I have two really great memories from church from when I was really little, before I started enjoying church for its own sake (and mine!). One was that sometimes if we were really, really late, mom would decide we were too late to go in, so she’d take us to a (presumably Jewish) bakery near the church and we’d get brownies. Cut her a break, folks; she was a 25-year-old widow with 2 kids. Good on her taking us to church at all! My other great memory of church at that time was that they’d have potlucks, so you’d have all these neat things to choose from. But I never ate the other stuff, I always ate my mom’s chicken and rice! I have no idea how close this recipe is to her circa 1960s version. The whole thing is very flexible so it is great for slapping together with what you have. And of course, you can change the amounts to accommodate however many people you’re serving.
1 cup Jasmine or Basmati rice
3 cups chicken stock OR water + Pollo y Tomate (boullion, in the Mexican section LOVE THAT STUFF!)
3 boneless skinless breasts cut into 2 pieces each (pretty sure mom used a whole chicken cut up)
1 package “baby” carrots (or less, depending on how much you heart carrots) Of course you can use peeled, cut regular carrots
1/2 medium onion, cut in smallish chunks (I always use Vidalias)
In a cast iron skillet or nonstick fry pan, sear the chicken pieces in a small amount of oil, just to brown; season with salt and pepper. Remove to a casserole dish. Add 1 TB or more of butter to the pan, then brown the rice VERY slightly. You mostly just want the rice to become opaque with just a few grains actually browning. Heat the stock or bouillon water in the microwave. Lately, I’ve been putting the carrots in a bowl with the stock and microwaving all until it’s fairly hot. This seems to get the carrots cooking quicker; they are the long pole in the tent (business buzzword bingo). Add 2.5 cups of broth and everything else to the casserole dish, making sure the rice and broth are evenly distributed and the chicken pieces are on top. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 mins. This is an art, folks, not a science. You will need to check the rice after about 20 mins and make adjustments as needed to get the rice to the consistency you want. You can have firm rice or moister rice by a) adding more of the broth (moister) b) removing the foil (drier). If you want saltier rice, you can also dissolve salt or pollo y tomate in the water or broth you add after testing.
Optional additions: a pinch of one or more of thyme, tarragon, and/or basil
