Over the past few years, I’ve been passing along some of my kitchen wisdom to a young man just starting out in the world.
Nothing formal. Just an occasional get-together when our schedules are cooperating and Paul has built up some more questions to throw into the pot. On this particular day it was going to be a lesson in chicken and rice.
I’m pretty sure that Paul’s idea of a good time — particularly on a gloriously sunny late afternoon — didn’t include pulling skin off raw chicken parts. Nor having to endure a food-crazed cooking partner’s incessant yammerings on the economical advantages of whole chickens vs. boned and skinned chicken breasts.
If the alternative hadn’t been the return to a life of nonstop ramen noodles and Hamburger Helper, he probably would have bolted from the scene.
Instead, Paul stayed on task, grappling determinedly with slippery poultry parts. However, once the raw chicken had been handled, we washed up, poured ourselves a beverage of choice and settled in to creating a pretty respectable meal.
Actually, we created several meals, because my goal for this lesson was to illustrate how he could buy one cut-up chicken and use it over two or three nights in different dishes.
I also introduced him to boneless and skinless chicken thighs. Although they cost considerably more per pound than the bone-in and skin-on varieties I pointed out that there is no waste with the thighs. And on those nights when the time between work and after-work activities leaves little time for dinner, the convenience of cooking with labor-free chicken is worth the extra money.
Paul hadn’t dealt with rice either, so this was a perfect opportunity to show him what a great time and money saver it can be. A lot of beginning cooks shy away from this versatile grain because they believe it’s tricky to cook.
With the standard long grain variety, that’s fairly true, since it won’t tolerate too many variations in cooking procedure if you want it to come out fluffy. Liquid measurements must be exact, and there’s no peeking during the steaming process or it will either turn sticky or dry.
Which is why we were working with medium grain rice. This variety, by definition, is supposed to be creamy when cooked, and is far more forgiving during the process. Even though, for general purposes, the ratio of medium-grain rice to liquid is 1 part rice to 2 parts liquid, it’s nice to know there’s some wiggle room.
Toward the end of the cooking period, for example, when testing the rice for tenderness, it’s perfectly all right to add more liquid if you sense it needs it.
On the other hand, if at the same point in cooking, you’ve determined that the rice is about done, yet it appears to be quite soggy, it’s totally acceptable to remove the lid and let some of the liquid cook off.
Additionally, I wanted to give Paul a sense of what it’s like to be able to simply walk into the kitchen, and without benefit from a recipe, throw a meal together. So we created the one pot chicken and rice dish below using some of the boned and skinned chicken thighs.
At the same time, we slow-roasted the thighs from the cut-up fryer (bone in, skin off) in the oven, and "dry-fried" chicken breasts (bone in, skin off) on top of the stove, using no fat or oil.
Just remember, the proportions are 1 part rice to 2 parts liquid. Once you’ve got the preparation down, you’ll realize that moving on to Paul’s one pot chicken and rice dish du jour is a natural.
Cooking <
BR>medium grain rice
Combine all of the ingredients in a 1 quart pan. Over medium-high heat, bring the liquid to a boil, stirring once at the beginning to make sure the rice is distributed throughout the water as it heats up. Once the liquid boils, reduce the heat to low, or until you can just barely maintain a gentle simmer (the surface will just barely jiggle with small bubbles, but not forming big, rollicking bubbles). Cover the pan and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Sometime during the early part of the cooking process, check on the progress to make sure the liquid is bubbling properly — not too little, not too much).
Makes 3 cups rice.
One-pot cooking: Great on the after work schedule, great on the budget, and great from a leftovers point of view.
When Paul and I prepared this dish, we didn’t use a recipe. We started with the concept that we had some raw chicken to use as well as the can of tomatoes. We based the amount of rice we should use on the size of the tomato can, keeping in mind the "1 part rice to 2 parts liquid" rule.
So Paul measured the 1 part rice using the empty tomato can, then estimated the 2 parts liquid using the same tomato can, factoring in the fact that the tomatoes were part liquid and part solid.
Paul’s one pot chicken and <
BR>rice dish du jour
Place the oil or margarine in a baking dish or pie plate, place it in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, pull and cut away the skin from the thighs, leaving the bones in. Once the oven has heated, arrange the chicken in the pan, smooth side down. Salt and pepper the pieces fairly generously, arrange in the pan smooth-side down, and bake for about 20 minutes. Turn the pieces, then salt and pepper the upper side and continue cooking until the chicken is nicely browned and firm to the touch, about 20 more minutes.
Alternate ideas: Consider using any number of herbs along with the salt and pepper. Rosemary is particularly nice with chicken, as is basil. Or you could brush on a bottled teriyaki glaze or barbecue sauce before cooking.
This procedure came about after my husband and I attended one of those "waterless cooking" demonstrations promoting a very expensive line of cookware.
Steve had doubts about the uniqueness of the product, stating that he believed any piece of chicken, for example, could be cooked in a pot using no liquid or oil, as long as the temperature was monitored and the bottom of the pan was relatively heavy and flat.
We tried it, he was right, and we’ve been cooking breasts this way ever since.
Dry-fried <
BR>chicken breasts
Place the pan on a burner over medium heat. Let the pan heat thoroughly (to test, sprinkle a few drops of water onto the surface — they should dance around frenetically for a moment, then evaporate completely). Now align the chicken breast over the pan, and in one swift and firm motion, press the "skin side" firmly down onto the surface of the skillet. There will be a startling chorus of pops, crackles and sizzles as the cold chicken hits the hot pan, and the meat will instantly cement itself to the pan. Keep pressing until the entire upper side of the chicken breast is clinging to the pan.
Simply let the chicken cook until the point comes when the pan has "released" the chicken from its clutches, and the surface of the meat is a deep golden brown. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the breast, cover the pan, lower the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking another 10 to 15 minutes. You can tell it’s done when it feels as firm to the touch as the palm of your hand when the fingers are clenched loosely into a fist.
The chicken is juicy and flavorful on its own, but could also be spiced up in any number of ways after cooking: seasoned salt, herb and spice blends, barbecue sauce, teriyaki glaze, ranch or blue cheese dressing or salsa.
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contract her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.
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