I still dream about this dish. I have one serving in my freezer and I’m saving it for a special occasion when I’ll need healthy comfort, like when the Habs lose game five, or for days worthy of a small celebration, like when Trump is ousted from politics forever (which will be the only day I’ll have ever liked bridge).
The trick to this recipe is to add the chicken broth only after the rice is mostly cooked. If you cook the rice in the broth, the starch of the rice swallows most of the broth’s flavour and you end up with something that tastes like bland rice rather than chicken. Cooking the chicken thighs on top of the rice also helps with this, as the healthy fat of the chicken soaks down into the rice, making it the richest, chicken-iest (not a word) rice you’ve had since your grandmother’s homemade cold-fighting soup (may you be so lucky).
And because you add the broth so late, the texture of the rice is more like risotto than pilaf – it’s the creamiest cream-free rice since…well, I’ll stop with the comparisons now.
My point is, since the rice is already silkily (a word, though perhaps unnecessary) soft, adding okra only enhances that texture. So anyone who thinks they don’t like okra but does like risotto will realize how much of a hypocrite he or she has been.
This could be a game-changer; think of all the well-fed, okra-loving people this recipe could create!
If you can’t find fresh okra, though (they should be firm and all green, without any black lines or wrinkled tips), use frozen (look in Indian grocers). Or use spinach instead, stirring the leaves into the finished rice instead of baking it with the chicken – you only want to wilt it, not destroy its nutritional benefits. If you use frozen spinach, stir it into the rice at the same time as the broth to give it time to warm up.
Baked Chicken and Rice with Okra
2 cups brown Basmati rice (or other brown rice and add 10 minutes to the baking time and 1/2 cup more stock for long-grain)
4 chicken thighs, with bone and skin for real indulgence (cook 15 minutes less if boneless, skinless)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (if you like sweet roasted garlic, leave the cloves whole)
1/2 cup white wine or cooking sherry, optional
3 cups water
2 tbsp dried thyme
3 cups chicken stock
1 lb fresh or frozen okra
Rinse rice in several changes of water, using your fingers to remove the starch from the rice, until the water is no longer cloudy (either rinse it in a colander or fill a large pot with water, swirl rice with hand, drain water, repeat, repeat, repeat). Set drained rice aside until needed.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large pot over high heat. When hot, add oil and sear chicken for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.
Add the minced garlic or garlic cloves to the pan. Stir and cook 30 seconds. Add the drained rice and cook and stir for 1 minute. Add white wine or cooking sherry and stir 30 seconds, until liquid is absorbed. Add the water and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Add the stock to the pot of rice and stir to combine. Transfer to a baking dish and place chicken thighs on top, skin side up if applicable. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken thighs and stir the frozen okra (whole or chopped – I love whole, but I also love okra) into the rice. Replace chicken on top. Bake 20 minutes more.
Cut into a piece of chicken to check if it’s done – the juices should run clear. For really crispy skin, broil the chicken (and rice – mmm…crispy rice) under the broiler for 5 minutes or until adequately crisped.
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