Chicken Rice Bake

This recipe has been carrying me through quarantine and it's taught me a few things about cooking. It's fairly simple but it has a ton of stuff you can tweak or modify, and you get nice savoury rice with tender chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 large oven-safe pan. Lid required
• 2-4 things of chicken. Any part is fine. Enough to fit in your vessel without overlap or much touching
• 1.5 cups diced onion
• 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 cup rice washed
• 2 cups chicken broth
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Whatever other spices and veg you want go nuts. I like carrot and peas because it’s easy

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Generously oil the pan. Brown the chicken in the pan on med-hi heat. 5 minutes or so each side on medium heat until the skin turns golden brown and crisp
3. Transfer chicken out of the pan.
4. Add onion and garlic to the pan and let them cook for a few minutes. Scrape up the fond as well, that stuff's good.
5. Add the rice and broth. Mix.
   1. Realize you forgot to wash the rice. Ah well.
6. Taste for seasoning. Add salt, pepper and cayenne until you reach the desired heat and flavor.
7. If you want to add anything extra to the rice, now is your chance.
8. Gently replace the chicken back into the pan on top of the rice. Cover with lid.
9. Place the pan into the oven for 40 minutes.
   1. (Optional: at 20 minutes in, bake your vegetables in the same oven. They will be ready at the same time as your rice)
10. Burn your hands retrieving the pan. Plate up and dig in.