Each of us have those certain dishes that never require following a recipe. The flavors mingle in your mind. They’re just part of you and what you know. Out of habit and familiarity, the dish materializes before your eyes. Kind of like a dance you’ve always danced. You don’t think about it. You just do it.
No precise measuring. No fancy techniques. No strict timers or guidelines. And then it’s complete.
Dishes like these are usually our comfort foods. Food we’ve grown up with. Comfort derived not just from the enjoyment of eating the food itself but from the process of doing something routine, regular, and familiar.
This dish of Chicken and Rice is that kind of comfort food for me. Having grown up with it, watching my grandmothers, and mother make it, and now being able to share it with my family is a pleasure. It’s special. Not to mention super yummy. My daughter requests this along with the White Bean Chicken Chili regularly. And one day she’ll learn to make it for her family too.
Here in the south Chicken and Rice is a regional favorite, and you’ll find as many versions as there are different southern accents. Particularly in the Low Country in South Carolina, Chicken and Rice may be referred to as Chicken Bog or Chicken Pileau (or perlow, or pilau, or perlieu?). While each may have a slight variation in ingredients (some recipes may include sausage and/or wine), all have two things in common: chicken that’s been cooked in a pot of it’s own broth until it’s falling off the bone, and rice added to soak up all the broth-y goodness.
I don’t know what the higher ups in all things food would call this version that I’m sharing with you, but we call it Chicken and Rice. And that suits me just fine.
I’ve been cooking this for years, and, as I said, I don’t really follow a recipe. But the last few times I’ve made it I’ve taken notes so it could be shared with you. The recipe follows but please make it your own. It’s a basic rendition but sure to please. The ingredients are simple: a whole chicken, rice, celery and onion are the main ingredients, with the addition of a few seasonings. The process is pretty simple as well. I put mine together similar to a risotto.
After the chicken has cooked until the meat is falling off the bone (at least an hour, but the more the bettah), remove the chicken and let cool slightly in order to debone. While the chicken is cooling I usually let the broth reduce a bit more. When chicken is deboned, I remove all of the broth (or use another large pot) and put about 6 cups of broth back into the pot with 3 cups of rice and the deboned chicken. Add additional salt and pepper, cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Stir rice and add another cup of broth, cover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Continue the process by simmering covered and stirring in more broth every 5 minutes or so, until rice is done. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Result? A smooth, creamy and tasty Chicken and Rice. And a wonderful smelling house!
I sure hope you enjoy it as much as we do and that it brings you a measure of comfort too.
Ingredients
- 4 quarts (16 cups) water approx. (enough to cover chicken)
- 1 4 lb. (approx.) whole chicken
- 3-4 stalks celery; rough chopped
- 1 large sweet onion; diced
- 1 teaspoon pepper – divided
- 1 teaspoon salt – divided
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley – divided
- 3 cups long grain white rice
Instructions
- In a large stock pot bring water, chicken, celery, onion, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, oregano, celery salt, 1 teaspoon parsley to boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for at least an hour (2-3 hours would be preferable).
- Once simmering is complete, remove chicken to cool in order to debone. Let broth continue to simmer and reduce.
- When cool enough to handle, debone chicken.
- Remove all broth from pot (or use another pot) and put approximately 6 cups broth back into pot along with the rice, chicken, remaining pepper, salt and parsley. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes stir in another cup of broth. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Continue to add broth, stir, cover and simmer for 5 minutes at a time until rice is done.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
This DOES look like comfort food. Love it!
Looks good, Amy. To save time in preparation, use a cut-up chicken. If you cut the chicken into pieces (like drumbsticks, thighs, breast, wings, etc.) before it is cooked there is no need to debone it after it is cooked. This is truely food for the soul. Love, Mom
I think this would be a definite winner at my house! Looks delish!!
I have a favorite chicken and rice recipe very similar to your recipe that has been handed down by my grandmother and mother. Only difference is a can of onion soup is added to the rice and chicken. I just may have to write this down for next week’s menus – haven’t made it in awhile.
I feel very cheated that I have never had chicken and rice before! I’ll be making this soon. Thanks for the recipe!
I will be making this soon! I love to eat chicken and rice made by someone else, but I’ve always screwed it up when I made it (with no recipe). I think yours will work nicely, thank you!
Now, photography question – how did you get the first shot, with the steam coming off of it? Do you mind sharing lens, aperture, ISO, shutter speed and white balance? I would love to improve my food shots and learning from others seems to work best.
I love chicken and rice and never know how to make it properly. Thanks for the recipe! I will be making this soon.
Too bad we don’t have smellavision! Just looking at that first picture with the steam coming off that beautiful bowl of chicken and rice… amazing! And it looks like I should be able to pick the onion and celery right off the screen. Love your photos! Can’t wait to try this version of Chicken and Rice. I make a similar one but have never tried the risotto style of adding the broth a cup at a time. Yum…
We had never made rice this way. Even though we eat rice practically everyday…
The picture looks good, but from what I read from the recipe… Is the chicken stock alone enough to make the rice dish tasty (like risotto kind of tasty??)
Hey Books We Read!
You could always add more seasoning to taste but for us the broth w/ that is seasoned with the salt, pepper, oregano, celery salt, parsley is pretty tasty. Make it yours!
~ Amy J.
What a beautiful, comforting dish. Thanks for taking the time to write up a recipe for us. I still haven’t been able to cook dishes without a recipe (well, I did just memorize one recipe not too long ago), but I can’t wait to be able to create dishes like that. Chicken and rice sounds great.
Wonderful! Can’t go wrong with that combination of ingredients and it looks just perfect for this cold weather.
The chicken is on the stove boiling away right now. It already smells fabulous.
Back to say that this was absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it! Thanks for the recipe.
We SC girls love our chicken bog! YUM. It’s been a while since I had it too so think this will be an opportune time to make it again. Your photos are to die for. I want to be able to do that! Thanks for sharing.
I love your reciepes. You make them seems so easy and your photography is fabulous.
keep it coming
I did it! Delicis. Pa liked it, too. Thanks. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?! Keep’um coming.
Yes, it was delicious, but I added kielbasa sausage to kick it up a notch.
Thanks so much for the recipe! Instead of cooking the chicken on the stove for 1-3 hours, could I put it in a slow cooker on low while I am working? Just wondering…
[...] slightly adapted from She Wears Many Hats [...]
Most delicious! Still full, I found myself thinking about it an hour after eating…hmmmm….should I eat some more? hahaha. I will make this again and again. Thanks!
I have had a love hate relationship with chicken and rice for 25 yrs. Yours is just like the deep south bogs I remember.
[...] She Wears Many Hats to find it. Not to convince the hubby that Spaghetti just isn’t going to cut it for baby [...]
cooking this now and it looks, smells great; can’t wait to eat it!
Thank you thank you thank you!! My Aunt made this for our family while I was growing up and anytime I tried to Google the recipe I came up with chicken casseroles but THIS is what I needed!! I will be making this for Easter this weekend! I can taste it already!!
The number of times I had this as a child would probably exceed the national debt. What wonderful memories. I don’t really know why I don’t make this except that maybe when I have a pot of chicken broth and chicken falling off the bone, I tend to turn it into chicken and dumplings instead. What I remember most about chicken and rice is that my grandmother loved cold chicken loaf and would make it all the time in the summer. My sister and I thought it was D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G and we refused to eat it so my mom would make a big pot of hot rice made with extra chicken broth and we would eat it with the hot rice because the gelled loaf would melt into chicken and rice. Strange memory to share I know, but it was tasty! I’m going to have to start making real chicken and rice for my family again. It’s such a great meal. Thanks for sharing and making me remember how much I love it!
Making this tonight, can’t wait!