Chicken and Rice

From The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook we have Chicken and Rice. The recipe called for chicken thighs. The chicken thighs at the store were very sad looking so I opted for 2 bone-in breasts. I cut the breasts in half and then followed the recipe. Even though this was cooking for 2 we still had leftovers!

Chicken and Rice, from The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
salt and pepper
4 (5- to 7- ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced (I didn't use this)
3/4 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/8 tsp dried
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 3/4 cup broth, rice and 1/4 tsp salt in bowl. Cover and microwave until rice is softened and most of the liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with the paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in medium ovensafe saucepan over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken well, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to plate.
3. Pour off all but 1 tsp fat from saucepan. Add onion and 1/4 salt and cook over medium-low heat until soften and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup broth and wine, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in parcooked rice, breaking up any large clumps, and bring to simmer. Place browned chicken skin side up on rice, cover (Use ovensafe cover for the pot), and bake until rice is cooked through and the chicken registers 175 degrees, about 25 minutes.
4. Using potholders (saucepan handle will be hot), remove saucepan from oven. transfer chicken to serving platter and tent chicken loosely with aluminum foil. Fluff rice with fork, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice.

Chicken and Rice

 

Comfort Food Alert!!!! From Lidia's Favorite Recipes. Oh this was very good. Perfect for a cold day like today. It was quite easy to make. It required a bit of hands on time but so worth the time spend at the stove.

This recipe serves 4 to 6 people. I cut it in half and still had leftovers for lunch.

Ingredients -
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup onion cut into 1- inch chunks
1 cup carrot cut into 1- inch chunks
1 cup celery cut into 1- inch chunks
2 plumb cloves of garlic (I did not add the garlic)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 fresh bay leaf (I used dried)
1 cup dry white wine
5 cups hot chicken or turkey stock (I used chicken)
2 cups Italian short-grain rice such as Arborio
2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
3 tbsp chopped Italian
1 /2 cup grated Parmigiano, plus more for passing


Method -
Trim any extra fat from the chicken and cut the thighs into 1 inch chunks.  In a food processor, mince the onion, carrot, celery and garlic into a fine textured pestata.
Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and set over medium high heat. Stir in the pestata and and season with one teaspoon of the salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pestata has dried. Toss in the chicken and the bay leaf, and sprinkle with one more teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the chicken is browning and caramelizing. Raise the heat and add the wine, stirring and scraping up the browned bits in the pan. Cook until the most of the wine has evaporated. While stirring, pour in the hot stock and the rice. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce the heat to keep it bubbling gently. Cook for 14 minutes (It took me 20 minutes), or until the rice and chicken are fully cooked and the rice is a creamy consistency.

Turn off the heat and drop in the butter, stirring until it's completely incorporated, then stir in the parsley and the 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Serve immediately with additional cheese to pass around at the table.