Cook Chicken and Rice

Chicken and rice is a staple dish in the cuisines of many cultures, and there are a number of variations and ways to cook this dish. Chicken and rice can be baked, cooked in a saucepan or Dutch oven, or made like a stovetop casserole. The similar component with most variations of the dish is that the juices and broth from the chicken are used to cook the rice, giving the dish a unified flavor.

Ingredients

Basic Chicken and Rice

• 16 cups (3.8 L) water (approximately)
• 4-pound (1.8-kg) chicken, whole
• 3-4 celery stalks, rough chopped
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) pepper
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) oregano
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) celery salt
• 1½ teaspoons (7.5 g) dried parsley
• 3 cups (600 g) long-grain white rice

Chicken and Rice Casserole

• 10 ½ oz (298 g) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• ¾ (150 g) cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 g) paprika
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 g) ground black pepper
• 1 ¼ pounds (567 g) chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless

Spanish Chicken and Rice

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 pound (454 g) chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine
• 28 oz (794 g) diced tomatoes and liquid
• 1 cup (200 g) long-grain white rice
• 1 cup (150 g) frozen peas
• ¼ cup (5 g) fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup (24 g) pimiento-stuffed olives, chopped

Steps

Making Basic Chicken and Rice

1. Prepare the chicken. Remove the neck and organs from the cavity if they are present. You can either add the neck and gizzards in with the water to cook the chicken, or you can use them in another stock later.
2. Boil the chicken with the vegetables. Place the whole chicken in a large stockpot along with the celery, onion, oregano, celery salt, and water. Add half the pepper, half the salt, and 1 teaspoon (5 g) of the parsley. Reserve the remaining herbs and spices for later.
   • Depending on the size of the chicken and the pot, you may not need the full amount of water. Add enough water to cover the chicken plus an additional inch (2.5 cm) of water.
3. Cook the chicken. Bring the chicken to a boil over medium–high heat. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low or medium–low. Put a lid on the pot and simmer the chicken for about two hours.
   • You can get away with cooking the chicken for an hour, but the longer you cook it, the more tender it will become.
   • Cook the chicken for up to three hours if possible.
4. Remove the chicken from the pot. Use a heavy-duty slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the stock. Hold the chicken over the pot for a moment to allow the excess liquid to drain off. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
   • Allow the chicken to rest until it’s cool enough to handle.
   • Leave the remaining stock on medium–low heat.
5. Debone the chicken. When the chicken has cooled enough that it’s safe to touch, use your fingers to remove the meat from the bone. As long as the meat has been cooked long enough, it will fall off the bone easily.
   • Place the meat into a second large saucepan or stockpot.
6. Cook the rice and chicken in the stock. Place the rice and the remaining herbs and spices into the stockpot with the chicken meat. Add 6 cups (1.44 L) of the hot broth that you used to boil the chicken.
   • Put a lid on the pot and heat the mixture over medium–high heat. Bring it to a simmer and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
   • Continue keeping the original pot of broth warm on the stove.
7. Add more broth until the rice is cooked. Stir in a cup of broth and return the mixture to a simmer for five minutes. Continue adding broth in one-cup increments and cooking the rice for an additional five minutes until the rice is soft and creamy.
   • When the rice is finished cooking, you can stir in 6 tablespoons (84.6 g) of butter to make it even creamier.
8. Serve hot. When the rice is fully cooked, add salt and pepper to taste before serving. Basic chicken and rice can be served as a main meal or a side dish.
   • If there's any broth left over, you can freeze it and save it to make soup or rice later on.
   • Store the broth in an air-tight container in the freezer, and it will last for up to six months.

Baking a Chicken and Rice Casserole

1. Preheat your oven. Set your oven to 375 F (191 C). This is a simple and convenient one-dish meal, and it requires very little preparation and equipment.
   • Aside from a stirring spoon, you only need an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.
2. Fill a baking dish with the ingredients. Place the water, rice, soup, and spices in the baking dish and stir to incorporate. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the rice. Be sure to spread them out so they don’t overlap, otherwise they won’t cook evenly.
   • Instead of mushroom soup, you can use an alternative cream soup or a combination of mushroom, celery, and chicken.
   • For a more traditional style chicken and rice, you can also cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and mix it in with the other ingredients.
3. Season and cover the dish. Season the top of the chicken with additional pepper and paprika, to taste. Cover the dish with either a lid or a sheet of tin foil. You can also sprinkle other spices on top of the chicken, such as:
   • Rosemary
   • Marjoram
   • Oregano
   • Tarragon
   • Chili powder
   • Sage
4. Bake the casserole. Bake the covered casserole for about 45 minutes, until the chicken and rice are cooked. Chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 167 F (75 C).
   • If you don’t have a thermometer, cut open one of the chicken breasts and make sure there's no pink left in the meat.
5. Allow to cool before serving. Let the casserole rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Then, remove the chicken from the dish and portion it out. Add a few spoonfuls of rice to each dish as well.
   • A proper portion of chicken is about four ounces (113 g), which is roughly the size of a deck of cards or an iPhone.

Making Spanish-Style Chicken and Rice

1. Heat the oil. Pour the oil into a large saucepan and heat it over medium heat. This dish, called Arroz con Pollo in Spanish, is another convenient one-dish meal that you make in a large saucepan.
   • Make sure the saucepan you're using has a lid so that you can cover the dish as it cooks.
2. Cut and season the chicken. With a sharp knife, carefully cut the chicken into 2.5-inch (6.4-cm) cubes. Place the chicken into a bowl and season it with salt and pepper, to taste.
   • If you're unsure about the salt and pepper ratios, use ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) salt and ¼ teaspoon (1.25 g) pepper.
3. Brown the chicken. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and cook for about two minutes per side, or until the meat is golden brown.
   • When the oil is hot and ready, the surface will shimmer and glisten like wind blowing across the surface of a pond.
4. Add vegetables. Stir in the onion and bell pepper. Cook these for about five minutes, stirring frequently, until they're soft. Then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
   • Don’t cook the garlic for longer than a minute, or it could burn and become bitter.
5. Add the wine, tomatoes, and rice. Pour in all the juice from the tomatoes as well. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste, or use the same ratios as before. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
   • After the mixture comes to a boil, place a lid on it while it simmers.
   • A good dry wine for cooking chicken and vegetables is a chardonnay or sauvignon blanc.
6. Add the peas. After 20 minutes of simmering, add the peas. Put the lid back on, and continue simmering for a few minutes to heat the peas through. This will take about two minutes.
   • Once the peas are heated, remove the saucepan from the heat.
7. Finish with olives and parsley before serving. Stir in the olives while the dish is still piping hot so they warm up. Then, spoon individual portions into bowls or plates, and garnish each with a sprinkle of parsley.

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Sources and Citations

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