One-Pot Chicken and Rice With Ginger

This one-pot dish was inspired by a dinner of ginger fried rice and garlicky stir-fried greens served at Uncle Lou, a Cantonese restaurant in New York. It’s both mild and full of flavor, which might sound contradictory at first, but it delivers subtle notes of fresh ginger, soy sauce and lime, rather than bold hits in each bite. Serve with extra soy sauce and lime on the side, so that everyone can adjust the seasoning as they would like. Fish out the ginger slices at the end or let everyone know they’re there. 

Ingredients

• 2

  tablespoons neutral or olive oil

• 1

  (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices

• 2

  pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

• Kosher salt 

• 3

  large garlic cloves, minced or grated

• 2

  cups jasmine rice, rinsed with cold water

• 3

  cups low-sodium chicken broth or water, at room temperature

• ¾

  pound quick-cooking greens, such as chard, kale or spinach, leaves removed from thick stems, if needed, and cut or torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 packed cups)

• 2

  tablespoons soy sauce, plus more as needed

• 2

  limes, 1 juiced (about 1 tablespoon juice) and 1 cut into wedges

• 2

  scallions (optional), sliced

• ¼

  packed cup cilantro leaves and tender stems (optional), roughly torn or chopped

Preparation

1. In a large Dutch oven or pot with a lid, heat the oil and ginger slices over medium-high until the oil around the ginger starts to sizzle, 1 to 2 minutes. Season the chicken with salt, then push the ginger to the side. Add the chicken to the pan and let cook, undisturbed, until the chicken starts to brown and easily releases from the pan, 5 to 7 minutes. (It’s OK if the pieces of chicken don’t all have color, as it will be crowded.) Stir in the garlic and rice, flipping over the chicken, and cook until the rice is coated with oil and starts to sizzle, about 1 minute.
2. Add the stock or water, then raise the heat to high to bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up anything on the bottom of the pot. Cover and immediately lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until most of the water has been absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. During the last 8 minutes, stir to make sure nothing is sticking on the bottom, then layer the greens on top, cover and finish cooking. 
3. Remove from the heat, stir in the soy sauce and juice of 1 lime. Fluff the rice and let sit for 5 minutes, covered. Serve as is, or pull the chicken apart into bite-size pieces. Season to taste with salt, the lime wedges and more soy as needed or serve at the table. Top with the scallions and cilantro, if using.