One-pot Coconut Rice with Chicken and Greens by Shannon Haas

One-pot Coconut Rice with Chicken and Greens

By Shannon Haas

I am a huge fan of one-pot dishes, especially ones that use up CSA ingredients. For this rice dish you’ll need a LOT of hearty greens of your choice - swiss chard, kale, beet tops, collard greens…to name a few. Any combination is perfectly suited to this dish. My personal favorite is chard - you can even chop up the stems in little pieces and throw them in with the greens towards the end of the recipe.

Varieties of edible leaves arranged on a wooden table, including kales, swiss chard, and radish tops

Picture by CSU-Extension (2016). Licensed by Pixaby.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1½ cups basmati rice

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil (vegetable, canola, or coconut)

• 1 large shallot, finely chopped (I often swap out for spring onions)

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (6–8) OR 3-4 bone-in chicken thighs, bones and skin removed and cut into bite-sized pieces

• 1 tsp. ground turmeric

• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk OR 1 ¾ cups from coconut milk carton (if you want it to be less rich)

• A bunch of handfuls of greens, cut into strips

• Store-bought sliced pickled red chiles (optional, if you have)

• Lime wedges (for serving)

First, rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Pour the rice into a bowl and add water to cover it by 2 inches, let soak for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a heavy pot with a wide base over medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until golden. Add garlic and cook for a minute.

Add chicken, turmeric, cayenne, and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, turning and moving around chicken thighs as needed, until chicken begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Pour in ¾ cup water and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, turning chicken once, until chicken is cooked through and very tender, about 20 minutes. (If using cut chunks of thighs, just brown in the pan and skip the last two sentences)

Drain the rice and add to pot with chicken and add coconut milk. Stir to incorporate and bring to a boil. (Be careful here!) Drape a kitchen towel over the pot and cover with lid. Bring corners of the towel up and over the lid and secure with a rubber band. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Then, add the greens in a layer on top and cover again for around 10 minutes, or until greens are fully wilted and a darker color.

Top with chiles and a few squeezes of lime juice. Happy eating!

Recipe adapted from: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/spiced-coconut-chicken-rice

 

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA?  Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html