CHICKEN AND RICE https://iowagirleats.com/one-pot-chicken-and-rice/
First Thing
You want to know how I make this dish
Alright
Let me show you
The Chicken Situation
Look
I use thighs
Bone in
Skin on
That is not a suggestion
That is a rule
You bring breasts to my kitchen
I send you back to the shop
Simple
Thighs have fat
Fat keeps meat moist
Fat melts into the rice
The bone releases collagen
Collagen makes everything better
Breasts dry out
Breasts have no flavor
Breasts are for people who hate themselves
I am joking
But I am also not joking
Use thighs
Drying the Chicken
First thing I do
I take the chicken out
Paper towels
Pat it dry
Press hard
Get every drop of water off
Water is the enemy
If there is water on the skin
It steams
Steamed skin is rubbery
Rubbery skin is disgusting
Nobody wants that
Salt both sides
White pepper
Be generous
Most people are scared of salt
I am not scared of salt
Salt brings out flavor
Heating the Pot
Pot on the stove
Medium-high heat
Add butter
Or ghee
Ghee is better
Does not burn as fast
Wait for it to melt
Wait for it to shimmer
Flick a drop of water in
If it sizzles
You are ready
Browning the Chicken
Put the chicken in
Skin side down
Do not crowd the pan
If the chicken touches
It steams
You do not want steamed chicken
You want browned chicken
Now leave it alone
Do not touch it
Do not move it
Do not check it
Six minutes
I know it feels long
I know you want to peek
Do not
The chicken releases from the pan
When it is ready
If it sticks
It is not ready
After six minutes
Skin is golden
Crisp
Flip it
Cook the other side
Five minutes
Not cooked through yet
That is fine
It finishes in the rice
Take it out
Put it on a plate
Do not wipe the pan
Those Brown Bits
Look at the bottom of your pan
All those brown bits stuck there
That is fond
That is flavor
That is gold
Do not wash it away
Do not scrape it off and throw it away
Keep it in the pan
The Aromatics
Turn the heat down
Medium
Onion in
One medium onion
Chopped fine
Finely
I hate biting into big chunks of onion
Take your time
Garlic in
Two cloves
Minced
Not smashed
Not crushed
Minced
Ginger in
Fresh ginger
Grated
About a tablespoon
Not powder
Not jar stuff
Fresh from the market
Now scrape the bottom
Wooden spoon
The brown bits dissolve into the onion mixture
That is where flavor comes from
That is the secret
Stir for two or three minutes
Onion softens
Garlic smells amazing
If garlic burns
Turn heat down
Burnt garlic is bitter
There is no fixing burnt garlic
The Rice
Add the rice
One and a half cups
Jasmine rice
Washed
I wash until water runs clear
If you do not wash
Rice gets sticky
Clumpy
Gluey
Nobody wants gluey rice
Stir rice into onion mixture
Let it cook for one minute
You hear crackling
That is toasting
Toasting keeps grains separate
Adds nutty flavor
The Liquid
Broth in
Two and a quarter cups
Chicken broth
Low sodium
If you use water
I will cry
Water has no flavor
Broth has flavor
Use broth
Add two slices of unpeeled ginger
Just cut them off the root
Skin on
Throw them in
Tie a spring onion stem in a knot
Drop it in
Adds aroma
Stir gently
Turn heat to high
Bring to a simmer
Bubbles across the surface
Not just at the edges
The Chicken Goes Back
Put the chicken on top of the rice
Push it down a little
Sits in the liquid
Not completely covered
As soon as bubbles appear
Lid on
Turn heat to lowest setting
Set timer
Fourteen minutes
Do Not Lift the Lid
I mean it
Do not lift the lid
I know you want to check
I know you are curious
Do not
Every time you lift
Steam escapes
Steam is cooking your rice
Steam is keeping your chicken moist
When steam escapes
You ruin everything
Resting
After fourteen minutes
Turn off the heat
Leave the lid on
Let it sit
Ten minutes
Do not touch
Do not peek
Just wait
Rice absorbs remaining liquid
Chicken finishes cooking
Juices redistribute
If you cut chicken right away
Juice runs out
Chicken gets dry
I have done this
It is sad
Do not do this
The Sauce
While you wait
Make the sauce
Spring onions
Slice thin
Green parts
About a cup
Ginger
Grated
Another tablespoon
Salt
Quarter teaspoon
Put in a heatproof bowl
Oil
Five tablespoons
Vegetable oil
Sunflower oil
Not olive oil
Olive oil burns
Heat oil in small pan
Almost smoking
Wisps of smoke
Pour hot oil over spring onions and ginger
Sizzle
Hiss
Smells like heaven
Stir
Let it cool
Serving
Big scoop of rice on a plate
Chicken thigh on top
Drizzle the sauce
Cucumber slices on the side if you have them
That is it
That is the dish
Problems
Things go wrong
Always
Rice crunchy
You lost steam
Lid does not fit
You peeked
Add two tablespoons of water
Cover
Cook five more minutes
Salvages it
Rice mushy
Too much liquid
Heat too low
Cannot fix
Next time measure carefully
Chicken skin pale
Pan not hot enough
Next time wait longer
Dry better
Sauce too oily
That is how it should be
Drizzle
Do not drown
Cooking for a Crowd
Need wider pot
Not deeper
Wider
If pot too deep
Rice does not cook evenly
I use two Dutch ovens
Same recipe
Same timing
Sauce scales easily
Double everything
People love sauce
They pour it on everything
Leftovers
Put in airtight container
Three days in fridge
Reheating
Do not microwave uncovered
Rice dries out
Chicken rubbery
Add splash of broth or water
Cover
Heat gently on stove
Or microwave with damp paper towel
Sauce keeps a week
Bring to room temperature
Do not microwave sauce
How I Learned
First time I made this
Terrible
Chicken dry
Rice bland
Wanted to quit
Kept trying
Figured out what went wrong
Adjusted
Learned
Now I can make this in my sleep
Any kitchen
Fifty people or five
Important things
Dry chicken
Brown properly
Toast rice
Do not lift lid
Rest it
Make sauce
Do not skip
Do not rush
Do not use chicken breast
Your Turn
Now you make it
Come back
Tell me how it went
Did you burn garlic
Did you lift lid
Did sauce sizzle
I been cooking fifteen years
Still get excited when someone makes my recipe
Drop comment below
Tell me everything
