Chicken-Rice Roger

Nancy sent this one in. Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen seems to have lit the fire in her kitchen! She writes:
I have an ancient cookbook titled "The I Hate To Cook Book". It looks like the Dead Sea Scrolls: it's a paper-back with brown, crispy pages which are crumbling at the edges and more than quite a few of the recipes have large grease stains on them (shows you how wonderfully often they were referred to). I checked the publishing date and it reads 1960! I know...I'm as old as Methuselah.

The recipes in this cookbook are about as easy as you'll ever find, so if you are in the category of "cooking for dummies", this particular recipe will please you no end. This recipe is one that was so popular that I even took it to weekend get-aways with my husband's cousin and her husband. We two women stayed up all night chewing the fat, and when we saw the morning light sliding through the Venetian blinds in the kitchen, we took the partially devoured chicken out of the fridge and finished it off while cold. You have to be a bit crazy to try that last part, but here is the warm version:

Note: To make this recipe Kosher I have substituted olive oil for the butter called for in the original recipe, and since I have been preparing this recipe for 40 years, it has also been tweaked in a couple of other places over the years (I use more onion than a couple of tablespoons, for heaven's sake, and I added some garlic!)

Chicken-Rice Roger

Utensils:

1. 9" x 11" Shallow Baking Dish
2. Measuring cup
3. Measuring spoons
4. Chopping Board
5. Sharp Kitchen Chopping Knife
6. Aluminum Foil to cover pan while baking

Ingredients:

1. 2-1/2 pound frying chicken (or 2 packages frozen breasts or thighs, thawed)
2. 3/4 cup uncooked rice
3. 1 medium onion, chopped
4. 2 cloves of garlic, peeled (of course) and chopped
5. 2 Chicken-Bouillon cubes dissolved in 1/-3/4 cups water (if you like to get fancy, use chicken stock)
6. Two 3-oz. cans of mushrooms (I often use fresh sliced mushrooms, instead....that is, if I'm not pressed for time)
7. 1/4 cup of Olive Oil (I'm guessing at this) so go easy with the Olive Oil
8. Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Dredge the chicken pieces in flour to coat.
2. Brown the chicken in about 1/4 inch of safflower or other veggie oil. Don't cook it all the way through....just lightly brown it.
3. While the chicken browns, put the rice, salt, and pepper in a greased casserole. Sprinkle the rice in a thin layer on the bottom of the pan.
4. Strew the chopped onion and garlic on top of the rice.
5. Do some of the same strewing with the cans of mushrooms, juice and all
6. Arrange the chicken artfully on top, pour the bouillon over it, and drizzle the olive oil on it.
7. Cover it with aluminum foil
8. Bake at 350 degrees F. (180 degrees Celsius) for an hour.

The rice is awesome in this dish. The chicken juices drip down on it and the onion and garlic and mushroom pieces flavor it deliciously.

Well you have to do the rice and make the chicken, so we are going to leave this at a 3-star for difficulty. But for those who want to get it all done together, chicken and rice, this is a good recipe to start with. Takes some planning and certainly a watchful eye on the oven. But is well worth it.

Comments

Great recipe Nancy, I make one similar and find combo dishes are flavor packed and easy.

I tend to use stock in place of bouillon due to the sodium.

I also add red and italian peppers and a touch of low sodium soy sauce.
ALWAYS QUESTION said…
I like your additions, Paula. I'm going to use them the next time I prepare this.

I also loved hearing about how you taught your kids to cook. I was always so passionate about food and working in my kitchen that all three of my kids (grown now) are into fine foods and cooking. My eldest son, Matthew, was a sous chef for a while. He still makes awesome Hollandaise and creme Brulee, and his Thai wife owned an ethnic restaurant in Philadelphia and cooks superbly.

I think you and I (and of course Ted) agree that food is indeed an art. Oh, and I have to add that I'm definitely saving your quick raspberry pie recipe. YUM!

Nance
Thank you for your kind comments Nance.

You have to post the Creme'Brulee recipe. That is my favorite dessert.

There is a whole Pie Fight section here which Ted has encouraged. I think he was just looking to see how many easy, no bake recipes he could trick us into submitting :)
They are great summer desserts.
Tara the Foodie said…
TAG, you're it!
Erin said…
I love the I Hate to Cook Book. I found it at a garage sale for 25 cents, and liked the cover illustration.
Anonymous said…
Hi all;
I decided to try the recipe of CHicken-Rice Rodger last night. Are you using minute rice or one of the instant ones? I used brown rice-not instant (which I never use). The rice came out kinda hard and very greasy. 'Shrooms cooked up great (used fresh) and I did skin the chicken. It was good- at little bland except for the rice.

Barbara
ALWAYS QUESTION said…
To Barbara: I use only natural, raw, uncooked long-grained white rice. Never Minute rice or instant of any kind.

I don't think brown rice would work well in this recipe because its cooking time is much longer than white rice, plus you really need more liquid than is called for in the recipe, and the slow baking would not be enough to completely cook the brown rice thoroughly.

Hope this helps.

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