The ingredients for this dish are variable. Essentially, all you need is a can of cream of mushroom, rice, water, and chicken parts. Vegetables (like spinach and broccoli), aromatics (like celery, garlic, onions, carrots, and shallots), and spices (paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, etc.) are all great additions to the dish to add variety and a little excitement.
In today's example, I will be using onion, garlic, zucchini, and garlic powder as my add-ins. Start with one medium onion, one clove garlic, one cup rice, one can condensed cream of mushroom, four pounds of chicken parts, 2-1/2 cups water, and one medium zucchini. I used chicken thighs in this example but I generally prefer to use drumsticks for this recipe. I usually lay out the chicken pieces in the pan that I plan to bake the chicken in. That way I know how many pieces to use in the recipe. If there's time, the chicken can be improved by brining in a 4 cup water 1/2 cup table salt solution for about an hour. The onion is diced, garlic is minced, and the zucchini cut lengthwise twice and then chopped into 1/4 in. slices.Related Articles
Melt one tablespoon butter in a large oven-safe pan. If you're planning on using a different pan to bake the chicken, then you can use a saucepan for this.
When the butter foams and begins to subside, add one cup rice to the melted butter.
Cook, while stirring, until some of the rice becomes opaque. The rice will become lightly browned while we cook the onions in the next step.
Add the diced onions and cook until tender (about 2 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk the can of cream of mushroom with 2-1/2 cup water until smooth.
Stir in the minced garlic followed immediately with the zucchini.
Pour the cream of mushroom mixture into the pan and stir to combine. (If using a separate pan for baking, pour the cream of mushroom mixture into the pan and then add the cooked rice and onions to the mixture. Stir until combined.)
Add the chicken pieces to the mixture. Sprinkle the surface of the mixture with 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
Bake at 375°F for 1 hour or until thighs read 170°F. If using drumsticks, begin checking for doneness after 45 minutes. In general, it's pretty hard to overcook dark meat prepared in this manner, so don't worry too much.
After removing the chicken from the oven, let it stand for about five minutes before scooping out the rice and chicken pieces. (Otherwise, the rice will probably flow everywhere, and it will be difficult to plate effectively.)Oven Baked Chicken and Rice (serves 6)
| Preheat oven to 375&176;F (190°C) | ||||||||
| 1 cup (195 g) rice | cook | cook | stir in | stir in | combine | place | sprinkle | bake 375°F (190°C) 1 hour |
| 1 Tbs. (14 g) butter | ||||||||
| 1 medium onion | dice | |||||||
| 1 clove garlic | mince | |||||||
| 1 medium zucchini | cut | |||||||
| 10-3/4 oz. (305 g) can cream of mushroom | whisk | |||||||
| 2-1/2 cup (590 mL) water | ||||||||
| 4 lb. (1.8 kg) chicken parts | ||||||||
| 1 teaspoon (2.8 g) garlic powder | ||||||||
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We like us some white rice, canned soup, and fatty chicken. And if you don't like THAT, you can always go to someplace in Africa where all you've got to worry about if your nose falling off from the BO.
[Editor's Note: The anonymous comment referenced in this comment has been removed.]
I'm not sure if the butter can be replaced in the rice-browning step with another type of grease; although I'd probably choose to use wild rice rather than white rice.
As far as "fatty animal parts" ... look, buddy, go crunch yer granola elsewhere. Sheesh.
-A fan
Eat a well-balanced, varied diet and get at least 20 minutes of exercise a day and you should be fine.
White rice, chicken and butter will not kill you.
Yes, we Americans love white rice, canned soup and fatty chicken – 400,000+ of us needlessly die each year because of the crap we eat.
Pre-hypertension and pre-diabetes in children is nearing epidemic proportions. American Airlines are losing millions because of fat passengers. And trillion dollar health care costs – well let’s just let the drug companies come up with a fix.
Of course, we as American have a right to eat ourselves to death while we spend billions to protect us from terrorists. Getting “worked up” over a food blog seems no less rational than getting worked up over . . .
This mild concoction of sodium, chicken fat and processed carbohydrates, as with most of the other recipes here, appear tame by Big Mac standards. And that is where the problem lies.
I’ll be packing my bags for Africa now.
Bon Appétit.
By they way, I'm an American, I'm not overweight, I run three miles a day and have no health issues and I love salt! But thanks for worrying about me, anyway.
-A fan of Cooking for Engineers
Let me guess: on your birthday, you eat a piece of celery instead of a piece of cake.
Time to crack a beer, smoke a cigarette, and oh, don't forget to pass the salt.
Keep 'em coming Michael. Looking forward to the next recipe calling for heavy cream.
Michael Chu, I am sorry for criticizing your chicken and rice dish. Can you ever forgive me?
I’m so depressed over this entire incident it will take two Monster Thickburgers to recover.
Another recipe along these lines is to use the creamy cambells soup as a coating along with bread crumbs, spray with oil over chicken pieces and make baked fried chicken.
Or as a gravy over hamburger patties with extra sauteed mushrooms (dump can in to skillet and cook with 3/4 cooked patties).
Ah, the good ol' days ...
Biggles / http://www.meathenge.com/
free range cambell's?
While I enjoy living in America and appreciate freedom of speech, I also believe in the freedom of perusing websites at will (or not).
If Anonymous #1 didn't like what he/she saw on this website, he/she is under no obligation to stay.
I may or may not try every recipe Michael posts, but I enjoy reading them, especially for the side comments on cooking he includes.
This is one of the few websites I look at on a regular basis, more for recreation after a long day at work and family obligations.
Keep up the good work, Michael!
Another CfE fan,
Aileen
Pointlessly badgering someone's ingredient choices is more likely to have more people join the anti-diet camp than to agree with well-written but poorly thought out diatribes.
And to Michael, Love the blog, keep up the good work. Thank you for putting in such time and effort.
"Michael Chu, I am sorry for criticizing your chicken and rice dish. Can you ever forgive me? "
I seriously doubt Mr. Chu cares. If he didn't want criticism he would turn comments off. However, I do take exception to your criticism for the following reasons:
"only an idiot cooks with sodium laden ..."
...isn't probably the best or most effective way to make a point. Calling the author an "idiot" is a classic ad-hominem attack (Cambell's soup has lots of salt, salt is bad, therefore Mr. Chu must certainly be an idiot). I understand it's fashionable and popular for the left to make such attacks, I would presume this is learned behavior from your peer groups and idols. (ad-hominem back-at-ya)
"no one should be eating..."
...see my previous comments regarding "health fascists". I prefer to choose what I eat, not be told what to.
"...no real engineer has that kind of time"
...are you an engineer? I doubt it. Engineers have a habit of focusing, almost to the point of obsessive-compulsion, on the matter at hand.
By the way, when you mentioned: "my first apology was perhaps a bit too Bush-like"
I think you meant Kerry. I believe it was he that would say one thing, then say another. Politics certainly have their place on blogs, but I don't see the relevance here. (no, I'm not a republican...I'm a libertarian, like most level-headed engineers ;-)
Brady
“Food Fascist” is too good for me -- I should be tried and shot for crimes against humanity (unless those 2 Monster Thickburgers put me out of my misery with a massive heart attack tonight).
In a mere 73-word “poorly thought out diatribe” I insulted “ingredient choices,” used unwarranted obscenities, hopelessly flawed logic and pretty darn poor grammar while still managing to name drop and plug my own thoroughly sinister web log.
All on the flawed premise that American’s eat crap and it’s killing them in numbers unprecedented in this country’s history. Definitely not appropriate for a food blog.
...your word, not mine. I did not use the term "fascism" as a put-down, but as a generalization of the "health activists" in this country that has made "healthy living" their religion. They currently crusade against evil corporations like McDonalds, Burger King, etc... There are trial lawyers galore that are salivating at the thought of sueing the hell out of the fast food industry since they milked all that they can get out of the tobacco industry. Those on the government side would love to regulate and tax the "idiots" who make "poor" health choices.
If you really are interested in helping those 400,000 people a year live longer, do something about it. Posting rude comments on a blog will do nothing to further your "cause".
I have to ask: If you think this is a "dumbass web page", why do you keep coming back?
”Kraft Foods' parent company Philip Morris Companies Inc. acquires Nabisco Holdings, a world leader in cookies, crackers and snacks. The Nabisco brands are integrated into the Kraft Foods business worldwide.”
Hmm, big tobacco is now feeding the children of America – that helps me sleep at night.
Micky-D’s and Burger Krap are part of the fast “food industry?” Next you’ll tell me Archer Daniels Midland Company actually produces food, rather than hybrid polymeric molecular chains of substances remotely related to organic matter (genetically altered or not).
I was going to list the (known) organic and inorganic matter in Campbell’s Mushroom Soup, but it’s been done before. I have this great soup cookbook with no mention of 95% of what’s on the Campbell’s list of wholesome ingredients. How did our forebearers ever survive?
Why do I keep returning? Why do you assume I ever left? I’m on a 36 hour nonstop project, and need YOU to entertain me during my brief breaks until it’s complete.
I’m worse than an engineer, I’m a consulting engineer in the black world, so deep in the annals of government, I’d have to kill you to tell you (it’s OK macaroni & cheese moms, it’s an inside joke, don’t panic - just a joke). We, in the government don’t actually kill anyone anymore – at least on our soil. They allow me the Carbonboy persona to keep me sane. But they watch me closely.
Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner. That is what I truly want to be-ee-ee. ‘Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner, everyone would be in love with me!
Food fight! -– Food fight!! -- Food Fight!!!
Hey Michael L, I did like the thread on Brats. I was born and raised in Sheboygan, WI – THE brat capital of the world. The ONLY way to make Brats is to soak them in water, get your real charcoal grill started and grill them, turning them with only your hands. Then let them simmer in beer, onions and real Wisconsin butter.
The only way to eat a Brat is as a double on a real Sheboygan Hard Roll. You are allowed only the following condiments: ketchup, pickles, onions (fresh and from the beer boil), mustard and lots of real butter. And it’s Miesfeld's Meat Market (see the 5th link).
http://www.bratwurstpages.com/bratrecipe2.html
http://www.bratwurstpages.com/bratrecipe2.html http://www.wisinfo.com/sheboyganpress/specialsections/progress/progressbrat2.shtml
http://www.wisinfo.com/sheboyganpress/news/archive/local_13476165.shtml
http://www.wisinfo.com/sheboyganpress/news/archive/local_13476165.shtml
Too bad my dead father is not around to have a brat with me over the holidays. He loved Brats.
Yeah, those darn “health activists” are a real darn threat to the good old USA. Who is their leader again – mmmmn, no name actually comes to mind, but I bet he’s some former heart surgeon that works for the Terrorist Group better know as the American Heart Association (funded by Cat Stevens I hear).
Fear not, even though Tommy Thompson is a lame duck (and a Wisconsinite) he will not allow the “health activists” to harm you. Agra-business will prevail and Kraft Marconi & Cheese (byproducts) will forever be available to the youth of this great country.
So every law suit challenging the junk food industry was lost – what’s your point? What’s needed is a class action law suit to actually force them to serve food again. But not to worry my libertarian engineer, it won’t happen until well after 2008.
Meanwhile, kids will just keep getting fatter, thanks to Campbell’s and Kraft (aka Philip Morris Companies) and we Americans will continue to be transfixed by the real terror threat to us all, as told to us daily by Fox News.
So I’m a troll, Mr. Brady. Hmm, I apologized twice, didn’t do any harm to all the folks that now hate me, and I care deeply about the children of American because their parents are, through sheer ignorance, killing them. Yup – I’m a troll alright.
“Do something about it,” you say. I am, right here and now:
Moms, stop feeding your kids crap, please.
Michael L, take the crap out of your receipts please -- you are a bad influence.
Let’s see – word for the day: satire, A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.
Later Brady, my assignment is complete. I’m off to the green zone for a time. Wish me luck (or not). I’m beginning to like you.
The Food Nazi – aka carbonboy
I'm not even going to respond to that pile of steaming crap you posted.
But, carbonboy, let it be known:
1) We don't care.
2) See #1
3) See #2
&c., ad nauseum.
People will eat what they want to eat. People will beleive what they want to beleive. There is not much that you can say via the internet that will change people's minds, and taking an extremist tone (as you have in your previous posts), although popular among the liberal set at this point, tends to categorize you with the reactionary extremist freaks. Is it so hard to let people be? There are so many causes that you could be contributing the astounding amount of thought you've lavished on the comments section to that would move the cause forward and help people; yet you persist in spouting ignorant, vitriolic diatribes. Over a tiny bit of sodium.
The internet is about being helpful, not about attacking. If you wanted to be helpful, you would've posted a suggestion to try an organic cream of mushroom base rather than the Campbell's, or an organic vegetable broth. And why would you attack the chicken? You can get free range organic chicken that's *very* good for you at most stores these days.
Attacking is not welcome. Attacking will make people ignore you. Now go smoke some pot and relax, and leave the actual work to us.
-K
It's just food.
--Anonymous#289
Oh, and I don’t smoke pot, that’s about as destructive as anything that comes out of the Campbell's. I just figure we should tax it.
Let’s see, what is an appropriate last statement for Michael’s "Cooking for Engineers" great all American Food?
“Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
Well maybe not, if you factor in the “French Paradox.”
Those French folks eat every god-awful thing AND guzzle a bit of red wine and seem to be fine (until Micky-D’s came anyway).
So, if not that, then, what best summarizes soaking perfectly fine chicken breasts in a sodium solution (but not too long):
“Eat shit and die?”
Oh, given I’m this scumbag troll – there’s only one way to rid yourself of me – can you guess what it is?
I’ll give you a hint: don’t feed the troll. Only then will he go away.
Here’s a happy place: http://www.whfoods.com/index.html
Hmmm, real food!
TFN – from the green zone
Betty Crocker had no politics involved last I checked.
I am making this dish tomorrow, with a middle finger salute in honor of mr anonymous!
1.- I like Mike Chu's blog and I visit it on a regular basis. I'm too a kitchen enthusiast.
2.- I'm simpatethic with carbonboy's point of view. He's saying what's right, and not what's courteous or politically correct.
3.- I don't like dogmas, fundamentalism or integrism.
Why I like carbonboy's point of view? It's like mine, he's a conscious eater. carbonboy, you're noble, being concerned about your fellow citizen's health. There's no place for noble ones up north. Your ways may be wrong, tough.
I can see that in the US when someone has a different point of view, departing from the official one (or a clearer mind, understanding that ye olde american way fairy tale is basically a bunch of lies) is being bombarded, telling him that "if you disagree with something, shut your mouth, move on, disappear". That's no the-country-of-freedom-and-democracy behaviour. In this side of the world we choose to ignore those prepotent ones who yell out ideas instead of stating in. But desagreeing is okay! If we all think the same, there's no progress. Dissident ideas are necessary, you know.
BTW, carbonboy, as an empire's citizen, I agree with you that MacCrap, BurgerKrap, KentuckyFriedCrap and all junk food that you export worldwide is getting more and more young children tucked with saturated fats becoming candidates to obesity.
Junk food is corner stone to the american way. And you yanks keep on exporting your american-way-junk-food; you (or the bush's government) have not understand yet that american way is good for yanks and not for everyone else.
My point: all this discussion is futile, because junk food and saturated fats are necessary to udermine the empire's health, from the inside, and in a coupla hundred years we'll see massive deaths from sedentarism, obesity and other american way diseases.
Mike Chu, keep up the good work.
Anonymous-es: all point of view are valid (right or wrong). A bit of sodium now and then won't hurt no one; a bit of sodium now and then, starting from 3-4 years old, assuming a 80-year life expectance, is quite a great pile of (no, not the s word) Na (sodium). Healthy?
carbonboy: you're not alone out there, facing the wolves (or should I say the hawks?).
carbonboy: if you like healty eating, you've made a good choice; marry a healty eating woman, have lots of healthy children and pass on all your healthy-eating-way-of-life; they'll do the same to their own children, thus spanning a new breed of healty US citizens (I don't say americans, because americans are those who live in America, THE CONTINENT, not inside US borders).
Here is the dictionary definition of a liberal. There is little mention of food choice.
Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism.
Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.
I have a question, why the need to fry rice? seems like its not necessary
thanks for the recipe!
more important, now i can alter and reverse engineer it hehe
1 The Recipe Card were posted at the beginning of the post.
2 When ingredients are listed that they be bulleted.
3 Exact measurements were listed the first time any ingredient is mentioned in the text.
4 The recipe itself were broken in to clearly labeled steps.
5 Cooking specific terminology be a hyperlink or mouseover to a definition of the term.
Additionally, I've noticed some display issues with the site in different browsers and at different resolutions. To a software engineer, these simple flaws can be very distracting as you then immediately start pondering hy they're happening and what fixes could be implemented.
Please take these suggestions with whatever amount of salt you want.
PS
I find that happy eating and healthy eating can compromise for the best quality of life. I also don’t mix politics and food, like I don’t eat where I crap. Finally, changing the world through the internet is… it can’t happen. There’s nothing clever about it, it won’t work. It’s the 5th law, unbending and static, “no world change through the internet.”
As far as i know....food is food and sometimes it's comfort.eating this Chicken and rice a few times a year wont kill me any faster than playing in traffic.
If I may make a note, this whole debate will lead to nobody changing their minds, everybody getting their hackles raised, a bunch of words best left unsaid and a number of blood pressures raised. Hell, this conversation may as well be as unhealthy as whatever you eat.
So, that being said, it doesn't MATTER how unhealthy you eat. You're going to die anyway. Now, later, in fifty years, in fifty seconds. Non-smokers get lung cancer. Do I promote smoking? No. Nasty-smelling habit, that. But I don't tell them they're idiots. They choose to die that way.
If I take the bus home tomorrow and die in a wreck, the Big Macs didn't effin' matter. Choose what you wish, eat what you like, live how you want, and die how you will. Ultimately, it ends the same regardless. I hate to be a downer, but the endless quibbling over something this trivial when it's not going to make a damn bit of difference either way. Go do something you LIKE instead of arguing about it.
If you like the recipe, use it. Don't if you don't. That simple. (No wonder the Buddist monks live for-bloody-ever. They don't STRESS about the small s***.)
No zucchini in the house, but poking in the freezer turned up 1/2 a bag of frozen sugar snap peas. Hmmm, what goes with peas ? Into the fridge for a couple of carrots which I cut on the bias about 1/4 inch thick. While in the fridge I noticed some leftovers - a cup of sauteed crimini mushrooms and a cup of lima beans (Lima beans are the only legume I don't really care for, but I figured I could hide them in this recipe).
Rice. I had brown, jasmine, sushi, and red japonica. I opted for the brown. Of course, brown rice takes longer to cook and more water than white rice, so I bumped the water up to 3 cups.
I pretty much followed Michael's method: sauteed the rice in butter, added the onion and garlic and then the other veggies a couple of minutes later. I sauteed this until the carrots started to soften. I diluted the canned soup with 3 cups of water then added a little thyme and sage and poured the soup mixture over the rice mixture.
Because I was using chicken breasts and brown rice instead of thighs and white rice, I was pretty sure the chicken would be done before the rice. I thought about give the rice a headstart on the stove top before adding the chicken but really couldn't decide how much of a headstart would be needed. 10 mins ? 15 ? 25 ?
So, I took the opposite approach. I inserted the probe from my Polter thermometer into the largest breast and pushed the breasts down into the rice mixture. Topped with a little garlic powder and paprika. I set the temp alarm to 160F and popped the pan into a preheated 375F oven.
After about 35 mins the alarm went off. As I had suspected, the chicken was done but the rice was still crunchy so I removed the breasts to a plate and tented them with foil while I returned the pan to oven to complete cooking the rice. After another 35 minutes, the rice was tender. I put the breasts back into the rice to reheat while the dish rested for 5 minutes. Very enjoyable and just what my body needed.
Thanks for the recipe and remember what mama said, "You can't please
everyone" ( and why would you want too...)
those into their convenience food and good ol' american ways are taking a LOT of offense at an issue they claim should not be an issue at all. if it's such a silly debate, then why are your feathers getting so ruffled? apparently how one judges your eating habits does indeed have an effect on you.
campbells soups are indeed disgusting, and are hardly "nutritious" as marketing would have you blindly believe. have you ever looked at the ingredients? most of them contain Monosodium Glutamate (yuk), and a host of other scary ingredients, such as Partially Hydrogenated [insert rancid refined oil of your choice here].
but it's not just campbells soups, it's most anything with a substantial shelf life. if it can sit on a shelf for years and not rot, then something is sketchy. it's not exactly FOOD. it's chemicals. and yet - packaging and television bombards you with the lies that that box of chicken helper is oh-so nutritious.
and why do they bombard you? because they have to - continuously. if they stop, then one day you might actually start to think about what you're purchasing, and you might actually read the ingredients, and hell, you might actually go research them and start to read up on what you're eating, and HEAVEN FORBID maybe even develop your own opinions about what you're eating.
but, but... there's the FDA's food guide pyramid, and even doctors who say eating boxed shit and canned globs is fine, just as long as i take a laboratory extracted multi-vitamin (because it's no longer even necessary to get vitamins and minerals from their actual sources - fresh, whole FOOD).
it couldn't be that the FDA is a captalist organization whose allegiance serves to protect the interest of the corporations, NOT the consumer. if the FDA actually told you what is healthy and nutritious and what you should be eating to live a long, cancer-and-disease-free healthy life, then you would stop buying the products that litter 95% of the shelves in grocery stores, and so would Joe Blow, and his neighbor, and his neighbor, and their families and neighbors and so on and so forth. and soon those corporations would lose money and many of them would have to shut down, some of them might even have to cut into their profits to start producing better foods with higher quality ingredients, and this capitalist society would start to fall flat on its face. less people would get cancer, so the medical institution would start to lose money on kemo treatments and such. less people would develop heart problems, cholesterol problems, strokes, etc. less surgeries being performed, less PHARMACEUTICALS BEING SOLD, even less doctor visits all around.
this country would have to become a land of organic farmers to accomodate the skyrocketing demand from its people for actual WHOLE foods, which doesn't turn the mind-boggling profits that producing refined shit does (genetically-modified foods combined with large proportions of chemicals, preservatives, etc, in a hasty and careless manner = cheaper products = stupid profits).
but wait - there is an increased demand for organic foods. there are organic markets popping up everywhere, and i've noticed even my regular grocery store is selling foods labelled "organic." so our standards are indeed raising, and capitalism is evolving to keep up with it. right?
RIGHT.
that's why the FDA (your trusted buddy, remember?) has lowered the standards on what constitutes organic food, so that the same old companies that produce crap can now alter their image and actually legally put the word "Organic" on their products - and charge twice or three times as much, because we'll pay that to think we're eating healthy. currently, a farmer can use non-organic compost and whatever else shit they want to grow your "organic" food in, and still slap the label on the container - and you'll pay more for it. and this year, the FDA was trying to lower those standards even more, so that genetically-modified foods, and even foods bathed in pesticides could still legally qualify for the sought-after "organic" label. not to mention, a chicken that is allowed only FIVE TO TEN MINUTES A DAY outside of its coop (which is so small they can't even move around in) can legally be labelled as "free range" - the chicken, and its eggs. 5-10 minutes a DAY - and then it's back to sitting immobile for 23 hours and 50 minutes. (chickens and eggs labelled "free range" are about twice as expensive as their "inferior" competitors.)
IT'S ALL ABOUT SUPPORT THE CORPORATIONS SO THEY CAN GET THE HIGHEST DOLLAR FROM YOU. THE FDA COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT PROTECTING YOU, THE CONSUMER, FROM FRAUD, AND THAT YOU'RE STILL GOING TO DIE YOUNG FROM CANCER, ONLY NOW YOU'RE SPENDING MORE MONEY ON YOUR FOOD THAN EVER FOR IT, WHILE DECEIVING YOU INTO THINKING YOU'RE LIVING THIS HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. THE FDA IS A CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION, CONTINUOUSLY RESEARCHING HOW TO FRAUD THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WITHOUT YOU EVER FINDING OUT.
and how, oh HOW, do they get away with this, year after year? they get away with it by joining hands with commercial America and BLARING DISINFORMATION AND LIES AND WHATEVER ELSE THEY CAN DO TO DISTRACT YOU ON THE TUBE AND RADIO AND BILLBOARDS AND POSTERS AND CLEVER PACKAGING AND ADS IN MAGAZINES AND POP-UP SCREENS AND EVEN DOCTORS AND PHARMACISTS TO MAKE SURE THE NOISE NEVER EVER STOPS so that you don't ever stop to even consider doing a little research for yourself and finding out the truth.
Also, for all the people that are arguing in this thread- first off, I really do think its dumb. So Cambells isn't healthy, well guess what? Unless you're living a total HEALTHY diet which includes no softdrinks, sodas, processed foods, canned foods, etc... almost nothing is really healthy anymore unless your going to use fresh ingredients all the time. Just moderate yourself, and you'll be fine.
And to the first commentor- seriously, get a life. This guy took his time and effort to make a webpage and provide people tips, recipes and information, and you have to go and call it a "dumbass page."
Chicken with rice! Great stuff! Me mudder used to make it all the time...can't wait to try this recipe...
Incidentally, for those concerned about sodium, fat, hypertension, high blood sugar, low blood sugar, gonococcylcardiovascularsyphillitic conjunctivitus, etc. etc. etc., I hate to tell you this but you've been dying since the day you were born. NOONE is gonna get outta here alive....!
All of this needs to be taken with a grain (if not a shaker) of salt. The life expectancy in the US continues to climb... which afterall is the bottom line. The increase in longevity (and this will be no shock to any true engineer) closely follows the development of food processing and the increasing use of pharmaceuticals. Imagine that! All of those people spending day after day laboring on production lines and in laboratories and they aren't just doing it for nothing afterall!
Lastly, I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as "inorganic" cream of mushroom soup. I wonder what such a thing would be made of? Language is important. I don't know how the opposite of processed is organic instead of unprocessed... but the fact is that if mankind hadn't learned how to process food there would be a lot less of us here now and we would have a lot bigger problems than what we are going to have for lunch. We would be wondering IF we were going to have lunch!
thanks, appreciate it.
has 470m.g per serving still hi but better then there regular[/b:ecf5c6a042]
sharpton for president yall.. im outtie.. peace.
keep it real,
Pimped Paula
You can use long or medium grain white rice that has not been parboiled or precooked (such as instant rice) for this dish.
I was wondering how you'd recommend including broccoli in a way that minimizes overcooking. My girlfriend recommended steaming it seperately, but I decided to compromise by adding it 20 minutes from the end of cooking. I'll let you know how mine turns out, but I wanted your advice as well.
by the way, the lasagne recipe turned out fabulous, even though I omitted the cream.
Sigh.
If you want to adjust the recipe to make it a little healthier, just substitute the cream of mushroom for a can of crushed tomatoes, the white rice for brown or wild, and the butter for extra virgin olive oil. You could use whatever cut of chicken you want, or substitute it with beans.
There's no need to be mean. I try to maintain a healthy diet without being nasty to anyone.
peace.
The reason I can't eat this dish is because a friend made this in the dorm kitchen in college years ago with bone-in chicken and didn't adjust the cooking time. It came out, we were served and it was RAW. No one thought to toss it back in the oven or pan to cook longer. We just chunked it.
Since then just seeing this dish makes me gag 8|
Don't like all the butter? saute with veggie oil. Just remember a lil dab'll do ya
Can't handle salt ( like me)? DILUTE ... use less salt and more WATER.
Cook it covered instead of open-toppped to get the rice done quicker. OR bury the chicken in the rice and bake longer. Want nice browned chicken? put it on top of the rice mixture, just be aware it'll cook faster.
And just because I couldn't resist .... get the poli-sci discussion OFF a recipe forum. I'd like to think this is a place for suggestions or comments on the recipe and not the chemical breakdown and political ramifications of a certain brand of soup.
BTW, on all the other discussions, I'm more interested in your opinion of the dish than all the other hog wash. After all the studies that have come out on this or that regarding the food we eat, I'm beginning to go back to the way Grandmother cooked. Fresh eggs, real butter, vegs from my garden.
Grandmother's generation lived to the 90's and 100's, never had a bunch of the allergies, stomach problems, weight problems, and all those other heath concerns that we are facing today. Of course they didn't sit on their tails all day long to watch the idiot box or play video games or look for some computer site where they could gripe about things instead of living life. They were out tending their gardens, feeding their animals and even sewing their own clothes.
Excuse me, got to go, want to move the water to my tomatoes. :)
Elaine
First time I've ever landed on this site, lol. Comment number one is fine, he's posting his opinion, I'm sure the cook can handle some criticism from time to time.
Laughed at the bigot comment, you guys rock !!
Engineers recipes, brilliant idea, only problem- is it's my idea !!! ( Had some similar thoughts, glad to see some guy has done it.)
Damn those stupid frigging women recipes, the Format is my bitching point, so unmanly like, you know- 3/4s teaspoon of this, combine b with a, tie your apron strings tight, bend over and check the oven temp one more fking time, blah, blah......etc. The way they list all the shit at the start, like - :P just trying to confuse people- 'secret womens' business', hahahaha...
Cheers til next time guys, keep the faith brothers.
Adam Australia
P.S. Dude, I wouldn't eat the chicken without browning it first in a hot pan and oil, -man, your basically dishing up boiled/broiled chicken, yuk...!! Get some colour into that thing. Lol.
Cyas.
after reading further i see that i misjudged(lol) first poster, ..you're a legend mate, dont let them name call you into silence.!!!
Love the joke about the "libertarian" and his big farmer ideology, hahahaaaa...funny and smart, not like others who can't stand the thought of not following the mindless herd over the cliff, the only real problem I have with you is that you're a "babyboomer".
Sounds like there's quite a few of that ilk posting here, lardass gluttonous babyboomers, --as a poster said, stfu and let them meet their self ordained destiny, lol.
See you in Africa.
P.S. God forbid you slight a 'babyboomer'. lol.
CAN YOU DICKS STOP TELLING FIRST POSTER NOT TO COME TO THIS SITE. IT IS THE INTERNET -YOU CONTROL FREAKS.
HE'S ALLOWED TO VISIT THIS SITE -SO STFU. YOU DONT LIKE HIM POSTING HIS HONEST OPINION ON THE PUBLIC FORUM, MAYBE YOU NEED TO FU*CK OFF AND NOT VISIT THIS SITE, SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE THE ONES WITH THE PROBLEMS. NO ONE MADE YOU READ IT DID THEY? YOU JERKS JUST PREFER BS TO TRUTH, THAT'S YOUR 'BEEF', AIN'T IT?
P.S. Not everyone in the whole world has to like boiled (yuk) chicken and rice slop, topped with a can of crapbells "soup'. Sounds disgusting and probably tastes worse.
Put that in ya pipe and smoke it.
Adam Australia
If there was a previous answer to my question, i missed it due to all the political crap above! Sorry.
Sometimes things have to be overstated to counteract the prevailing bland and passive attachment to established norms. Let's call a spade a spade, this recipe is high fat and high sodium. I would love a healthier alternative - probably not the goal of this website, eh?
Thanks to the contributor of this recipe however, I'll probably go make it because we're hungry and we need to eat soon. And there's something comforting about remembering those church potlucks.
I thought car forums were full of controversy and flame wars...I guess food is just as capable of inciting emotional and political outbursts!
I personally love fat and dead animals in my diet. My wife does not so much, so I always find a happy medium and still manage to make delicious food.
I will probably try this, but I'll use EVOO instead of butter, of course. I may use some fresh mushrooms and buttermilk instead of cream of mushroom soup. We never eat white rice, but maybe some wild rice, brown rice, or even barley would be great!
Keep posting your favorite fat-American recipes! That's where flavor comes from...let the rest of us sort out how to adapt it all to our lifestyles!
Aw come on, let's just have a sense of humor about this, I probly will make this recipe or one like it. Anyway, eating healthy may not make you live any longer, just make you FEEL like you are living longer! (Or the ones around you that have to put up with you)!! Have fun.
Aren't professional people supposed to exercise a little self-control?
I tried to consider the entire range of opinion in the blog, so I departed from the recipe. Since there are apparent flaws in the recipe as offered, I took the chicken out of the oven after 25 minutes, knowing that at that point it would be "half-baked".
Then, I flamed it for about 2-3 months. Then I let it stand for five minutes before serving. Unfortunately, the little pile of cinders didn't look very appetizing, and it certainly wouldn't have served six people. So,...
We went out for chinese food. I asked the waiter if they had any low sodium soy sauce. He said, "I'm sorry, we don't." I said "that's okay."
Then I put a little bit of the regular soy sauce on my dinner. It was pretty good.
You know, this is Michael's site. He could blast away at the crap-slingers if he wanted to. Maybe he explains somewhere why he doesn't (I haven't seen it).
My guess is that he is a professional and has learned an important lesson; as Thumper the Rabbit told Bambi: "If you can't say nuthin' nice, then don't say nuthin at all!"
Bravo, Michael !! Hats off to you!
As regards the major controversy that evolved around the innocent oven baked chicken and rice: why do some people seem to get so emotionally charged when they have discussions? yeah, we all agree that organic ingredients are better. and canned food, booo. but some of us can compromise. or make exceptions to the golden rule. or talk about it reasonably. since we all seem to love analytical cooking, why not consider analytical thinking?
To the first poster:
Go kill yourself.
brown rice instead of white (maybe some other grains mixed in)
Amy's Organic cream of mushroom soup
brown the (organic) chicken parts
increase the water (I increased to 3.5-4 cups)
use a combination of water, organic chicken broth and a spot of milk/cream
add thyme, parsley & black pepper
a bit of salt (yes, have to add some because soup is low sodium)
increase the garlic and skip the onions (if this is to your taste).
cook in an iron skillet
Such comfort for a rainy day in the Pacific NW!
Cooking time increased to about 1.5 hours (don't worry about overcooking chicken, esp if using bone-in, which I did).
EVVO instead of butter...but, who cares, use either.
Happy person in PNW.
It's a commonly known fact that the human body requires no sodium and that you even reading about sodium here is causing your BP to shoot through the roof and your children to be born malformed! The horror!! We must act now to stop the senseless distribution of sodium! JUST SAY NO!!!
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That is why you racist American bastards have people shooting the hell out of you in schools. You can't even talk about food without making racist comments. Wonderful.
I think it's a good recipe, it could be substituted with mildly precooked brown rice, and better-than-condensed cream of mushroom, but I like the recipe, it's nice and easy.
Good recipe. I have been making the same thing since my mother tought it to me as a kid, but we used whatever vegetable was on hand, not just zuchini. I think I've even had it with canned black olives at one point. I've had it with cheese, with ham or bacon added, etc. I like it with frozen lesieur peas best.
For the health nuts, or those needing to control cholesterol or sodium:
Campbells makes a low sodium version, and a "healthy" version of this soup.
Remove the fat and skin from the chicken before adding to the dish. You could even use breast meat, however the dish will be more bland.
The butter isn't really that much for the amount of food you are making, so stick with the butter. However, you can use olive oil too, but I don't think it tastes as good in this dish.
I don't advise using any of the "brown" rices, as they don't absorb as much liquid as white, and the cooking time would be different. Who wants undercooked rice with overcooked chicken?
-dr
Oh, and posters (you know who you are) life is too short to argue about trivial stuff.
...Live, Love, Eat!!!!!! :)
I will just cook the dish as it sounds as though it will be quite tasty.......
thanks for the recipe[/b:cbcca39f11]
I am a Nutrition Educator. There are no bad foods. What is bad is lack of proper portion control, and lack of exercise.
The French eat some of the most fattening foods in the world, yet as a population they are slimmer then us here in the US.(it should be noted that as some of them are adopting western customs, they are catching up to us). They did a university study in Philly on this very issue. They found that the French eat much smaller protions. Imagine that folks!
I would rather have the "full fat" version of certain foods I love,and just eat a smaller portion.
Oogie mama
lilcraftystar.blogspot.com
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS WEB SITE!!!
Keep up the great work!!! :D
oh and yea...me no health issue!
balance people...balance...
On another note ~ guest "Brady" ~ are you single?? =)
My two cents on the great debate: I grow up on red beans and white rice, chicken every other day and lard bisquits smothered in bacon fat gravey. Our meat was cured with salt and alot of meals of liver and onions became more paletable because of a healty dose of salt. I am 89 years old and am healthy as a hourse.
we all know 'fat' tastes good! ;)
i always make love to my wife after a high fat meal. just be sure you switch position so both of you benefit from burning off the calories, thats right, let her be on top. i recommend that fore-play is used......during fore-plays, our bodies generates heat (a few degrees higher) which effectively burns even more calories! i once calculated that i burned 5000 calories during one session. but i must warn you, every time we experienced an 'orgasm', we lose a brain cell (for those that experienced multiple orgasms, i recommend that you cut your love-making in half). in addition, some of you might contract std if you dont know your partners (so make sure to put protections on those erections)! and finally, losing calories this way can be very unproductive if u dont intend to have children.
anyways, enjoy what u like, but in moderation!
As has been said before, "Lighten Up, Francis." :P
There are plenty of good tasting butter substitutes available to eliminate the butter issue. Most of them have enough sodium to satisfy you butter junkies and they are otherwise very healthy. :) However, the rice is just white starch that devolves to fat and increases bad cholesterol levels. If you prefer to let your eating habits shorten your life span or make you uncomfortable with weight related diseases like diabetes or heart problems, then ignore what I've said. However, don't critisize me, and others, for trying to help you live a more healthy life. We say what we do because we care about humanity. That's not negative or cruel. It's a family value.
Wow. I'm not going to critisize your desire to help others, but not fully understanding the facts and then telling people that X or Y is the most healthful way of eating isn't helpful in the long run. The problem with butter substitutes is that they are in general unhealthful. There are a few on the market which do not include partially hydrogenated fats, but most still contain trans fatty acids. Studies are beginning to show these are worse than the saturated fats found in butter (and some scientists are calling for reanalysis of saturated fats in general).
White starch does not "devolve" into fat. White starch or fats in general don't increase your bad cholesterol either. The human body gets energy just like almost all living organisms on the planet. I don't remember the exact process (which means I'll be doing a google search on this topic and reading for the next half hour) but it involves ATP and breaks down sugars into waste products and extracts energy. This energy, if there's too much, can then be stored for long term storage by being built into fat molecules by the body. Same goes for fat - the fat you eat is not the same fat being stored in your body - it's broken down into it's parts and energy is released and then if not consumed by the body is then recombined with building blocks (other food you've eaten that's been broken down) into fat for long term storage. It's not the white rice that becomes fat, it's eating too much and having too high of a caloric intake for your level of energy consumption that causes the body to produce fat.
Your sarcasm and defensive part of your post doesn't contribute to the conversation and may be why it's so hard to change people's attitude and misunderstanding about certain foods.
Do you know there are farmers that sell deformed carrots as organic?
You think you have compaints America, try ORGANIC!!!
Oh and by the way caged eggs ARE better than free range. They are cleaner. Everything ORGANIC has diseases and are dirtier!!!
Greenies as we call them in NZ are fukin '' mad mate!
Me, I like our local stuff, but a big mac or KFC once in a while won't kill me and satisfies those caveman taste buds. I have to admit though, KFC more than once a year is too much for me. It's good for colon cleansing though.
Grow up, go outside, get a life.
oh dear, absolutely. fish an hour at 375'F sounds like 'petrified'
I think you could easily cobble up a very good 'knock off' of this recipe for fish. my attempt would go something like:
ensure all the ingredients other than fish are 'hot' before inserting fish and putting into oven.
bake time _max_ 20 minutes - I'd be checking at 10 for doneness.
consider cream of celery with fish vs. cream of mushroom..... has a 'fresher' flavor.
campbell's is particularly versatile because it is condensed, so you can control the consistency, and it makes a great sauce with vegetables.
for a recipe like this where you don't need condensed soup (note that they added water), you can also use low-fat chicken stock which tastes great!
kudos to everyone who got in the kitchen and tried it out!
It was a 9x13-in. pan. 1 cup of rice was enough because the rice comes out pretty rich afterward. You'll probably want to serve a side dish too (like a salad) - this is just one course.
It's not really low-fat or particularly quick, but I'm not particularly fond of the taste of condensed soup, and I think I've got this recipe about as healthy as it's ever going to be.
You call Wisconsin the bratwurst capital of the world? Do you know where bratwurst actually comes from? It's a delicious German sausage I used to love as a kid (yes, I ate heaps of them, and my arteries are probably hardening as we speak, at the ripe old age of 27). The real way to eat them (if there is one) is grilled, on a brotchen (small round hard roll that only covers about 1/3 of the wurst), smeared with good brown German mustard. I have never seen a German eat one any other way, nor have I eaten them any differently.
Oh, and those things they make in America taste absolutely nothing like the real thing. Just had to put my two eurocents in.
People should be nice - or line or anywhere else.
As my mom (who made the best chicken and rice) always said -
if you can't say anything nice - don't say it all.
I appreciated the recipe and directions.
Thanks!
ever since i got my cast iron skillets i've been looking for stove-top to oven recipes. i can't wait to try this when i get home :)
If you don't have anything nice to say, please shut up!!! :P
love this site by the way
Carbonboy
www.carbonboy.com
just eat drink and be happy love it love it love it and don't forget to enjoy AND GET A LIFE BE GLAD YOU CAN HAVE ANY FOOD.
I am entertained by the critics that turn a recipe into a political issue to voice their negative comments. There are some people that have NOTHING TO DO!! GO COOK and change the recipe to fit your health issues and leave the others alone. You poor negative person, with the chip on your shoulder looking for a fight, you have an anger issue. No fight here, just a good recipe offered by a kind soul. What a world we live in today!!! Everyone interested in great recipes, remember when you find someone that has to gripe about any and everything, they have burdens that are weighing them down so offer a prayer for them and their needs. Be kinder than necessary; everyone is battling some kind of problem.
THIS RECIPE IS GREAT, but experiment with your ideas and ENJOY!!!
Chu thanks for the recipe post and blog.
No matter how many times I do the math, one can of soup across a number of servings doesn't seem like a problem, since there's no other salt in the dish besides a tiny amount in the butter.
Really liked the recipe as soon as I saw it... a nice mix of risotto-style preparation with one-pot-no-damn-stirring simplicity. For increased laziness I used parboiled rice and whatever vegetables were in the fridge, in this case a big carrot and half a red pepper. Also added a dollop of chili powder and mixed in the garlic powder because I wasn't paying attention to the recipe.
Unless I forget about the pot and leave it in the oven overnight I'm sure it will be great. Thanks !
What lames worrying about what other people are doing with their lives.
What the hell is the point of living if all you do is worry about dying! Religious nuts are the same.
Everything in moderation seems to be the key for me. I guess if you cant practice such restraint, then abstaining altogether may be best for you.
to the other lonely retards... at 6am? lol that's the site's time it's not 6am everywhere at the same time anyway.. you need to try hard and start thinking...
and maybe people in a cooking class, or college or holiday or any occasion could be cooking at ANY time.
6am... kinda sounds like cooking, um.. BREAKFAST for a lot of people.
Definitely a basic recipe that needs modification to shine. I just jam a lot of onions, garlic, carrots, potato, mushrooms, etc and chicken, go heavier than one cup of rice (I prefer short grain), add a little basil and what not. The basic recipe is a great start, just as long you have chicken+moisture+rice+vegetables+spice you have something to eat.
The suggestion of using a substitute for the cream of mushroom is good. Maybe even just some diluted cream.
Only other thing is I count more ad hominem attacks as coming from the right than the left but that's besides the point.
Neat recipes, by the way. And many easily tweaked to make them lower in fat, higher in good carbs, lower in salt, should that be your cuppa.
Second: When you are in a car wreck, when you are hospitalized, when you are in extremis, what's the first thing the medical professionals do? SALINE SOLUTION!!! That's right, salt!
I'm going to keep a supply of this chicken handy for the next traffic accident I come across - "Excuse me, Ma'am, have a little of this chicken; it'll help you live longer."
Ignore the trolls; keep cooking!
Well, it's simple, yummy, and just like mom used to make. What could be so bad about that? (I'm sure you could come up w/ something...)
Thank you
https://majicmarc.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/jerks-on-the-internet/john-gabriels-greater-internet-dickwad-theory/
JGGIDT...Google it if the link doesn't come through.
Please go away. Oh, and thanks for almost ruining my hunt for a freakin' recipe.
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This is THE site for me!
May I say...THANK YOU
P.S. Confirmation Code is hilarious. enjoying this site even more!
I'd just like to quote some Plato.
"Attention to health is life's greatest hindrance"
I got the above quote from the "Eat Dangerously Cookbook", written
by two fine resisters . . Lewis & Velloso. B)
I know I'm being repetitive here somewhat, but eating the same thing all the time, no matter what it is, is really the problem. Your body gets dependent then when you eat something else and your body reacts it seems bad but it's actually just your body disliking the single-dimensional diet you subject it to. Hence why when I'm hungry, I eat, and listen to what my body is craving.
When you have a good balanced diet: what your body asks for = what your body actually needs, therefore, nom.
My wife and I grew up in different continents eating rice almost every day. We like to fry the rice in a skillet, usually with olive oil, onions and garlic, producing a very firm chewy rice (if we use Uncle Ben's). It’s at the other end of the texture spectrum from sticky Japanese-Korean rice. When I looked up the glycemic index of various rices, I was surprised to find values all over the place - most references say only "white rice" or brown rice". However the carbohydrate content of different rices, e.g. long-grain, medium grain, fragrant, short grain, pigmented (purple) rice varies greatly. If you look for the glycemic index of Uncle Ben's long grain rice, it is variously given as 41-45, less than almost all white and brown rices. Brown rice must be cooked much longer and even still doesn't produce the texture that we like. Uncle Ben's costs more but is superior in glycemic index and can be stored for longer periods of time. For most people, the critical variables are the network of diet and genotype and exercise. We can change two important variables, diet and exercise and can adjust the amount of calories, fat etc that we eat. I don't mean only running or group exercise, or even only aerobic exercise. Dancing is one of the very best and most reinforcing exercises but we should learn it when young. All kids should be indoctrinated into regular exercise (can be cycling or dancing) for life. It will let them eat more, they will feel better, and exercise produces modest improvements in brain function (only if you keep it up). My wife and I eat the same food. In the 50 years since we've been married I've lost 25 lbs and she has gained 30, although I eat much larger quantities than she does.
Eating large amounts of commercially canned foods will give you significantly higher blood and tissue levels of bisphenol A which is probably more harmful than most plasticizers, but occasional intake of canned foods doesn't seem dangerous to adults. Those of us who work in labs know that you can't get pure water if it's stored in any plastic container- the plasticizer leeches out. It must be stored in glass. We all have lots of plasticizer in our bodies but we are bigger and living longer than our grandparents (my grandparents were farmers and ate virtually no commercially canned foods or foods stored in plastic). Unfortunately many organic foods are produced by factory farms nowadays who aren't scrupulous about these issues either. So go easy on plastic containers, including water bottles- plasticizers are probably more dangerous to children than adults but we don't know for sure. There are many big differences between rodent nutrition and human nutrition- rodents with chronic diseases benefit from dietary antioxidants; humans do not (the sole exception is age related macular degeneration). If you are sedentary or have hypertension, use low sodium soups.
So keep up your good work Michael. Keep health issues in mind, but don’t go overboard. Experimental studies of human nutrition are few and mostly very short term; current data suggest that the so-called Mediterranean diet is best for 80% of humans, but in practice some forms of it contain excessive salt. Some genotypes can handle the salt if they get regular exercise. Most of us can’t, that’s one reason that so many millions are hypertensive.
Carbohydrates are mostly worthless until allowed to ferment/sprout. Most bacteria and enzymes are your friends and avoid eating anything completely dead (pasteurized).
Salt is not your enemy if you do not eat canned/processed foods. Since none of your food contains it unless it is natural, add some, especially enzyme rich natural salts.
Use butter over olive oil and keep the skins on. Chicken is a low-fat animal and you need the fat. Goose is far superior in healthy saturated fat content.
Skinny kid
Guessing the chicken will cook before the brown rice, probably should have boiled the rice in the pot before adding chicken but worst case will pull the chicken and cover with foil then let the rice finish in the oven.
Stay tuned.
There was too much liquid and not enough visible rice, so I picked the meat off the bones and added it back in small pieces. Then there wasn't enough liquid, so I added another beer and some leftover kimchi... and just to get the flames going again, a bit of half-and-half cream ;)
End result had a pretty good chicken a la king kind of taste/texture. Will try it over toast in the morning.
Used a cup of Uncle Ben's brown rice, and added ~3 cups of water to the condensed soup along with good amounts (1-2 TBSP) of curry powder, black pepper, chili powder. Brought everything close to a boil then added 4 skinless bone-in chicken breasts (bone up) and pushed down into the liquid). Granulated garlic on top and into the oven at 350F (not a deliberate change, just didn't read instructions carefully) for an hour.
After about 20 minutes I covered the pot with a pizza pan since I remembered the rice not having enough water last time, then after the hour was up I removed the cover, flipped the breasts bone side down, and put the pot back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
Worked out really well. Chicken was "just" cooked enough (ie one spot on the thickest breast could have used a couple more minutes), rice and veggies were cooked just right. Pulled one serving out immediately then pulled the meat off the bones and mixed into the rice to make 3 more good-sized servings.
For all the complaints about the Campbell Sodium Bomb of Death a quarter-can of soup per serving didn't contain quite enough salt to cover the rice and veggies, so ended up having to add just a bit of salt at the end. Adding a packet of Lipton Onion Soup would probably have gone too far, at least for me -- now *there* we're talking about a Sodium Bomb of Death ;)
~3.5g of fat, or 30 calories
- a bit under 300mg of sodium, or ~12% recommended daily value
I personally don't have issues with using a prepared cream based soup - but it is a point of contention with some cooks. I recall some time back a cook that "introduced" their own version / substitute - and I remember chuckling because if one did the math.... it had more salt. go figger.
Campbell, for one, has introduced reduced / low salt versions of many varieties. I typically reach for those - only because I can always add if the taste is 'off'
The batch in the oven now used 2 cups of brown rice, a big pile of onions/carrots/red pepper/celery, some Dave's Insanity hot sauce, generic Garlic Pepper seasoning, too much Chinese Five Spice powder (the lid fell off), white pepper, smoked paprika, and some Dizzy Pig Swamp Venom rub. Basically whatever happened to be at the front of the seasoning shelf when I decided to make this. Used about 3-1/2 soup cans of water, which is probably about 4 cups.
Topped off with just over two pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs placed on top but pushed down into the liquid while it was heating up. Then I couldn't resist stirring it all up before putting it in the oven and covering with an inverted pizza pan.
Figure I'll give it 45 minutes before checking on it (it's a big pot) and then maybe pull the chicken up to the top and cook for a while longer uncovered.
I didn't measure the seasonings (ever since I tried a recipe for 5-dump chili my measurements have been pretty approximate) but I figure maybe a teaspoon of Insanity sauce and tablespoon each of everything else.
This is the first time that I've ended up with a decent balance of chicken and veggies/rice, although I still found it a bit chicken-heavy. The richness of the rice is toned down nicely though, to what I would call ideal for me, so "a bit less chicken" might be the right answer rather than "a bit more rice" (since the soup amount has to be an integer number of cans).
I understand that the spirit of the recipe is to have a smaller amount of richer rice then add vegetables on the side, but I really like the whole "veggies in the rice" thing (especially lots of onions) so for me 2 cups of rice rather than 1 seems ideal. I figure 2-and-a-bit pounds of boneless skinless thighs is roughly equivalent to 3-4 pounds of bone-in skin-on chicken parts, so the only real change to the recipe is bumping up rice/water/veggies.
Anyways thanks for a great recipe.
I'm making much smaller batches (just for two, no left overs) so the margin of error is smaller than multiple cups of this and that - my notes have a small/medium/large batch - in grams rice+grams water.
rice can be tricky - different types/brands vary in the amount of water they'll soak up....
'chicken parts' is another problematic buy for small quantities - I typically have a bag of tenderloin / breast / boneless thighs in the freezer - for long slow wet cooking, I use from the frozen first, add from the fresh package, freeze the balance of the fresh.
Best ever.