Chicken and Rice
One of my favorite good ol southern comfort foods. You can make this with chicken thighs, boneless skinless chicken breast, a whole chicken, white rice or yellow rice. No matter what you use , this meal never disappoints. For this batch, I was in a scramble to whip somethin up for supper, so I used the boneless skinless chicken breast. Perfect for when youre in a bind to throw somethin on the table.
One of my favorite good ol southern comfort foods. You can make this with chicken thighs, boneless skinless chicken breast, a whole chicken, white rice or yellow rice. No matter what you use , this meal never disappoints. For this batch, I was in a scramble to whip somethin up for supper, so I used the boneless skinless chicken breast. Perfect for when youre in a bind to throw somethin on the table.
- Carbohydrate 0.110791944444444 g
- Cholesterol 91.2533333333333 mg
- Fat 1.96179472222222 g
- Fiber 0.0259027780161964 g
- Protein 36.3451208333333 g
- Saturated Fat 0.523748055555556 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (790g)
- Sodium 127.599972190167 mg
- Sugar 0.0848891664282481 g
- Trans Fat 0.520634722222222 g
- Calories 174 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large stock pot, bring the water, chicken, and seasoning to a boil on medium high heat for 30-40 minutes (you don't want the breast to be really dry from overcooking). If using thighs or a whole chicken, boil for 1-2 hours.
- Remove chicken from pot and let cool. (I like to stick them in the fridge to speed things up).
- While chicken is cooling, reserve about 5 cups of broth and dump the rest or reserve for later use;set aside.
- Once chicken has cooled enough to handle, shred or debone the meat.
- Pour 4 cups of the broth back into pot (saving 1 cup) and bring to a boil.
- Add the 2 1/2 to 3 cups of white rice and chicken to pot. Stir, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add the remaining cup of broth, cover and continue cooking 5 more minutes or until liquid is gone.
- Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper (and a couple tablespoons of butter if you dare); Enjoy!
Broth Management and Starch Control
Retaining five cups of cooking liquid gives you precise control over the starch-to-liquid ratio when the long grain white rice goes into the pot. Adding four cups initially allows the grains to absorb moisture and soften uniformly during the fifteen-minute simmer. Pouring the final reserved cup near the end prevents the bottom from scorching while hydrating the remaining grains to a tender finish without turning the pot into porridge.Alternative Cuts and Adjustments
Swapping boneless breasts for bone-in thighs or a four-pound whole bird requires extending the initial boil to one or two hours to break down collagen fully. Skim any excess fat from the surface of the pot after boiling if you prefer a cleaner broth flavor profile. Long grain white rice functions best here because the individual grains remain distinct and separate, whereas short grain varieties release excess surface starch and clump together under prolonged simmering.
