Warmth a big sauté pan, ideally one with a lid, over medium-high warmth for one minute. As soon as the pan could be very sizzling, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, and warmth them collectively for one more full minute. Organize rooster pores and skin aspect down and cook dinner till deeply brown beneath, about 4 to five minutes. [Don’t crowd the chicken; depending on the size of your pan, you might need to do this in two batches.] Whereas it browns, season what’s now the highest aspect with further salt and pepper. As soon as browned, flip the items over and brown on the second aspect, about one other 3 to 4 minutes. Don’t skimp on the colour, please. Switch the rooster to a plate.
Put together the buttered onions: Depart the pan on medium-high and add 2 tablespoons butter to fats and juices in it. As soon as melted, add the onions and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Prepare dinner the onions for about quarter-hour whole, or till golden all through and darker brown on the edges, stirring each couple minutes. To start with, the onions are watery; as soon as the water has cooked off and the onions start to select up shade, I scale back the warmth to medium for the remaining time. Fastidiously style and season with extra salt, if desired, and plenty of freshly floor black pepper. Take away 1/3 cup of onions and put aside till the top.
End the rooster and rice: Add thyme and dried rice and cook dinner with the onions for 1 minute. Add the wine, if utilizing, and cook dinner till it disappears, about 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the pan sides, pushing any dried rice and onions again to the underside. Return the rooster thighs to the pan pores and skin aspect up, spacing them out. Fastidiously pour broth round rooster, the decrease quantity for those who used wine, the total quantity for those who didn’t. Deliver the pan to a simmer then scale back to the bottom simmer and canopy. Prepare dinner rice and rooster collectively for 25 minutes, or till rice is tender.
To serve: Off warmth, relaxation the dish for five to 10 minutes earlier than serving. Scatter with reserved buttered onions and scoop it onto plates.
Do forward: This retains so nicely. I reheat it coated in an oven-safe dish at 350 levels for 15 to half-hour, till the rooster is heat. To freeze, nicely, I’m simply going to say it: I’ll pack it ingloriously in a freezer bag and press out the additional air. Defrost within the fridge for a day, when you’ve got time, then rewarm as written above.
Notes/anticipated questions:
- Can I take advantage of totally different bone-in, skin-on rooster components? Sure. Bigger rooster breasts can take longer to cook dinner. Search for ones on the smaller aspect (8 ounces). In the event that they’re bigger, I’ll typically cut up them in half in order that they cook dinner by by the point the rice is completed.
- Can I take advantage of boneless, skinless rooster cutlets? Sure. I’d use thighs since they’re much less prone to dry out, and though it received’t be as fairly, I’d most likely skip browning them so that they don’t overcook by the point the rice is completed.
- What can I take advantage of as a substitute of wine? I’d use 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
- Can I make rooster rice with buttered onions with out butter? Sure, olive oil or one other fats will work superb, however after all a key a part of the flavour shall be totally different.
- How do I make this much more buttery? When the rooster and rice are achieved however haven’t rested but, dot the dish with 1 to 2 further tablespoons butter, minimize into small bits, then substitute the lid and let it relaxation for the 5 to 10 minutes recommended.
- A greater than bouillon focus hack: The perfect rooster broth is home made. My second favourite comes from Higher Than Bouillon. The jar directions are so as to add 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of sizzling water earlier than utilizing it however I’m lazy and add the focus on to aromatics within the pan — right here, together with the thyme and dried rice — and cook dinner it in for a minute to distribute the blob of focus. Then I add measured water when the recipe requires broth.
- Word: The thyme contained in the dish is for taste; the thyme on high is for aesthetics on a really brown dish.
