Chicken and mushrooms cooked over rice
This clay pot rice uses marinated chicken, shiitakes, wood ear and dried lily flowers. The topping cooks with the rice, so food safety depends on the chicken’s center, not the sound of the rice crust. Use a pot rated for your hob; a small Dutch oven is an alternative, but its heating behavior differs.
Ingredients for two portions
Bill’s recipe uses 225 g boneless chicken thigh, six dried shiitakes, a third US cup dried lily flowers and an eighth cup dried wood ear. Marinade: 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp light soy, 2 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp dark soy, 1 tsp cooking wine, half a tsp each sugar and sesame oil, a quarter tsp salt and an eighth tsp white pepper. Rice: one US cup jasmine rice, one US cup low-sodium stock or water, a quarter tsp salt, 1 tbsp oil, one julienned ginger slice and one scallion.
Rehydrate before assembling
Soak the dried ingredients separately until fully softened; the source allows about two hours. Remove shiitake stems and tough lily-flower ends, rinse grit from wood ear and cut large pieces smaller. Combine the topping with chicken and marinade, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Replace soaking water with measured stock
Soak rice in ample water for 25 minutes and drain. Add the measured stock, salt and oil, level the rice, and spread the topping evenly across it. Add ginger and scallion whites. Cover; heat on medium-high until simmering, then use the lowest heat for an initial 25-minute checkpoint.
Check chicken reaches 74 C and the rice is tender. Continue covered cooking if either is unfinished; add a little hot water if the rice is dry but hard. Do not chase a crust by increasing heat while the chicken center is still underdone. Finish with scallion greens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use bone-in chicken?
The source gives about 30 minutes for its small bone-in pieces, but size and pot change the result. Check away from bone with the same 74 C target.
Must I tilt the pot to make a crust?
No. This method does not require balancing a loaded pot on its side. Prioritize stable cookware, cooked chicken and tender rice; a pale bottom is preferable to burnt grains or a spill.
Serve and chill promptly
Divide leftover rice into small portions and chill immediately. Reheating cannot reliably remove toxins formed when cooked rice is held improperly. For a different topping, see Chinese sausage and cured-belly rice; for chicken without rice, see steamed chicken with mushrooms.
Primary recipe: Bill’s chicken-and-mushroom clay pot rice. Safety: poultry temperatures, CFS cooked-rice guidance and FDA refrigerated marinating.