Rice baked with chicken in the oven: cooking rules and recipes

How to cook rice so that it is fluffy

When thinking about how to cook rice so that it is crumbly, you should pay attention to the three simplest methods.

• Rinse the rice thoroughly, cover with cold water and leave to swell for 1 hour. When the cereal has absorbed most of the water, you can add more (so that the layer of rice is covered with the top), and then boil without stirring until cooked.

• Rinse the rice several times, constantly changing the water, then soak for 15 minutes. Next, the cereal needs to be thrown into a sieve, drained well and placed in a dry, hot frying pan. Heat the rice with stirring until the moisture has completely evaporated and dried, then place it in a saucepan with cold water, bring to a boil and boil.

• Rinse the rice thoroughly, changing the water several times, pour into boiling water, boil for 1-2 minutes and place on a sieve. Rinse the hot cereal, then place it in cold water, bring it to a boil again and cook until soft, stirring occasionally.

Those who want to cook fluffy rice from standard varieties of cereals - round, long-grain or steamed - should remember one trick: you need to fill the rice with water in a ratio of 1:2 so that during the cooking process it does not absorb all the liquid and dry out.

Other types - basmati and jasmine - require less water, as they are steamed more than boiled.

Advice! After cooking, it is advisable not to open the pan with the crumbly side dish immediately, but to wait 15-20 minutes.

Which type of rice to choose

To cook fluffy, tasty rice, it is important not only to follow the rules of its preparation, but also to choose the type of cereal suitable for a particular dish. Depending on a particular recipe, different varieties of rice are used, which differ in beneficial properties, shape, color, processing method, and cooking time. A universal type of cereal for crumbly dishes is steamed rice. This type does not stick together during cooking and does not require long-term heat treatment, due to which it retains a maximum of useful components. There are such varieties:

• Long grain rice, also known as basmati, is ideal for cooking crumbly porridge. Thin oblong grains do not stick together during cooking. The long-grain variety is often used to prepare a side dish for meat or fish.
• Round rice is not a good option for cooking a crumbly dish, as it absorbs liquid very quickly and sticks together. It is better to use round grains for making rolls, casseroles, and puddings.
• Medium-grain rice, like short-grain rice, is not suitable for preparing crumbly porridge. The reason for this is the high starch content and, in addition, this variety absorbs too much water, turning out viscous. Medium-grain grains are often used for risotto or soups.

Cook fluffy rice in a saucepan for a side dish

If you need to cook not just fluffy-tender, but also delicious rice in a pan, you should choose the following side dish recipe.

Ingredients:

• rice – 200 gr.;
• water – 400 ml;
• oil (vegetable) – 50 ml;
• salt – 2 tsp;
• paprika (ground) – ½ tsp;
• turmeric – ½ tsp;
• nutmeg - a pinch.

How to cook rice in a frying pan

Cook rice

in a frying pan it is more troublesome than in a saucepan, but the taste of the resulting side dish is much higher.

A frying pan for cooking rice should be of a large diameter, equipped with a lid that closes tightly. To begin with, it is recommended to fry finely chopped onion and grated carrots in a frying pan in vegetable oil. Then pour rice into the pan and gently stir it until all the grains are covered with a layer of oil. This is one of the secrets, crumbly.

After all the grains of rice are covered with a layer of oil, add boiling water to the frying pan (you can use it from a kettle, at a rate of 2/1) and 1 teaspoon of salt for each intended serving of rice (150 ml). By the way, when adding rice, you should use a measuring container.

Another secret, crumbly, is just to gently stir it once after adding it to the pan, doing which you should be careful not to break its grains. Cook the rice in a tightly closed frying pan over low heat for 15 minutes, then check the degree of readiness “to the tooth” (see the criteria above), remove the lid and turn off the heat. Then it is recommended to cover the pan with a linen “hat” or just a towel, which will absorb excess moisture.

About washing rice before cooking it. In general, there is no need to rinse rice before cooking, but if you are “lucky” to buy “dirty”, low-quality rice, then you will not be able to avoid this procedure.

There are several other methods, but these two are the most popular.

A simple task like cooking rice is still difficult for many experienced and novice cooks. Everything is actually very simple if you know a few basic ways to cook rice correctly.

Cooking in a slow cooker

In a slow cooker you can quickly cook cereal of any consistency with a delicate taste and delicate aroma.

Ingredients:

• rice – 100 gr.;
• broth – 200 gr.;
• oil (olive) – 30 ml;
• garlic – 1 clove;
• salt - a pinch.

Rinse the rice under running water, then soak in cold water in a bowl for 15 minutes, then drain, squeeze and place in a multicooker bowl. Pour in the broth, add salt, and hide the garlic in the middle. On the machine, run the “Rice” program for 30 minutes (in some models this is the “Porridge” mode), after the signal, open the lid, remove the garlic, pour in the oil and mix the finished cereal thoroughly.

How to cook kutya from rice

Kutia is usually made from wheat, but not everyone likes it. And if you prepare kutya from rice and add raisins, it will be no less tasty than from wheat.

Ingredients:

• rice – 300 gr. (round);
• water – 500 ml;
• butter – 50 gr.;
• sugar – 70 gr.;
• walnuts – 100 gr.;
• raisins – 100 gr.

Recipe:

Let's learn how to cook kutia from rice with raisins. Take the rice, pour it into a saucepan and rinse it several times.

Pour the rice into a thick-walled saucepan or, better yet, into a cast iron pot, pour boiling water over it, and add a little salt. Place over moderate heat and cook for 15 minutes. In the middle of cooking, when the cereal is half cooked and the water has evaporated, add sugar and a little butter. Stir the rice well, cover and let sit for another 15 minutes.

Pour boiling water over raisins; if you like, you can add them to rice and other dried fruits. Chop the nuts and hold them in a hot frying pan for a few minutes while stirring.

Pour nuts into the finished rice, mix the raisins thoroughly. You can pour melted honey on top and garnish with raisins.

Quick recipe in the microwave

You can quickly and correctly prepare the side dish in the microwave, and the finished cereal will be almost perfect - crumbly, white, tasty. This side dish can be served with any dish, and no one will understand that it took a minimum of time to prepare. Ingredients:

• rice – 200 gr.;
• broth – 400 gr.;
• butter (butter) – 60 gr.;
• salt - to taste.

Place the oil in a microwave-safe glass container and heat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Rinse the rice, add to the oil, mix thoroughly and heat again for 2-4 minutes. Next, you need to pour the broth into the container, cover it with a lid with ventilation holes and put it in the microwave at half power for 15-20 minutes. During this period, you need to stop the machine 2-3 times and stir the rice. The finished cereal should be left covered for 5-10 minutes.

Advice! Cooking fluffy rice in the microwave may not be successful the first time due to various features of the device models and the selected type of cereal. The correct proportions of components and the exact cooking time can be calculated only after 2-3 attempts.

Step-by-step recipes for preparing fluffy rice with photos

The main rule that any housewife who wants to learn how to cook fluffy rice should know is that before cooking, the cereal should be rinsed several times until the water passing through it becomes clear. This way you will rid the rice of excess starch, husks and dust. After this, you should soak the grains in cold water for at least half an hour. This is necessary so that the rice is saturated with water, then it will be easier to cook the cereal crumbly.

Recipe for fluffy rice in a slow cooker

Grains cooked in a slow cooker turn out soft and crumbly. In addition, cereals with this method of heat treatment retain a maximum of useful substances. By adding different spices to the dish, you can get different tastes and give the cereal an appetizing color. For example, seasoning a dish with curry or turmeric can easily achieve a beautiful golden hue.

• 3 multi glasses of water.
• 2 multi cups rice.
• Salt, seasonings.
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil.

How to cook fluffy rice using a multicooker:

1. Rinse the cereal several times, place it in a multicooker container and fill it with hot water so that the liquid covers the grains by 1.5 fingers.
2. Add salt, spices, vegetable oil. Stir the contents of the bowls.
3. Close the multicooker with a lid and turn on the “Buckwheat”, “Pilaf” or “Normal Cooking” mode. If you decide to use the “Pilaf” option, then a few minutes before the dish is ready, switch the program to “Warming” so that the bottom layer of cereal does not burn.

How to cook fluffy steamed rice in the oven

With all the variety of rice recipes, one of the most successful is considered to be cooked in the oven. This dish has a unique taste. Despite the fact that you have to spend a lot of time, as a result you will get an original and healthy dinner. Using the oven allows you to combine cereals with any meat, vegetables, fish, as well as various seasonings and spices. Below is a recipe for rice with chicken and vegetables.

• 1 kg of any chicken parts (fillet, drumsticks, wings).
• 700 g rice.
• 2 onions.
• A can of canned peas.
• 1 carrot.
• Spices, bouillon cube.

How to cook rice in the oven:

1. Peel and chop the onion into thin rings. Fry it until golden brown. Cut the carrots into slices and add to the pan with the onions.
2. At the same time as you fry the vegetables, make the rice. Rinse it, changing the water several times.
3. Strain the peas until there is no moisture left in the jar.
4. Wash the chicken, cut the meat into small pieces.
5. Place all the ingredients one by one on a foil-lined baking sheet (or mold). First onions and carrots, then peas, clean raw rice. Level the surface and sprinkle with crushed bouillon cubes.
6. Pour a liter of boiling water over the dish and place the spiced meat on top.
7. Cover the baking sheet tightly with a piece of foil and place in the oven for 90-120 minutes. If, after turning off the oven, you leave the rice in it for another half hour, it will become even more aromatic and tasty, absorbing the remaining broth.

Cooking long grain fluffy rice in a saucepan

How to cook rice as a side dish in water:

1. Rinse the grains thoroughly in a colander under running water until you see clear liquid running through them.
2. Wait for the rice to dry, pour it into a saucepan, add water, salt and put on fire.
3. When the liquid boils, reduce the heat to low, cover the container with a lid and cook for about 15 minutes. Moreover, you should not constantly stir the rice, just leave it for a while.
4. When the dish is ready, give it time to sit and absorb any remaining moisture. To do this, cover the pan with a towel.
5. Before serving, fluff the rice a little with a fork. If you did everything correctly, you will get a delicious, fluffy side dish that should be served with absolutely any main course.

How to cook fluffy rice in the microwave

How to cook crumbly rice porridge using a microwave:

1. Pour clean cereal into a microwave-safe bowl and fill with water.
2. Wrap the container with cling film and place it in the microwave oven for 4-5 minutes, turning on maximum power. Switch the power to medium and cook the grains for another 15 minutes.
3. Leave the finished rice under the film for another five minutes after turning off the oven. You can serve the dish as a side dish for fish or meat, or use the product as an ingredient for salads.

Fluffy steamed rice

Parboiled rice is a type of cereal, the advantage of which is the 80% preservation of minerals and vitamins from the shells in the grain. This rice is less brittle and, when properly cooked, retains its fluffiness both when hot and after cooling.

Ingredients:

• rice – 100 gr.;
• water - 200 gr.;
• salt – ½ tsp.

Rinse the rice in a sieve under running water for several minutes, then leave to drain. Place the cereal in a saucepan and add the measured volume of water, cover with a lid and cook for 20-25 minutes over low heat until all the moisture has evaporated. Place the finished rice in a colander.

Rice in a frying pan

Every morning you think about what to cook for breakfast today, because often you need to feed your family quickly and satisfyingly, and spend a minimum of time. In this case, it is useful to learn how to cook rice in a frying pan.

Ingredients:

• long grain rice - 1 cup;
• large onion – 1 pc.;
• fresh champignons – 200 gr.;
• olive oil – 1 tbsp. spoon;
• garlic – 3 cloves;
• salt, ground black pepper;
• small carrots - 1 pc.;
• turmeric and basil.

Recipe:

How to cook delicious rice. Peel the onion and finely chop into cubes. Peel the carrots and grate them.

Place a thick-walled frying pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add chopped onion to the heated oil and simmer until transparent, add grated carrots and simmer under the lid for another 5 minutes.

Rinse the champignons thoroughly in running, cold water. Cut the mushrooms into small pieces and add them to the pan. Stir with a spatula and fry them for 5 minutes.

Rinse the rice under running water. Place the rice in the pan on top of the mushrooms and onions. Gently smooth the rice with a spatula and add 2 cups of boiling water. Then add salt, black pepper, turmeric and basil. Simmer the rice until half cooked without a lid.

Add garlic to rice, cover and cook until soft, without stirring. Then remove the garlic and throw it away; the rice has already absorbed its aroma. Cover with lid for another 5 minutes.

Place the rice cooked in the frying pan on a plate, breakfast is ready.

Round rice

Round rice is a grain characterized by increased stickiness, so it is quite difficult to prepare it crumbly. The most important step is thorough rinsing, after which it is possible to get rid of excess starch (it is because of it that the finished cereal sticks together). Ingredients:

• rice – 100 gr.;
• water – 200 g;
• salt – ½ tsp;
• oil (vegetable) – 1 tbsp. l.

Rinse the round rice, changing the water 5-6 times (the last change should remain transparent). Pour carefully measured double volume of water into the pan, place it over medium heat, stir in salt, then pour in the prepared rice. After boiling, pour vegetable oil into the cereal, cover the pan with a lid and leave it on low heat for 15-20 minutes. There is no need to stir the rice until it is done.

Interesting! Delicious fluffy round rice can be cooked in the oven - pour the cereal (100 g) into a pot, add water (50 ml), add oil and salt, and then bake for 20 minutes at 180⁰C (preheat the oven in advance).

Subtleties of cooking rice

• Variety of varieties and types. All rice is divided into two types - round and long grain. What kind of rice to buy will depend on the dish that will be prepared from the grain. For a tasty crumbly side dish, only long-grain rice is suitable, no matter what type it is (be it Jasmine or regular Parboil). The round type of rice is perfect for puddings, porridges, soups and Japanese rolls.
• Selection of quality cereals. To ensure that the rice cooks evenly and that sticky lumps do not appear in the dish, carefully examine the contents of the package for broken grains. Their maximum amount should not exceed 3% (such information should be present on the labeling).
• Rice to water/broth ratios. The recipe for most varieties of rice provides for a quantitative ratio of cereals and water of 1:2. But there are exceptions, for example, one part steamed rice requires three parts liquid. To prevent rice from burning or, conversely, from overcooking, always read the recommendations on the package.
• Suitable cookware. Rice should not be cooked in enamel or aluminum containers. The ideal option would be to use a saucepan or deep frying pan made of stainless steel.
• Temperature and cooking duration. The cereal is cooked only over medium heat for 15-20 minutes; steamed varieties should be cooked for an additional 5-7 minutes. Unpolished rice takes 35 minutes to cook.
• Improved taste. To prevent rice from disappointing you with its bland taste, you can add butter, spices and spices to it. You can also give the side dish a golden hue by adding a pinch of turmeric.

Long grain fluffy rice

Long grain rice is more often than all other varieties chosen for preparing side dishes - it is tasty and practically does not stick together, so boiling it crumbly is not difficult. And to turn simply delicious cereal into a real delicacy, you should cook it in the oven. Ingredients:

• rice – 100 gr.;
• water – 200 ml;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• butter (butter) – 50 gr.;
• oil (vegetable) – 40 ml.

Chop the onion and sauté in vegetable oil until transparent. Rinse the rice, changing the water 6-7 times, pour into a cauldron and add water brought to a boil. Add salt, sautéed onions and butter to the cereal. On the stove, bring the rice to a boil, then cover tightly with a lid and place in a “heated” oven (180⁰C) for 25-30 minutes. After baking is completed, the cauldron should be left closed for another 10-15 minutes.

Tasty and varied

Fragrant, appetizing and healthy chicken with rice and vegetables, baked in the oven. The broiler is divided into relatively small pieces. Lightly simmer the garlic cloves in a frying pan; then the chicken is quickly fried there. All this is put into form. On top are fried mugs of three tomatoes, one medium eggplant and a large carrot (it is placed raw). Two or three glasses of rice and chopped onion and parsley are poured onto them. Then go pepper, salt, ground ginger, water to cover the food, everything is mixed - and into the oven. Rice baked with chicken will spend an hour and a quarter in the oven. It should be eaten hot; any sauce is acceptable. It will be delicious even with sour cream.

Basmati rice

Properly cooked basmati rice makes a wonderful side dish - original in appearance, aromatic and very tasty. In addition, such rice is healthy, as its grains are filled with amino acids, fiber, carbohydrates and folic acid, which also contributes to the rapid growth of basmati's popularity even among inexperienced cooks. Ingredients:

• rice – 200 gr.;
• water – 300 ml;
• salt - to taste.

Sort and rinse the basmati rice several times, and then soak for 10 minutes in slightly warmed water (carefully measured). Next, pour the rice along with water into a saucepan and put on high heat. Cover the boiled cereal with a lid and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. You only need to stir the dish twice - after pouring the rice into the water and before sending it to the table.

Content

Options for boiling rice
Boiling rice on the stove in a saucepan

Boiling rice on the stove in a thick-walled container

Boiling rice in the microwave

Boiling rice in the oven

Which rice is good?

Useful properties of rice

Delicious rice as a side dish - many will immediately wrinkle their noses and treat such an offer with distrust, especially if they were “pampered” with such a dish in a school or catering canteen. Immediately a sticky homogeneous mass comes to mind, without much taste or smell. At home, this side dish won’t be everyone’s favorite either. And why is it because it rarely turns out tasty or doesn’t work out at all. But rice is really a very tasty side dish, crumbly, slightly sweet and with an indescribable delicate flavor characteristic of a certain variety. But more about the varieties later, but first we take the average white polished short-grain rice, which is popular in our open spaces, and start with preparing the cereal.

We wash the rice. Pour plenty of water over the cereal, stir the rice and drain the cloudy white water. Repeat this several times until the draining water becomes almost transparent. Thus, we wash off the so-called glazing. After polishing, rice is treated with glucose and talc, which gives it a marketable appearance and increases shelf life.

Now it is very advisable to pre-soak the rice. The pouring time depends on the type of rice, but in this case, pour either salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes, or cold salted water for 20-30 minutes. The liquid level should be 2-3 fingers above the cereal. The water must be drained before cooking to prevent the rice from drying out. At this stage, we get rid of excess starch, which adds stickiness to the grains and will allow the grains to evenly absorb water and cook. By the way, at the beginning of cooking, rice actively absorbs the liquid in which it is located, i.e. and water, and broth, and fat. Therefore, if you want a less fatty heavy pilaf, then soaking is a must.

Jasmine rice

Jasmine rice has an unusual aroma that is transferred to the finished side dish, which is why this type of cereal is very popular. It is not difficult to prepare crumbly jasmine, but there is one secret - it needs to be steamed in a small amount of water, and not boiled. Ingredients:

• rice – 100 gr.;
• water – 150 ml;
• salt - to taste.

Sort the rice and rinse thoroughly in several waters. Place the cereal in a thick-walled saucepan, pour in enough water and add salt, then place the container over high heat, bringing to a boil. Next, you can reduce the heat to a minimum and boil the rice under the lid for 20 minutes. If you pre-soak the cereal in warm water for 10 minutes, you can cook it for only 13-15 minutes.

A simple recipe for baked chicken with rice in the oven

This option is suitable when you don’t have time for long cooking manipulations. You will need two glasses of broth (you can use a cube, although it will lose the taste). A glass of rice is mixed with two tablespoons of melted butter, broth and chopped onion. The mixture is distributed along the bottom of the baking dish. Chicken is placed on top of the cereal. This can be a carcass cut into large pieces, wings or legs. The meat is salted and peppered, you can season it with your favorite seasonings. The mold is placed in the oven, after half an hour of baking, the chicken is turned over and the rice is mixed. The total holding time depends on the size of the chicken, from 45 minutes to an hour.

How to cook rice with vegetables

Fried rice is a favorite food of Bengalis.

Ingredients:

• basmati – 95 gr.;
• vegetable mixture of peas, corn and carrots – 400 g;
• tomatoes – 3 pcs.;
• spices for tomato puree (ginger, black pepper) – 12 gr.;
• spices for calcination (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf) - several grains each;
• turmeric – 2 gr.;
• salt;
• lemon – 6 slices.

Recipe:

We will figure out how to cook rice with vegetables according to the recipe of those for whom rice is the main product.

Sort and peel the rice from the shell. Rinse it with water. Soak in fresh water for a few minutes, drain it and dry the grains.

Finely chop the firm tomatoes with a very sharp knife. Place tomatoes and spices for puree into boiling water. Bring to a boil very quickly and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Pass the resulting mass through a blender. Bring the resulting sauce to 420 ml.

In a cast iron skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil with the prepared spices for two minutes. Remove the spices and fry the basmati in aromatic vegetable oil for 2 minutes. Stir the rice vigorously.

Season the tomato sauce with salt and turmeric and pour the resulting mixture into the rice. Stir the mixture, quickly bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Add the pre-steamed vegetable mixture to the pan with the rice, close tightly and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with a lemon wedge. Here's how to properly cook rice with vegetables.

How to cook rice with meat

The most important dish of eastern countries is pilaf. Let's find out how to cook rice with lamb meat.

Ingredients:

• white rice with long grains – 275 g;
• lamb - 450 gr.;
• onions – 150 gr.;
• tomatoes – 200 gr.;
• butter – 45 gr.;
• water – 5 glasses;
• ground black pepper – 1 teaspoon;
• salt – 1 teaspoon.

Recipe:

To cook rice as a side dish deliciously, there is one subtlety. Rice must be washed well and kept in water for several hours.

Peel and chop the tomatoes, onions and lamb. Fry the meat in preheated oil. Then add the onion and fry until golden brown. Place the tomatoes in the cauldron and continue frying for another 10 minutes. The entire roasting process should take 30 minutes.

Pour the aromatic ingredients obtained after frying with water and pour in the rice in a thin stream while stirring. Add salt and pepper, bring to a boil and leave to simmer over low heat. When all the water is absorbed, the dish is ready.

Let the pilaf rest for 5 minutes. To do this, place a towel between the tight lid and the cauldron so that condensation from the lid does not get onto the pilaf.

Place the pilaf on a dish and garnish with dill.