2010 Cooking Club Week 6: Chicken & Chorizo Rice Bake

Sound Bite · 16-09-2012 3:32pm

I'm very new to cooking but tried this today and it went very wrong so hopefully someone can tell me how to fix it.

I only wanted to cook for 2 so I halved everything in the reciepe.
I followed it step by step otherwise.
I used Knorr stock pot and Roma easy cook rice.

The rice did not cook at all. It was either hard or burnt when I took it out of the oven. There was also a lot of fat/grease at the bottom of the pot.

I'm not a natural cook and was never shown as a children as my mother's is horrendous. Trying to make up for it now.

Any suggestions?

nice1franko · 17-09-2012 10:53am

Sound Bite wrote: »

I'm very new to cooking but tried this today and it went very wrong so hopefully someone can tell me how to fix it.

I only wanted to cook for 2 so I halved everything in the reciepe.
I followed it step by step otherwise.
I used Knorr stock pot and Roma easy cook rice.

The rice did not cook at all. It was either hard or burnt when I took it out of the oven. There was also a lot of fat/grease at the bottom of the pot.

I'm not a natural cook and was never shown as a children as my mother's is horrendous. Trying to make up for it now.

Any suggestions?

Did you have a tight fitting lid on the pot? Most of the moisture should have been kept in and the rice would be nice and moist.

There shouldn't have been much fat at the bottom either. When you added the rice did you stir it around to coat the rice with the fat from the chorizo?

eVeNtInE · 17-09-2012 2:41pm

This post has been deleted.

nice1franko · 17-09-2012 3:44pm

I'd reheat spread out on a flat pate in the microwave. I'd say it might dry out in the oven.

BTW, any rice dish that is cooked in advance of eating should be quickly covered, cooled and refrigerated until you heat it back up or eat cold (the warm, moist environment is ideal for bacteria).

sillymoo · 17-09-2012 10:37pm

I made this tonight - fabulous! Going to freeze 3 portions. Just wondering does anyone have any tips for when I'm defrosting - just take out ASAP and leave to defrost naturally? Can I defrost in microwave?

Tusky · 18-09-2012 1:39am

Made this tonight and while it was very nice, there were two problems.

1) It was a tad mild. If I was doing again I would add peppers, chillis and some spices.

2) Some of the rice was a bit hard/crunchy. Does that mean it was undercooked? I tried stirring it and whacking it back in the oven but it didn't do much good.

Will try again anyway.

nice1franko · 18-09-2012 1:44pm

sillymoo wrote: »

I made this tonight - fabulous! Going to freeze 3 portions. Just wondering does anyone have any tips for when I'm defrosting - just take out ASAP and leave to defrost naturally? Can I defrost in microwave?

I'd take it out the freezer the night before and let it defrost in the fridge which has the added benefit of being energy efficient, since it helps keeps the fridge cool without using any more 'leccy.

nice1franko · 18-09-2012 1:57pm

Tusky wrote: »

Made this tonight and while it was very nice, there were two problems.

1) It was a tad mild. If I was doing again I would add peppers, chillis and some spices.

2) Some of the rice was a bit hard/crunchy. Does that mean it was undercooked? I tried stirring it and whacking it back in the oven but it didn't do much good.

Will try again anyway.

Add more chorizo! But, yeah, chili, peppers, spices... all good.

I've made this with rabbit, caramelised shallots, chorizo, peas and chopped bacon (so, basically, not this at all) and it was delicious. It's going to be good with whatever you like - really is one you can tweak a little or completely pull apart.

If the rice was crunchy it was either a tad under or else there wasn't enough liquid. If it was a little "soupy" it needed longer or else just add a little more water/stock if you do it again.

D'Agger · 10-10-2012 9:34am

Thanks for the recipe

Tried this last night - used Basmati rice and to be honest I think next time I'll try something different as it didn't seemed to be cooked properly.

One thing I didn't do which I thought might help this is to take out the pot halfway through cooking it in the oven, remove the chicken and give the rice a stir, potentially add some more wine/stock - would this help or am I overcomplicating things?

I'll definitely try it again, will use more spices/chillies etc. to give it some additional flavour and a good deal more chorizo which tasted very nice.

Mick F · 17-10-2012 11:59am

Made this last night. Delicious!

oscarBravo · 03-12-2012 5:32pm

I made this last night with basmati rice, because I eat a lot of it and have a 10kg bag in the cupboard

Basmati seems to absorb a lot of liquid, so I'd recommend keeping to the lower end of the quantity scale (2 cups, which is still a lot of rice).

The chicken came out cooked to perfection - plump and juicy with nice flavour from the initial frying. I added button mushrooms and meant to add peas but forgot. Definitely one I'll be trying again (once I get through the three leftover portions I froze).

Neyite · 05-12-2012 11:15pm

This is now a firm favorite in our house. Passed the recipe onto my mammy too

hardCopy · 02-01-2013 5:43pm

I made this ages ago and never posted about it this was lovely but the rice was a bit dry.

It was my first casserole dish and I've since found that the same thing happened with other recipes so maybe my pot-oven combo dries out quicker than most.

I may even make this again tonight as I have loads of chicken fillets clogging up the freezer.

nice1franko · 07-01-2013 10:52am

hardCopy wrote: »

I made this ages ago and never posted about it this was lovely but the rice was a bit dry.

It was my first casserole dish and I've since found that the same thing happened with other recipes so maybe my pot-oven combo dries out quicker than most.
...

Yeah, the rice looks a bit dry alright. It should be nice and moist- so much so that there's no need for sauce.

Maybe he oven is too hot or if there's a small gap between the lid and the pot somewhere the steam will escape too quickly and it'll dry out. Just compensate by adding more water!

illgetthere · 14-01-2013 9:49pm

Thanks so much OP - made this tonight and it was quick, easy and delicious!!! Can see this becoming a regular, my boyfriend went back for seconds and there's still lots left for lunch tomorrow. I added mushrooms just before it went in the oven - and a little bit of chilli powder on the chicken to give it some flavour as I couldn't find skin on chicken - YUM!!

dvpower · 19-01-2013 9:40pm

Did this tonight. Very tasty and really simple - one for the repertoire.
Thanks OP

Mrs Fox · 25-01-2013 7:24pm

This is in the oven now. Patience, patience.

Mrs Fox · 27-01-2013 1:11am

This was an easy peasy dish. Simple yet delicious.
I opted for chicken legs instead as the meat was more tender, plus I love picking on bones. I added chopped red pepper for extra texture. The rice turned out perfectly fluffy. But I didn't have any parsley in hand.
The only down was the excessive oil at the bottom of the pan. My guess was the rendered fat from the chicken legs skin; I should've scooped most of them out before sauteeing the onion. Or could well be from the particular chorizo I was using.
But tasty tasty tasty none the less. Will most definitely make this again.

ilovetorun · 30-01-2013 11:15am

I made this the other night and it was delicious! I also added red peppers to it which was nice.
Lovely recipe OP, I will be making this again!

unkel · 31-01-2013 9:48pm

Made it again with one of those corn fed birds from Superquinn (€5 special offer ATM) - Yum

The only regret is that I would have used twice the chorizo, I only had about 100g left...

Only realised today that this dish does not need any seasoning at all! Plenty of salt coming from the chicken (skins), the butter and the chorizo and a bit of spice from the latter too

The Black Oil · 31-01-2013 10:55pm

No more franko? That's a shame.

ibarelycare · 09-03-2013 2:06pm

Going to make this tomorrow for Mother's Day lunch. My stepdad is a strict "meat & two veg" man so this might be a bit exotic for him, but I'm looking forward to it and that's what matters

ibarelycare · 10-03-2013 4:31pm

This went down a treat, clean plates all round! Unfortunately I couldn't find any chicken breasts with skins on yesterday, and I should have browned the chicken more before putting it in the oven, but it was still absolutely delicious. Added some peas to steam in the last few minutes and they added a lovely sweetness. No chicken left but plenty of rice and chorizo so that's my lunch sorted for tomorrow

Going to a dinner party in a few weeks where every couple has to make a dish. We're on main course so we'll (*I'll

) definitely make this. So handy being able to make it before going and bring it all over in one pot.

Pigwidgeon · 13-03-2013 7:33pm

I made this again tonight, added in some button mushrooms and peas and used chicken thighs instead of breasts. It was delicious!

ibarelycare · 22-03-2013 8:31pm

I'm making this tomorrow for 6 people. The chicken breasts I got are ginormous! It's going to be a squash in the pot! Anyway I have a question. I'm cooking this at home and bringing it over to my friend's house. What would be the best way to re-heat it there? Should I add more water and stick it back in the oven for a bit, or will I microwave each portion individually?

Loopy · 22-03-2013 8:54pm

Microwaving may dry it out.
I'd add a splash of water and gently re-heat it on the hob. I've done that with this dish and it's been fine.

ibarelycare · 22-03-2013 9:04pm

Loopy wrote: »

Microwaving may dry it out.
I'd add a splash of water and gently re-heat it on the hob. I've done that with this dish and it's been fine.

Great, thanks

insebayguy · 11-04-2013 9:46am

I'm possibly the worst cook in the world but I made this last night and it was EPIC!!
Will be doing it again

Wurly · 06-09-2013 10:29am

Could you use uncle bens brown rice in this? It cooks in ten mins so i'm just a bit concerned that it will go soggy and mushy.

Ti malika · 07-09-2013 2:32pm

This looks delicious. I'll definitely was going to do as I have a meat eating friend coming for lunch this weekend.

That looks yum .... thanks

2010 Cooking Club Week 6: Chicken & Chorizo Rice Bake

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