RECIPE: Time-saving tricks for sensational stovetop chicken and rice
Chicken and rice is classic comfort food whether presented as fancy or homey. It also makes for an excellent one-pot dinner. The one problem: This poultry-grain combo can take up to an hour to cook, and even longer if you’re looking to increase the nutrition and nutty flavor by using brown rice. However, with some smart shopping and good technique, you can turn out flavor-packed chicken and rice in less than 30 minutes.
The solution to cooking chicken quickly is easy: use boneless, skinless thighs. They’ll not only cook completely in a matter of minutes, but, because they contain more fat and connective tissue than breast meat, they’ll hold up to a 10-minute simmer that will infuse the entire dish with chicken flavor.
For the rice, I like to use par-cooked “90-second” packets of brown rice. Any brand will do. I skip the directions on the packets and simmer the rice with the chicken, frozen peas, lemon slices and water. This step will result in ultra-tender rice that soaks up the flavor from the meat and lemon.
These ingredient choices speed up the preparation and boost the flavor. A few extra steps before the final simmer take this dish from good to great. First, take the time to brown the chicken before doing anything else. After the chicken browns, caramelize tomato paste in the residual oil. Both of these steps will create an umami-rich fond on the bottom of the skillet that, once simmered with plain water, will form a delicious, brothy cooking liquid.
The best part? No need to dirty a serving dish. Bring the skillet straight to the table and dive in.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 2 (8.8 ounce) packets 90-second brown rice
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- Coat the bottom of a deep, 12-inch skillet or saute pan with olive oil. Place over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the tomato paste to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Pour in the water, bring to a simmer, and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the rice and frozen peas and spread into an even layer. Top with the browned chicken and lemon slices, pouring any accumulated chicken juices from the plate into the skillet.
- Bring to a simmer, cover the skillet, and cook until the chicken is very tender and the rice is flavorful, about 10 minutes. Serve directly from the skillet. Serves 4.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 444 calories (percent of calories from fat, 31), 38 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 15 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 155 milligrams cholesterol, 929 milligrams sodium.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
