South Carolina Chicken Rice Recipes

SOUTH CAROLINA CHICKEN & RICE

Steps:

• In a 6-quart stockpot, cook chicken in 2 cups broth over medium heat until a thermometer reads 170°, turning halfway through cooking. Remove chicken; set aside to cool. Add sausage, onion and remaining broth to stockpot; bring to a boil. Add rice. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 15-18 minutes or until rice is almost tender (mixture may be soupy)., Shred chicken; add to rice. Cook, covered, until rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

SINGAPORE CHICKEN RICE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Crush 3 cloves of garlic and 2 pieces of ginger, and place them into the cavity of the chicken. Tie the green onions into a knot, and place them into the chicken along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Carefully submerge the chicken breast side down into the water.
• Bring to a boil, then cover and remove from heat. Let stand covered for 40 minutes, turning the chicken over half way through.
• While the chicken is cooking, heat the vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Fry the shallots, ginger, and garlic in the oil until fragrant. Add cilantro and rice, and cook, stirring until toasted. Pour in chicken stock and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until rice is tender and 'steam holes' appear in the surface of the rice, about 20 minutes.
• When the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the pot, and place under cold running water to tighten the skin. Rub the outside with sesame oil, and chop into pieces. Place pieces on a serving platter, and garnish with cilantro, green onion, cucumber and tomato. Serve with rice.

CHARLESTON RED RICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a large (12-inch) heavy skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain, leaving behind drippings. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the chopped onion, celery, bell pepper and 1 teaspoon salt, and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, another 30 seconds.
• To the skillet, add the rinsed rice. Stir and toast the rice for 30 seconds. Add the crumbled bacon, tomato purée, stock, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, sugar, pepper and cayenne.
• Bring the rice and vegetables to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste and add salt, if needed.
• Carefully transfer ingredients to the greased baking dish. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil, and bake until the rice is tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. Check the rice after about 30 minutes to make sure all the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is tender. (If it's too dry or not cooked all the way through, add a few tablespoons of water or stock at a time, if necessary, and cook a little longer.) Fluff with a fork before serving and garnish with parsley leaves.

CAROLINA GOLD RICE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sizzling hot (see Know-how, page 100). Add the shallot and cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the rice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir to coat with oil and butter. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme and just enough broth to cover the rice by about 1/4 inch, stirring just once to combine.
• Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for about 5 minutes. Serve warm.
• Often called the grandfather of long-grain rice in the Americas, Carolina Gold is a beautiful variety that was the star of the antebellum rice trade and a driving force in the creation of a distinct Southern culinary tradition. Despite these claims to fame, Carolina Gold fell by the wayside after the Civil War, along with the South's rice economy. It was half forgotten and nearly extinct by the time Richard Schulz, a Georgia surgeon and plantation owner, rehabilitated the grain in the 1980s. Thanks to his efforts, it is now once again commercially available from vendors like South Carolina's Carolina Plantation Rice and Anson Mills (see Sources, page 377).