Deconstructed Chicken and Rice

My Love-Hate Relationship with Chicken & Rice

I love Chicken & Rice; creamy rice with perfectly seasoned chicken all cooked together in a savory casserole. Done right, it is yummy comfort food that can satisfy the most ferocious hunger. The key phrase here is “done right”. I’ve made some version of chicken and rice more times than I care to count, and maybe, just maybe, it’s turned out perfectly one or two times. Part of the rice gets over cooked and mushy; some of the rice is still crunchy and hard. If by some miracle, I managed to get the rice cooked just right, the chicken is still raw! AARRRGH!!!

So, instead of putting uncooked rice, mushroom soup and chicken all together to bake. I’ve deconstructed the dish and it always turns out (finally)!

Baked Chicken with Rice Pilaf and Chicken Cream Sauce

Serves 6-8

4 large chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on

Kosher Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

onion powder

Italian Seasoning

Cayenne pepper (optional)

2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil

2 cups of uncooked long-grain white rice

1 medium onion, diced

2-3 stalks of celery, chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped into half circles

4 cups of water

4 teaspoons of chicken bouillon

Drippings from baked chicken

Flour

Milk

Chicken bouillon

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a baking pan with aluminum foil if desired. Rinse the chicken and pat dry; place in baking pan and season with salt, pepper,onion powder, Italian seasoning, and a dash of cayenne pepper (if desired).

Bake at 375 for about 30-45 minutes or until done.

While the chicken is baking away in the oven, place the oil, onion, celery and carrots in a pot and saute vegetables until the onions begin to become transparent. Add the rice and stir well. Dissolve the chicken bouillon in the water and add to the rice and vegetables, bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to low. Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until there is no more water in the pot and the rice is tender.

Once the chicken is done, place it on a cutting board or plate and cover with foil. Drain all the juices and fat out of the baking dish into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce and add enough flour to make a thin paste. Slowly, add cold milk to the flour mixture all little at a time and stir constantly. The sauce will thicken, as it does, slowly add more milk until the sauce reaches desired consistency. Add chicken bouillon and pepper to taste.

Uncover the chicken, and carve off the bone.

To serve, place rice on a place, top with chicken and smother in sauce.