Mum’s Chicken and Rice

This Mum’s Chicken and Rice dish is a flavor-packed comfort food dish that the whole family is sure to love! The recipe is from The Lemon Apron Cookbook which absolutely deserves a spot on your cookbook shelf! 

Feast your eyes on your new favorite comfort food dish folks! This Mum’s Chicken and Rice dish is over-the-top full of flavor and sure to make it to the tippy top of your comfort food favorites list this winter season. It’s a stick to your bones kind of meal that’s sure to satisfy the heartiest of appetites!

I’ve been blogging now for 8 years here at The Beach House Kitchen and over those years I’ve been very fortunate to personally and virtually come in contact with so many talented people. I’ve been blown away by my fellow bloggers expertise and creativity in the kitchen.

Jennifer Emilson, the blogger behind The Lemon Apron food blog is one of those talented people I’ve been following for years. Her new book, The Lemon Apron Cookbook – Seasonal Recipes for the Curious Home Cook is absolutely stunning and loaded with delicious, approachable, family friendly recipes.

The book is organized by season and it highlights the freshest produce you can find during that time of the year. The recipes are comfort food at its best.

I chose to share a childhood favorite of Jennifer’s, her recipe for Mum’s Chicken and Rice. When I read the description in her book as the most soothing meal she knew, I knew I’d have to try it. And once I made it in my kitchen and tasted it, I knew I’d have to share it here with you folks at the BHK.

This chicken dish has such tremendous flavor. The combination of spices that the chicken is flavored with, the way the juices from the chicken flavor the rice and the chunks of celery and onion give an earthy, zesty flavor to this dish that will delight your taste buds. My husband Tom absolutely raved about it and he usually does not go for dark meat chicken dishes.

I love Jennifer’s note to sear the meat without the seasonings so they don’t burn onto the skin or into the pan. I also like the bigger chunks of celery and onion so you really taste them and they don’t disappear into the dish.

If you’re a chicken thigh lover and even if you’re not, you’re going to really enjoy this dish. It’s a must, not only for the winter season, but all year long. Hope you guys check out Jennifer’s new book and give this dish, as well as so many others from her book a try!

Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!

Mum's Chicken and Rice

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Servings: 4 servings

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This Mum's Chicken and Rice dish is a flavor-packed comfort food dish that the whole family is sure to love! The recipe is from The Lemon Apron Cookbook which absolutely deserves a spot on your cookbook shelf! 

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Ingredients  

• 2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 6-8 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped, for garnish

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine paprika, thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, lemon zest, onion and garlic powders in a small bowl. Mix until well combined. Set aside.
• In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and one tablespoon of the butter. Add the chicken thighs, in batches if necessary, skin side down. Sear on all sides until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate to cool. Remove all but one tablespoon of the fat from your skillet.
• Over medium heat, add the onions to the skillet and cook until they begin to soften, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for one minute. Add the celery and another teaspoon of salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 3 minutes.
• Once the chicken thighs are cooled, pat them dry and rub the seasoning mix into all sides.
• Add the rice and remaining one tablespoon of butter to the skillet and stir until all coated. Add the chicken to the skillet on top of the rice. Pour the chicken stock and 1/2 cup of water around and between the chicken, not over the top. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Let the dish bubble for about 30 seconds. Cover with a lid or seal with foil and bake in the center of your oven for 35 minutes. Remove the lid. Spray the chicken with a little olive oil spray for extra crispy tops and continue to bake for 10 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes, Fluff the rice and garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes

I chopped my onions into bigger chunks just like I did the celery.

From now on, for this dish and others, I will definitely be searing my chicken first without the seasonings and then seasoning after searing. Thanks for the tip Jennifer!

Keyword: Chicken, Comfort Food, rice, The Lemon Apron Cookbook

Cuisine: American

Course: Main Dish