Chicken and Rice

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!