Chicken Rice with Buttered Onions
Total Time
70 minutes
Rating
0 out of 5 stars
(0)
Ingredients
4-6 servings
- 2 to 2 1/4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 to 6)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds (3 large) yellow onions, diced into just shy of 1/2″ pieces
- Leaves stripped from a few sprigs of thyme
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice, any variety
- 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
- 2 cups chicken broth and up to 1/4 cup more if needed (updated)
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Preparation
Chef’s notes
Note:
I’ve bumped up the amount of broth based on comments from people who found their rice undercooked.
Can I use different bone-in, skin-on chicken parts? Yes. Larger chicken breasts can take longer to cook. Look for ones on the smaller side (8 ounces). If they’re larger, I’ll sometimes split them in half so that they cook through by the time the rice is done.
Can I use boneless, skinless chicken cutlets? Yes. I’d use thighs since they’re less likely to dry out, and even though it won’t be as pretty, I’d probably skip browning them so they don’t overcook by the time the rice is done.
What can I use instead of wine? I’d use 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
Can I make chicken rice with buttered onions without butter? Yes, olive oil or another fat will work fine, but of course a key part of the flavor will be different.
How do I make this even more buttery? When the chicken and rice are done but haven’t rested yet, dot the dish with 1 to 2 additional tablespoons butter, cut into small bits, then replace the lid and let it rest for the 5 to 10 minutes suggested.
A better than bouillon concentrate hack:
The best chicken broth is homemade. My second favorite comes from Better Than Bouillon. The jar instructions are to add 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of hot water before using it but I am lazy and add the concentrate directly to aromatics in the pan — here, along with the thyme and dried rice — and cook it in for a minute to distribute the blob of concentrate. Then I add measured water when the recipe calls for broth.
Note:
The thyme inside the dish is for flavor; the thyme on top is for aesthetics on a very brown dish.