Chicken Rice (More Information)

The chicken. The boneless chicken breast cooks more quickly than other cuts of chicken. Hence this recipe calls for cooking this up in a quick cooking method. Also, it uses liquid as the means of heating/cooking the chicken - this will more evenly control the heating of the meat during the quick cooking process.

Also, the chicken is dry by nature. The added liquid will add in excess liquid, making the bird tenderer and juicier when eaten. Although any liquid would do, chicken broth is ideal because it cooks the chicken in similar flavors and therefore enhances the chicken flavor.

The other ingredients. The rice adds extra texture to this dish. By boiling it along with the chicken, the rice will absorb the same flavors as the chicken and also absorb what little fat there is that drips off the chicken. As a result, the rice is very flavorful and compliments the chicken nicely.

Meanwhile, the onions are in this dish primarily for flavor. The onions will soften considerably while cooking in the liquid making the onion flavor much milder. This will add to the flavors of this dish instead of overpowering the other flavors.

The orange will give this recipe a radical twist. While all the other flavors in this recipe are incredibly rich, the oranges are light and sweet. And since the oranges are the only ingredient not cooked, the oranges stand out in this recipe as a wildly different flavor. This adds extra layers to the recipe.

When cooking. The chicken will cook quickly and as it does it will very quickly absorb the chicken broth. Depending on the size of the chicken, this recipe may require more chicken broth since the chicken (and the broth) will be absorbing the broth while it cooks.