This is not a fancy dish. It is extremely basic. And it is extremely delicious!
It's basically just what the name says - Chicken and Rice. As in, already-cooked chicken and rice. With Parmesan cheese.
So, first, cook the chicken in the crock pot and pull it apart. Here's a more detailed description: Crock Pot Chicken
Be sure to save the juice! Don't add it to the stock if you make stock, keep it separate! That's a major part of the flavor!
Then, cook the rice. But don't cook it quite as long - you want it a little al dente. Here's the method I use: How to Cook Brown Rice - I would say boil 20-25 minutes and steam 10, instead of 30 and 10.
Keep in mind rice expands to about 3 times the original volume! I recently used about 3/4 cup dry for three people, and had a bit left over.
So, you have your hot rice steaming. If your chicken and juice are still hot, you can skip this next step:
Put about a cup of chicken juice in a small pot with some pulled-apart chicken. Turn on the heat. You don't have to cook it long, just enough to make sure it's nice and hot. If you didn't have much juice, add a little water and let it all cook together a little longer.
When the rice is done steaming, take off the lid and pour in the chicken and juice. Stir it around to mix thoroughly, then put the lid back on for 2-3 minutes to let the juice soak into the rice. If it's still a little runny you can turn the burner on and reduce it - just keep stirring or it will stick.
Finally, serve with lots of Parmesan cheese! I like to layer the cheese and rice in my bowl. Or you could transfer it all into a casserole and layer it that way... The point is to get the cheese mixed in with the chicken and rice so it gets melty and adds that flavor.
It seems very basic - and it is! But that pure chicken juice, plus the saltiness and flavor of the Parmesan cheese, makes it very rich, and very tasty!
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Crock Pot Chicken - Cooking chicken to use later
This is extremely basic - more of a technique than a recipe. It's how I usually cook chicken in order to use it in other recipes, or sometimes as lunchmeat. It also makes a lot of delicious chicken juice to use in soup and other things.
Chicken breasts or thighs work best. You can get the boneless-skinless, but you don't have to. If you do get bone-in chicken, you can use the bones to make stock.
Put the chicken in a crock pot. If you have a small rack to set it on, that will let it roast and keep the juice dripping down; otherwise half the meat ends up sitting in the juice. Which is okay, but I like the texture better if it's sitting up above.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours, maybe more if it's really packed. You can always check to make sure that it is cooked through, juice runs clear and it pulls apart easily.
Take the cooked chicken out and put it in a casserole or on a plate. Let it sit and cool for a while. After it is cool get a second plate and a container to put the meat in after you pull it apart. I like to pull it into fairly small pieces, to use with soup or noodles. This part gets messy.
Save the bones and some of the skin, and any dubious bits like cartilage that you wouldn't want to keep in with the main meat.
Carefully pour the juice from the crock pot into a jar or other container. Maybe dip most of it out with a ladle or measuring cup first, if there's a lot.
Take the bones/skin/weird bits and put them in a pot. Pour a cup or two of water into the crock pot and swish it around to rinse off any last drops of juice - and pour that into the pot with the bones. Add some more water until the bones are well covered, and sprinkle some salt in. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a medium simmer, put a lid on it, and let it go for an hour or so.
Use a slotted spoon to remove everything from the pot of stock except the liquid. You can either pour that into jars or containers to store (please do not pour boiling water into plastic. Let it cool!) or go straight into making soup or whatever. You can add the juice to the soup, or use it for other things.
Chicken breasts or thighs work best. You can get the boneless-skinless, but you don't have to. If you do get bone-in chicken, you can use the bones to make stock.
Put the chicken in a crock pot. If you have a small rack to set it on, that will let it roast and keep the juice dripping down; otherwise half the meat ends up sitting in the juice. Which is okay, but I like the texture better if it's sitting up above.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours, maybe more if it's really packed. You can always check to make sure that it is cooked through, juice runs clear and it pulls apart easily.
Take the cooked chicken out and put it in a casserole or on a plate. Let it sit and cool for a while. After it is cool get a second plate and a container to put the meat in after you pull it apart. I like to pull it into fairly small pieces, to use with soup or noodles. This part gets messy.
Save the bones and some of the skin, and any dubious bits like cartilage that you wouldn't want to keep in with the main meat.
Carefully pour the juice from the crock pot into a jar or other container. Maybe dip most of it out with a ladle or measuring cup first, if there's a lot.
Take the bones/skin/weird bits and put them in a pot. Pour a cup or two of water into the crock pot and swish it around to rinse off any last drops of juice - and pour that into the pot with the bones. Add some more water until the bones are well covered, and sprinkle some salt in. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a medium simmer, put a lid on it, and let it go for an hour or so.
Use a slotted spoon to remove everything from the pot of stock except the liquid. You can either pour that into jars or containers to store (please do not pour boiling water into plastic. Let it cool!) or go straight into making soup or whatever. You can add the juice to the soup, or use it for other things.
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