Sticky Coconut Chicken and Rice
This is another dish that I found on NYT Cooking. I love pretty much anything cooked with coconut milk! Hence, my unending love affair with Thai cooking. I am not sure if this is Thai in origin but it looked tasty to me. And of course, I tweaked it to make it even “Mo Betta”!
Ingredients:
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each thigh cut into 2 equal-size pieces
¼ cup neutral oil, such as safflower or canola
2 tsp salt substitute
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups short-grain white rice, rinsed until water runs clear
1 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
1 bell pepper, red and yellow or green all will add color and flavor, cored, seeded and chopped (½-inch pieces)
3 Tablespoons of “Tamed” Jalapeños, chopped
½ cup roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
3 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced (½ packed cup)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
Mike Hot Honey sauce, for serving (Not optional)
Directions:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon of oil, and season with 1 teaspoon of salt substitute and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Working in two batches, brown chicken, turning halfway, until no longer pink, around 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the ginger and the garlic to the empty pot, and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add rice and stir until evenly coated in the oil. Add broth, coconut milk, bell pepper, cashews, scallions and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir to lift up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Arrange chicken on top, add any accumulated juices from the plate and bring to a boil over high.
- Cover and bake until all of the liquid is absorbed, rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, 25 minutes. Scatter cilantro over the chicken and rice, then divide among bowls. Top each bowl with a nice drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey. The little bit of bite and sweetness
- just does the deed for this dish.