Braised Chicken Rice

Braised Chicken Rice

Ruyi's review:

I found the dish came together easily, and it's a great way to use up some scraps of vegetables in the fridge. The dish almost tasted better after reheating because the flavour from the braised chicken and vegetables came through the rice even more. If this is going to be done as meal prep, be careful with certain vegetables as their texture might change a little after being frozen (e.g. green bell pepper and spring onion).

Taste: Simplicity: Cost:

Recipe by River Jiang

Tested by Ruyi Wang

Ingredients

• 500g Chicken (preferably thighs or chicken breast)
• 200g rice
• 5 pieces dried Shiitake mushrooms (or fresh mushrooms if you prefer)#
• 1 small piece of ginger
• 3 cloves of garlic (or 1 tablespoon of garlic paste)
• 1 Green bell pepper
• 1 Carrot
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine (or cooking wine)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Chicken bouillon powder to taste
• Salt to taste
• 200ml water
• Cooking oil
• 2 Spring onions for garnish

Method

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Slice the ginger, mince the garlic, and cut the mushrooms into thin slices if using dried ones (after soaking). Slice the bell pepper and carrot into chunks of similar size (so that they can finish cooking at roughly the same time).

2. In a bowl, marinate the chicken with 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, and a pinch of salt. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.

3. Prepare your Rice (see Cooking Basics: RiceLink opens in a new window)

4. Heat some oil in a pan, add the ginger slices and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant.

5. Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry until the chicken turns white and is slightly browned on the outside.

6. Add the sliced carrots, bell pepper, and mushrooms to the pan. Stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.

7. Then, add 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and mix everything well.

8. Pour in about 200ml of water, stir, and bring to a simmer. Cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, letting the chicken and vegetables absorb the flavours of the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt or chicken bouillon if needed.

9. Once the rice is cooked, spread the braised chicken and vegetables on top of the rice in the rice cooker or pot. If using a regular pot, transfer the rice to a serving dish, then spoon the chicken mixture on top.

10. Let the rice and chicken steam together for 10-15 minutes on low heat to allow the flavours to melt.

11. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve hot. Optionally, you can give it a quick stir to mix the sauce into the rice.