chicken rice with buttered onions – smitten kitchen

Put together the rooster: Prepare rooster pores and skin facet up on a plate and season generously on high with salt and freshly floor black pepper. We’ll get to the undersides in a minute.

Warmth a big sauté pan, ideally one with a lid, over medium-high warmth for one minute. As soon as the pan may be very sizzling, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, and warmth them collectively for one more full minute. Prepare rooster pores and skin facet down and cook dinner till deeply brown beneath, about 4 to five minutes. [Don’t crowd the chicken; depending on the size of your pan, you might need to do this in two batches.] Whereas it browns, season what’s now the highest facet with further salt and pepper. As soon as browned, flip the items over and brown on the second facet, about one other 3 to 4 minutes. Don’t skimp on the colour, please. Switch the rooster to a plate.

Put together the buttered onions: Depart the pan on medium-high and add 2 tablespoons butter to fats and juices in it. As soon as melted, add the onions and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook dinner the onions for about quarter-hour whole, or till golden all through and darker brown on the edges, stirring each couple minutes. At first, the onions are watery; as soon as the water has cooked off and the onions start to choose up colour, I cut back the warmth to medium for the remaining time. Rigorously style and season with extra salt, if desired, and plenty of freshly floor black pepper. Take away 1/3 cup of onions and put aside till the top.

End the rooster and rice: Add thyme and dried rice and cook dinner with the onions for 1 minute. Add the wine, if utilizing, and cook dinner till it disappears, about 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the pan sides, pushing any dried rice and onions again to the underside. Return the rooster thighs to the pan pores and skin facet up, spacing them out. Rigorously pour broth round rooster, the decrease quantity should you used wine, the complete quantity should you didn’t. Convey the pan to a simmer then cut back to the bottom simmer and canopy. Cook dinner rice and rooster collectively for 25 minutes, or till rice is tender.

To serve: Off warmth, relaxation the dish for five to 10 minutes earlier than serving. Scatter with reserved buttered onions and scoop it onto plates.

Do forward: This retains so nicely. I reheat it lined in an oven-safe dish at 350 levels for 15 to half-hour, till the rooster is heat. To freeze, nicely, I’m simply going to say it: I’ll pack it ingloriously in a freezer bag and press out the additional air. Defrost within the fridge for a day, you probably have time, then rewarm as written above.

Notes/anticipated questions:

Can I take advantage of totally different bone-in, skin-on rooster elements? Sure. Bigger rooster breasts can take longer to cook dinner. Search for ones on the smaller facet (8 ounces). In the event that they’re bigger, I’ll typically break up them in half in order that they cook dinner by by the point the rice is completed.
Can I take advantage of boneless, skinless rooster cutlets? Sure. I’d use thighs since they’re much less more likely to dry out, and regardless that it gained’t be as fairly, I’d most likely skip browning them in order that they don’t overcook by the point the rice is completed.
What can I take advantage of as an alternative of wine? I’d use 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
Can I make rooster rice with buttered onions with out butter? Sure, olive oil or one other fats will work advantageous, however after all a key a part of the flavour might be totally different.
How do I make this much more buttery? When the rooster and rice are executed however haven’t rested but, dot the dish with 1 to 2 further tablespoons butter, reduce into small bits, then exchange the lid and let it relaxation for the 5 to 10 minutes advised.
A greater than bouillon focus hack: The very best rooster broth is do-it-yourself. My second favourite comes from Higher Than Bouillon. The jar directions are so as to add 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of sizzling water earlier than utilizing it however I’m lazy and add the focus on to aromatics within the pan — right here, together with the thyme and dried rice — and cook dinner it in for a minute to distribute the blob of focus. Then I add measured water when the recipe requires broth.
Notice: The thyme contained in the dish is for taste; the thyme on high is for aesthetics on a really brown dish.