ONE POT GREEK CHICKEN AND LEMON RICE – from the Recipe Tin Eats blog.
Here’s my take on the recipe.
I ended up using a Le Creuset brasier with a tight-fitting lid. I used 3 large chicken thighs (about 1 ½ lbs.) and ¾ of the marinade. If I were to make this again, I would use all of the marinade, as it turned out it is more of a paste than a marinade and since you need to reserve some for later in the dish, you need the full amount. I wiped off the thighs before browning, but there was still some scorching of the remaining garlic.
The recipe calls for browning the chicken (both sides) until golden brown - I went about 12 minutes total, by which time any remaining garlic was burning, while the chicken (in my opinion) was just barely “golden brown”. I removed the chicken and browned some lemon slices in the chicken fat. By the time I finished, the pan needed (not a wipe, but) a wash. I strained what fat I could from the pan before washing.
I sauteed the onions in the reserved fat, and toasted the rice along with it for a few minutes before proceeding.
For the rice, I reduced the liquid to 1 ¾ c. (not the 2.25 c. called for) - this after reviewing several third-party recipes, and also her own similar recipe for One-pot Mexican Chicken and Rice. It turned out to be the right amount, and I suspect it is a matter of how tightly your lid fits your pan.
At the point where you are to remove the lid and roast for another 10 minutes, everything was done. So, I hit the broiler for a few minutes for extra color, and called it good.
In the end, everything was delicious and perfectly cooked. The chicken thighs were juicy, and the rice neither hard nor mushy. That said, while it’s engaging to try a new dish, I’m wondering: do I think this is any better, any faster, and any less fiddly than my usual pan-roasted chicken thighs with a lemony rice pilaf on the side? Uh…no. Bottom line: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
