Baked chicken and rice

I have been making this for many years and it is a definite family favourite.  It is one of those recipes that you can easily vary and stretch to feed as many as you like.  For that reason it has never been written down, I just made it up and continue to make it.  This recipe is more about relative quantities than exact amounts and it always works.  I prefer to use chicken thighs because they have more flavour and the bone keeps the meat moist as it cooks.

BAKED CHICKEN AND RICE

 

• Two chicken thighs per person
• 2-3 oz of easy cook long grain rice per person
• double the volume of hot chicken stock
• butter
• curry paste

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6
Generously butter a big enough casserole dish
Pour your uncooked rice into a measuring jug and note the volume
Remove the rice and make double that volume of hot chicken stock
Put the rice into the buttered casserole and pour over the stock
Melt some more butter in a frying pan and add curry paste, I use one dessert spoon for six thighs
Seal the chicken thighs on the cut side then turn over and brown the skin
Place the chicken skin side up on top of the rice and stock mix
Place into the oven and ignore it for an hour
The skin will crisp up beautifully, the chicken will be moist and the rice will be light and fluffy and will have absorbed the colour and flavour of the butter and curry paste
None of this is ever thrown away, everyone loves the leftovers too especially the rice that gets crispy on the top edges