vermicelli (like $0.39 for 8 oz), turmeric (adds that yellow color) and powdered chicken bouillon - Knoor brand).
sautee the mustard seeds and vermicelli in the butter and oil till the vermicelli develops some color. be careful as the mustard seeds will pop when in oil so don't add them too soon. once vermicelli has color, add the rice and gently toast it too. this brings out rice's nutty flavor. sprinkle in some ground turmeric and the chicken bullion and continue to stir but not burn the ingredients. when a nice aroma develops, add in the water per the amount of rice you're cooking (2 parts water to 1 part rice and a little extra water to account for hydrating the vermicelli). bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover the pan for 4-5 mins. avoid the water boiling over the pot. after the rice is cooked for 5 mins, stir to ensure even distribution of all ingredients. cover and cook on low for 10-15 min, depending on how much rice you're cooking. this cook was 2 cups dry rice and a little less than 5 cups of water. turn burner off after the 10-15 mins and DO NOT OPEN THE LID. let the rice settle and stem in the pan for an additional 5 mins.
after the rice is rested, you can pop the lid off and gently fluff the rice with a fork. then plate/serve and enjoy.
this is kind of like rice-a-roni but a MUCH better version with more flavor and less crap in it (though the boullion does have some less than very healthy ingredients, but it isn't too bad for ya).
this is also a base for mexican rice which has tomatoes, jalapenos, chopped onion and corn kernels in it.
