Lemony Chicken and Rice

Lemony chicken with rice. Iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing accompanies chicken. I was a little too ambitious with the blue cheese dressing!

I've adapted the recipe for lemony chicken and rice for camp ovens from Cook's Country. Lemon and rice is a culinary marriage "made is heaven." A splash of lemon brightens the rice and adds a vibrant quality to the dish.

If desired, you can bake the chicken in one Dutch oven. Reserve chicken on plate after browning. While rice is coming to simmer, place chicken, skin-side up, on top of rice and bake as instructed.
When using charcoal briquettes as a heat source, light two batches. Use the first batch of 25 briquettes to heat the Dutch oven when browning chicken and cooking aromatics and rice.
Light the second batch of 50 (25 if using one oven) briquettes as you're starting to brown chicken. Use second batch to heat both pots during baking.


Chicken thighs browning in hot fat. Remove excess fat after browning chicken. I baked the chicken in the same pot with the rice. You can bake chicken in a second Dutch oven if desired. Be sure to light extra charcoal briquettes for the extra pot.

LEMONY CHICKEN AND RICE

Purchase bone-in, skin-on breasts for this recipe. You can use chicken thighs if desired (as I did for the test recipe). Serve 1 large or 2 medium thighs per person.

4 split chicken breasts (10 to 12 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
1-1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
1-3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
5 medium green onions, sliced thin
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken, shin-side down, and cook until golden brown, about six minutes. Transfer chicken, skin-side up, to second 12-inch Dutch oven. Bake at 350 degrees (17 coals on lid and 8 underneath) until chicken reaches 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from first pot and return it to medium heat. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add rice and pepper flakes and cook, stirring often until rice begins to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and lemon zest and cook for 30 seconds.

Add broth and water, scraping pot bottom with wood spoon. Bring to full simmer. Cover pot. Bake at 350 degrees (17 coals on lid and 8 underneath) until all liquid is absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Fold lemon juice and green onions into rice gently with fork and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve rice and chicken with lemon wedges. Serves 4 to 8.