Chicken Cook-Up Rice
Published Dec. 1, 2023
- Total Time
- 9 hours 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 30 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes, plus overnight soaking and marinating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 1bunch thyme, stems removed
- 1bunch basil, stems removed
- ½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped
- 10 to 12scallions, roughly chopped
- 1large yellow onion, chopped
- 1head garlic
- 3 to 4wiri wiri peppers or 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper
- 1cup dried black-eyed peas (see Tip)
- 1whole (3-pound) chicken, cut into pieces and skin removed
- Salt and black pepper
- 1pound smoked turkey necks, wings or tails
- 1carrot, roughly chopped
- 1celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 2large onions, 1 quartered and 1 chopped
- 2bay leaves
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 1small bunch thyme
- 1Scotch bonnet, wiri wiri or habanero pepper
- 2cups parboiled long-grain rice
- 4scallions, finely chopped
- 2½ cups chicken stock
- 1(13-ounce) can coconut milk
For the Green Seasoning
For the Rice
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
617 calories; 31 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 984 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Make the green seasoning: Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend, adding water a few tablespoons at a time – up to 4 tablespoons – until you get a thick purée. (The seasoning can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a day.)
- Step 2
Make the rice: Place peas in a bowl with enough water to cover and soak overnight in the refrigerator. Season chicken with the green seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper, and marinate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight in the refrigerator.
- Step 3
When ready to cook, strain peas, place in a large pot and cover with water. Add smoked turkey, carrot, celery, quartered onion and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, skimming any scum that rises to the top, until the peas soften but still have some bite, about 20 minutes. (They’ll continue cooking with the rice.) Strain the peas, remove the aromatics, reserve the turkey, and set aside.
- Step 4
Scrape off any excess marinade from the chicken. In a large pot over medium heat, add oil. Add chicken and brown, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Step 5
To the same pan, add the chopped onion, garlic, thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Step 6
Add rice and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute to absorb the fat from the pan.
- Step 7
Add smoked turkey, drained peas, scallions, chicken stock, coconut milk and remaining bay leaf to rice and stir thoroughly. Add 2½ cups water and bring to a boil, then add chicken and its juices to the pot.
- Step 8
Lower to a simmer, then cover the pot and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. The rice should be tender and all of the liquid should be absorbed. If rice is not tender and all of the liquid is gone, add water, a little at a time, and continue to cook until rice is tender. Serve immediately.
Tip
- You want to use dried beans here, rather than canned, for taste and texture. Canned beans don’t retain the same bite as dried.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
HNR
Nice. Trinidadian 75-min version: 1. season 1lb of diced breast or thighs w/scallion, onion, 1 plum tomato diced, garlic, parsley, culantro/cilantro, ginger, thyme, hot pepper. 2. Brown/caramelize 1 tbsp sugar in canola or ghee & sauté chicken on high. 3. Add 1 cup rice & 1 tin drained Goya pigeon peas or red kidney beans or black eye peas.1/2 cup diced carrot. 4. Add 1 cup Goya coconut milk and 1 cup water. For richer, 2 cups of coconut milk. 4. Cover, cook on low till liquid is absorbed.
Bill
Respectfully, I have long been frustrated by recipe ingredient lists that measure herbs or anything else in "bunches". There is simply no way to determine how much that means in real terms - cups, tablespoons or whatever. A "bunch" of parsley is quite differently sized in Whole Foods and Safeway, for example. It seems to me that one would want to duplicate the recipe writer's dish exactly the first time, and only later vary amounts of thyme, basil, or parsley to taste.
Don
While we're at it, I also find instructions like "1 clove of garlic" frustrating. as garlic cloves have an enormous variety of sizes. Ditto onions. What makes for a "large" onion is totally in the eye of the beholder. Can't recipe writers say "1/2 cup of chopped onion" or "1 tbs minced garlic?
James A
Curious, and concerned for Bill… I googled “how much is a bunch of herbs?” For me, I use my judgment. But: “Larger-leafed varieties, like mint, parsley, and basil, should go closer to two or more ounces, while more compact and potent plants like thyme and rosemary stick closer to one. (Bay leaves are the one exception: Per The Book of Yields, just a half-ounce qualifies as a bunch.)Feb 13, 2023”
Conor
I made this last night. I was worried about habanero being too spicy and just got one and it did nothing to the spice level so I would say go for two or just use some seeds with one. I thought 6 total cups of liquid (2.5 broth, 2.6 water and coconut milk) would be too much to pair with 2 cups rice but it ended up being a stew at first, and dried out after an hour. The chicken was well cooked. Definitely hit the thyme hard, it needs it.
S
If only bigger chickens are available, buy a bigger chicken, cut it up, remove the skins, and use 3 lbs of that and freeze the rest?
wgh
Maybe I'm being dense, but step two's first three words are "Make the rice:", but rice is not mentioned anywhere else in the step. Can someone clarify?
Jane
The "rice" is the mixture of all those other ingredients, starting with the peas. There is rice in that grouping.
Sal M
Any advice on sourcing the smoked turkey parts or are those supposed to be leftovers from Christmas?
-kerrita
it seems the whole point of the recipe is: use whatever is at hand. cooking as a marker of the moment. i love exactitude - but the method here is honoring the ingredients as you have them.
Kitfo
Economical, makes a ton of food. One scotch bonnet was not enough. Texture was great, but flavor was meh. Disappointing.
Rae
Taste! You like garlic, put more garlic, same with any of the seasonings. Caribbean cooking is very flexible. A lot depends on what's in your pantry and or what you like so that the dish will be a little different every time you cook it. Also, wash yuh rice. Please.
Conor
I made this last night. I was worried about habanero being too spicy and just got one and it did nothing to the spice level so I would say go for two or just use some seeds with one. I thought 6 total cups of liquid (2.5 broth, 2.6 water and coconut milk) would be too much to pair with 2 cups rice but it ended up being a stew at first, and dried out after an hour. The chicken was well cooked. Definitely hit the thyme hard, it needs it.
asya
Is the rice cooked before adding it to the chicken? Or not? It’s unclear
Erika A
In step 8, the sentence "Lower to a simmer, then cover the pot and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. The rice should be tender and all of the liquid should be absorbed." implies rice is put into pot uncooked, but I agree that adding "uncooked" to the item in ingredients would be much more clear.
SusanW
I was originally confused because the recipe calls for parboiled rice, so I looked it up in Wikipedia. Parboiled rice (also called converted rice) has been partially boiled in its husk before further processing and drying. This type of rice is "nutritionally similar to brown rice" and "takes less time to cook and is firmer and less sticky." Given that the recipe calls for parboiled rice, we can assume that the cooking times take that into account.
Ben C
@James, are you curious and concerned or are you taking an opportunity to be pedantic? His point still stands. If a bunch can be anywhere from 1 to 2 ounces depending on the herbs in question then that's not really a replicable quantity. This isn't being posted as a "no recipe" recipe.
NY
Smoked turkey parts are available in many local grocery stores if you can’t find, you can sub with a bit of liquid smoke
James A
Curious, and concerned for Bill… I googled “how much is a bunch of herbs?” For me, I use my judgment. But: “Larger-leafed varieties, like mint, parsley, and basil, should go closer to two or more ounces, while more compact and potent plants like thyme and rosemary stick closer to one. (Bay leaves are the one exception: Per The Book of Yields, just a half-ounce qualifies as a bunch.)Feb 13, 2023”
J
Do the aromatics include the carrots, celery and/or quartered onion?
SusanW
@J: Yes, it looks like aromatics include the carrot, celery, and quartered onion, and perhaps also 1 bay leaf (?). The instruction to roughly chop the carrot and celery should greatly help to separate them from the peas.
Tom in LA
Smoked turkey? Where do you find that?
Laura
I'm in Texas, so I know a couple of barbecue joints that have it pretty regularly. We've also eaten smoked turkey for Thanksgiving, and I wouldn't be surprised if there might be a couple of wings in my freezer...
Bill
Respectfully, I have long been frustrated by recipe ingredient lists that measure herbs or anything else in "bunches". There is simply no way to determine how much that means in real terms - cups, tablespoons or whatever. A "bunch" of parsley is quite differently sized in Whole Foods and Safeway, for example. It seems to me that one would want to duplicate the recipe writer's dish exactly the first time, and only later vary amounts of thyme, basil, or parsley to taste.
Don
While we're at it, I also find instructions like "1 clove of garlic" frustrating. as garlic cloves have an enormous variety of sizes. Ditto onions. What makes for a "large" onion is totally in the eye of the beholder. Can't recipe writers say "1/2 cup of chopped onion" or "1 tbs minced garlic?
David Smith
We can't find 3 lb chickens here in Wisconsin. Where do you get them?
S
If only bigger chickens are available, buy a bigger chicken, cut it up, remove the skins, and use 3 lbs of that and freeze the rest?
HNR
Nice. Trinidadian 75-min version: 1. season 1lb of diced breast or thighs w/scallion, onion, 1 plum tomato diced, garlic, parsley, culantro/cilantro, ginger, thyme, hot pepper. 2. Brown/caramelize 1 tbsp sugar in canola or ghee & sauté chicken on high. 3. Add 1 cup rice & 1 tin drained Goya pigeon peas or red kidney beans or black eye peas.1/2 cup diced carrot. 4. Add 1 cup Goya coconut milk and 1 cup water. For richer, 2 cups of coconut milk. 4. Cover, cook on low till liquid is absorbed.
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