The brown rice simmers for almost an hour and you do nothing. Martha Stewart’s Chicken and Brown Rice is a one-pot chicken and rice dinner made with a whole cut-up chicken, plum tomatoes, roasted red peppers, garlic, and green peas, all cooked together in a skillet.
This is one of those fall dinner recipes I save for weekends when I am not in a rush. It takes about an hour and 40 minutes from start to finish but most of that is the rice quietly doing its thing while I do something else.
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Why You Will Love This Chicken And Brown Rice:
- One skillet, whole dinner: Chicken, rice, vegetables, everything cooks in the same pan. I put the lid on, turn the heat down, and come back in an hour. There is no separate pot for rice and no baking dish to wash.
- Brown rice absorbs everything: White rice cooks faster but brown rice soaks up the tomato juice, pepper liquid, and chicken fat as it simmers. By the time it is done, every grain tastes like the whole dish. I was surprised how much flavour the rice picks up.
- The peas are barely cooked: Martha sprinkles frozen peas on top at the very end and just covers the pot off the heat. They warm through in 10 minutes without turning mushy. That little burst of green and sweetness on top of all that savoury rice is the best bite.
Chicken And Brown Rice Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 whole cut-up chicken (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), skins removed, breasts halved crosswise (save wings for another use)
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice
- 4 plum tomatoes, diced
- 1 jar (12 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen green peas, thawed
- Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
How To Make Martha Stewart Chicken And Brown Rice
- Brown the chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, turning, until golden on all sides, about 10 minutes. Move to a plate.
- Cook the onion and garlic: Add the onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the rice and liquid: Stir in the brown rice, diced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and 1 1/4 cups of water. Put the chicken pieces back in, nestling them into the rice mixture.
- Simmer covered: Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 55 to 60 minutes. If there is still liquid in the skillet, take the lid off and simmer until it is gone.
- Add the peas and rest: Sprinkle the thawed peas over the top. Cover the skillet and take it off the heat. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until the peas are warmed through. Serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe Tips
- Soak the rice in the morning: Martha says if you cover the brown rice with water and let it soak all day, the cooking time drops by about 20 minutes. I do this whenever I remember and the rice comes out softer without being mushy.
- Drain the roasted peppers well: The jar liquid is salty and vinegary. If you do not drain them properly it throws off the seasoning of the whole pot. I press them against a strainer with a spoon to get the last bit out.
- Do not lift the lid during the simmer: Brown rice needs steam to cook evenly. Every time you peek you let heat escape and the rice takes longer. I set a timer for 55 minutes and walk away.
What I Do With The Wings
Martha says save the wings for another use. I freeze them in a bag and once I have enough I make stock. Or I toss them with hot sauce and bake them at 400 for 30 minutes as a snack while the rice cooks.
Do not throw them away. They are free chicken waiting to be something.
What Goes Well With This Chicken And Rice
This is already a full meal in one pan so I just add a caesar salad for something green and crunchy on the side.
A piece of warm cornbread if I want to make it a bigger table. But most nights the skillet is the whole dinner.
How To Store Leftovers
The rice firms up in the fridge but the tomatoes and peppers keep it moist. Sealed container, 3 days. Reheat in a skillet with a splash of water and the lid on.
I eat leftovers straight from the fridge sometimes because the cold rice has a chewy texture I like. Squeeze a lemon wedge over it and it is a whole different meal.
FAQs
- Can I use white rice instead of brown? You can but white rice cooks in about 20 minutes, not 55. You will need to reduce the water and the simmer time significantly. Martha chose brown rice because it holds up to the long cook and absorbs more flavour. I would stick with brown.
- Can I use chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken? Yes. Bone-in thighs work well and you skip the step of cutting up a whole bird. Use about 2 pounds and keep the cook time the same. I have done this when I could not find a whole chicken and it was just as good.
- Why do I remove the skin? Chicken skin in a covered, simmering dish gets soft and flabby instead of crispy. Martha removes it so the chicken browns cleanly and the rice does not get greasy from rendered fat pooling under the lid.
- Can I add other vegetables? Zucchini, green beans, or artichoke hearts would all work. Add sturdy vegetables with the rice and softer ones at the end with the peas. I have added diced zucchini and it was great.
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Nutrition Facts
(1 serving, serves 4)
- Calories: 480
- Total Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Cholesterol: 120mg
- Sodium: 780mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 48g
- Protein: 40g
Martha Stewart Chicken And Brown Rice Recipe
Description
The brown rice simmers for almost an hour and you do nothing. Martha Stewart’s Chicken and Brown Rice is a one-pot chicken and rice dinner made with a whole cut-up chicken, plum tomatoes, roasted red peppers, garlic, and green peas, all cooked together in a skillet.
This is one of those fall dinner recipes I save for weekends when I am not in a rush. It takes about an hour and 40 minutes from start to finish but most of that is the rice quietly doing its thing while I do something else.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, turning, until golden on all sides, about 10 minutes. Move to a plate.
- Cook the onion and garlic: Add the onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the rice and liquid: Stir in the brown rice, diced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and 1 1/4 cups of water. Put the chicken pieces back in, nestling them into the rice mixture.
- Simmer covered: Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 55 to 60 minutes. If there is still liquid in the skillet, take the lid off and simmer until it is gone.
- Add the peas and rest: Sprinkle the thawed peas over the top. Cover the skillet and take it off the heat. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until the peas are warmed through. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Soak the rice in the morning: Covering brown rice with water all day reduces cooking time by about 20 minutes.
- Drain the roasted peppers well: The jar liquid is salty and will throw off the seasoning.
- Do not lift the lid: Brown rice needs steam. Every peek lets heat escape.