Recipe: Really Good Chicken And Rice

Feeling poor as the new year starts? Here’s an inexpensive rice-based meal that feeds a lot of people for a reasonable amount of money.

I was checking out at a supermarket not long ago, basically an out-of-body experience these inflationary days, and, while I was focusing on keeping my head attached and putting my credit card back where it belonged, my checker took my bags and started packing them. When consciousness bubbled up, I realized she had taken the largest bag and loaded it with 6 big cans of plum tomatoes, 4 cans of soup, 8 bars of Cabot cheese (it was on sale), and more besides. I gave it a trial heave, just to show I was a sport, but there was no way. I can’t lift this bag, I said. You have so many cans, she said, proving that watching politicians on the evening news had in fact been instructive re offering evasive non sequiturs as being responsive. Well, I have a lot of bags, I said. I did, so I started unloading the big bag and distributing things more evenly. It was a long day for both of us.

I had a similar conversation recently with my best friend from high school, Joan. I had given her a really good recipe — she has an enormous family who are always mooching around for something to eat — and I asked if she had made it yet. No, she said. Why not? I said. It has so many ingredients, she said, proving that even professors, which she is, can have their big baby moments.

This recipe feeds a lot of people, 12 at least, or a smaller number can eat it for many days, it keeps well. You can make it ahead and it doesn’t suffer, and it’s easy to serve up without a lot of fuss. The first time, I put it together from this and that that was in the refrigerator, sometimes that works out. Don’t be discouraged by the list of ingredients, it’s worth it. A lot of chopping, but then it’s done. If you are a vegetarian, you can probably substitute canned beans, drained and rinsed, for the meat, although I haven’t done this. Goya Roman beans, navy beans, etc. Goya are the best beans.

Really Good Chicken and Rice

4 to 5 cups of cooked chicken. I first made this with duck, but chicken is easier to come by. Cut into bite-size pieces.
4 bunches of scallions — about 20, trimmed, coarse stalks cut off, sliced
A one-pound package of frozen cauliflower. Cook in the microwave, drain, squeeze out excess liquid moderately with paper towels, chop into bite-size pieces.
Hot pepper flakes to taste — at least a teaspoon.  I use very hot peppers chopped and put in a jar with neutral olive oil (Berio). This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, and it's guaranteed  to set your mouth on fire. But the pepper flakes are okay.  A hottish afterburn is what you want.
A large garlic clove, pressed
10 mission figs. Remove the tough stem, then slice.
3/4 cup of sultanas or raisins. Soak in hot water for about a half hour to soften. Drain.
2 tsp. Ras el Hanout, a North African spice. A very unique flavor, available in jars in the spice section. Recipes to make your own are online, but I buy it. The contribution of this spice to the finished dish is out of proportion to the amount used, it’s important.
5 cups of cooked basmati rice

Using a big skillet (mine is non-stick) or a cast iron casserole, saute the scallions over low to medium heat in some butter and oil, a few tablespoons of each will do. When they are cooked, make a well in the center, put in a little oil, and add the garlic. Cook for a minute or two, using a silicone stirrer to keep it from sticking to the pan. Don’t burn. Stir in everything else, rice last. This is the base mixture you will keep in the refrigerator, until you are ready to serve.

At some point, chop:
1/2 head of green cabbage
6 or so stalks of celery, and some of the good leaves in the center of the head

Both of these can be kept, chopped, in bowls in the refrigerator. Squeeze out a couple of paper towels with cold water and place them over the bowls. This will keep things fresh, but do check that the towels don’t dry out.

When you are ready to serve, mix in a couple of handfuls of the celery, and three or four handfuls of cabbage with some big scoops of the base mixture. The base should be about 40% of the mix. Microwave, covered, for about four and a half minutes at full power, until hot. Serve in heated bowls, with:

Chutney — I buy Stonewall Kitchen Mango, and Patak’s Major Grey
Plain whole milk yogurt — by itself, or mixed with your herb of choice (parsley, basil, sorrel), a little olive oil, a pressed garlic clove
Salted peanuts, sprinkled on top


Well, I’m exhausted, and all I did was tell you how to do this. Think of it as doing your homework: the rewards aren’t immediately evident, but there’s a big payoff eventually, if there’s any justice in the world. You won’t be sorry.

Anyway, I was thinking about the grocery bagging. What you want to do is put the heavy stuff into small bags, and put those onto the floor of the back seat. Then take your big bag, which you’ve filled with good bread, soft cheeses, berries, tomatoes, potato chips — all the fragile things that make life worth living — and sit that on top. You can’t ignore what’s weighty, and these things are going to be there if you’re leading an examined life. Keep them under control and in proportion. But you’ve  got to protect the things that bring you joy. Keep them uppermost. Don’t forget.