One Pot Spicy Pickle Brined Chicken &Rice
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
Mustard Seed Powder
Cayenne Pepper*
1 tablespoon Butter (DF Sub: Duck Fat or Beef Tallow)
1 cup Jasmine Rice
1 ½ cups Bubbie’s Dill Pickle Brine or Bubbie’s Spicy Pickle Brine (+ ½ cup for marinade)
2-3 Green Onions - green tops only
1 handful of Fresh Dill (may sub green onion, parsley or cilantro)
*optional
Cook with me!
Instructions:
Brine Chicken. While this recipe is super quick and easy, it does require a bit of planning ahead. Place your chicken thighs in a plastic bag or tupperware container and add just enough leftover brine from your empty pickle jar to cover the chicken - about half a cup. Refrigerate overnight. I am using boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe, but you can use bone in, skin on chicken thighs if you prefer - it WILL NOT change the cook time or instructions.
Wash Rice. Start by washing your rice. I like to use a wire mesh strainer placed inside a small bowl to do this. I find that it is the easiest and most efficient way to wash rice without getting a bunch of rice grains everywhere. Add rice to the mesh strainer and place the strainer inside the bowl and fill with cold water. Use your fingers to stir the rice around for about 30 seconds to help release the starch. Then lift the strainer out of the bowl, dump the starchy water from the bowl and repeat 3-4 times until the water is much clearer.
Prep Chicken. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry and set it aside. Give it a very generous dusting of mustard seed powder and a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper (if using). We are not using any additional salt in this recipe, it’s all coming from the pickle brine.
Sear Chicken. Heat a large stainless steel skillet over a medium high flame. Once preheated add a tablespoon of butter to the pan. Once it’s melted add the chicken to the pan, seasoned side down, and sear for 2-3 minutes until light golden brown. While your chicken is searing, add a generous dusting of mustard seed powder to the uncooked side (you can also add more cayenne if you want to dial up the heat). Once the chicken has developed color on one side and gently releases from the pan, DON’T flip it over and sear the other side, instead we are going to set our chicken on a plate and set it aside for a minute while we do our rice.
Add Rice. Add the rinsed rice to the pan and stir it for 30 seconds - 1 minute to absorb the fat in the pan. Be careful to not let the fond on the bottom of the pan burn. Then add the pickle brine to de-glaze the pan and use a wooden spoon to help release the fond. If you don’t have enough pickle brine for the rice, just use water to make up the difference. If you are using the spicy pickle brine, add the pickled peppers from the jar as well.
Simmer. Add the chicken back to the pan, seared side up, and make sure all the rice grains are submerged in the cooking liquid. Bring to a strong simmer, then cover and reduce heat to medium low and gently simmer for 25 minutes until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.
Chop Herbs. While your chicken and rice is cooking, give your fresh herbs a quick chop. You can chop them as small or leave them as large and chuncky as you like. If you can’t find fresh dill in your supermarket, you can use twice as many green onions, or use cilantro or parsley instead.
Fluff Rice. Once your chicken and rice is cooked, temporarily remove the chicken from the pan and add the fresh herbs. Use a fork to mix in the herbs and fluff the rice which will greatly improve the texture.
Taste for salt. If you added water to your pickle brine to cook your rice, you may need to add additional salt.
Serve. You can enjoy this dish as is, or you can serve it up over a bed of arugula or spinach and drizzle with a little homemade low fodmap Aioli.
