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Chicken and Rice

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Makes 4 Servings 1x

Time 1 Hour

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 whole cut-up chicken or about 3 pounds parts
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large or two small onions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups short-grain white rice
  • Pinch saffron threads, or other spices to taste
  • 3 1/2 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock, or more as needed
  • 1 cup peas (frozen are fine; no need to thaw them)
  • 2 limes, quartered, for serving

Instructions

  1. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, undisturbed but adjusting the heat so the chicken sizzles but doesn’t burn, until the pieces release easily from the pan, 5 to 10 minutes. Then turn and rotate them every few minutes to brown them evenly. As the chicken pieces brown, after another 5 to 10 minutes, remove them from the pan.
  2. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium and pour or spoon off most of the oil so that only 2 tablespoons remain. Add the onions to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until they soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and rice; cook, stirring, until the rice is glossy and coated with oil. Crumble in the saffron threads (or whatever seasonings you’re using).
  3. Return the chicken to the pan, add the water, and stir gently to combine everything. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat so it bubbles gently but steadily. Cover the skillet and cook, undisturbed, for 20 minutes, then check the rice and chicken. The goal is to have the liquid absorbed, the rice tender, and the chicken cooked through. If the rice is dry but nothing is ready, add another 1/4 cup water and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. The meat is done when a quick-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 155 to 165°F.
  4. Remove the skillet from the heat. Taste the rice and adjust the seasoning. Add the peas, then cover the pan again and let it sit for 5 to 15 minutes. You can serve straight from the skillet. Or fish the chicken out of the pan and transfer it to a serving platter. Fluff the rice with a fork, spoon it around the chicken. Either way, garnish with the lime wedges.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything: The Basics

Recipe variations

Sear something

Put a knob of butter or film of oil—chosen to reflect how much you want to taste it—in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium heat. (You should have a fitted lid or foil nearby.) When it’s shimmering, add whatever you want as “the chicken.” That could be bone-in chicken parts, pork chops or steak, or tofu planks. It could also be cauliflower steaks, split eggplants or delicata squash, portobello mushroom caps, wedges of cabbage. (You see where I’m going.) Sprinkle with salt and adjust the heat so whatever you’ve got sizzles around the edges without burning. (You’ll be able to see and smell the difference without peeking.) Resist the temptation to fuss before it’s well seared. It’s okay if the fit is a little snug; as long as you let the food brown on one side before you start moving it, you’ll still get a good crust. Then turn, move, rotate as necessary to even the color, and transfer the pieces to a plate as they’re ready.

 

Gloss the grains and season

When the pan is empty, tip it to check the fat. Spoon off or add more to get you to 2 to 4 tablespoons—less if the food you just cooked is fatty; more if you’re using plants. If you like, soften some aromatics like onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, or ginger in the hot pan. Now decide if you’re going with white short-grain rice or something else. (We’ll call this “the base.”) Steel cut oats, quinoa, or lentils will all cook in about the same time as the rice in the recipe below. To use something longer-cooking—like millet, farro, or brown rices, give them a head start before returning the “chicken” to the pan. You’ll be using your judgment and checking for doneness but no harm in that. After tossing the grains or lentils in the oil, stir in seasoning. A curry or chile blend, a five-spice “plus”, dried or fresh rosemary or oreganoare all great, as is almost anything else you can think of. If going with saffron you don’t need more than a small pinch; how much of other spices will depend on their potency. If unsure, go easy and taste and add more later.

 

Add liquid and assemble

“The base” and spices will only take a couple minutes to gloss. As soon as they’re fragrant, pour in the liquid. Water. Stock. Coconut milk. Juice. Or some combination of those. Whole grains and lentils will take a little more than the recipe says. The idea is to submerge them in the skillet with about 1/2 inch pooling on top. You’ll check it midway and be able to add more. This is the step where you might decide to cover and cook for a while. The idea is that you can return “the chicken” to the pan now or in a few minutes—so that it takes about as long to finish cooking as “the base.” It sounds imprecise and it is. But that’s okay. You’re going to check once in a while for the tenderness of the grains or beans and not worry so much about overcooking “the chicken.” As long as there’s a little bubbling liquid in the skillet and you don’t smell burning, what’s the worst that can happen? Things might be a little softer than you hoped, is all. And next time it will be perfect.

 

Add finishes and rest

So “chicken” and “base” have been simmering  together for a bit—somewhere around 20 minutes if you’re following along in the recipe—and it smells wonderful. Everything is done or nearly so and there’s a small amount of liquid left. Now’s the time to stir in a fresh finish, like herbs, chopped tender greens, frozen peas or corn, snap or snow peas, canned or frozen beans, or scallions. Cover and turn off the heat. This important step also makes the dish perfect for entertaining, since you can wait up to 15 minutes before serving.

 

Adjust texture and doneness

The goal is for “the chicken” to be ready to eat when “the base” has absorbed all of the liquid and be tender but not too wet. Fortunately, “the chicken” has a big window of doneness so you have flexibility getting “the base” where you want it. If you’ve got tenderness in the grains or lentils but too much liquid, return to medium-high heat, uncover, and let some bubble away before serving. For grains or legumes that are still too firm, add some water, cover, and simmer for another few minutes before checking again.