Earlonne’s Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe (2024)

I bet Earlonne's spice mix would be good on many things besides just chicken. Samin's openness and willingness to listen to an inmate and to help him learn a useful skill now that he has returned to society is admirable.

Could this be made with chicken thighs in place of the legs? I've got a bunch of thighs in my freezer and am wondering what substitutions I'd need to make... Love the story behind this dish!

Extremely delicious and comforting. We used chicken thighs and did not change timing. Added in chopped broccoli because we had extra and it worked well. Highly recommend making this in the oven as the recipe is written to get that super crispy rice edge, and the crispy skin on top. Don’t skip the bay leaves, adds a beautiful flavor to the rice. Cannot wait to make again.

This is a great meal to add greens to by cooking them with the rice - chard, spinach, kale or collards - just add a couple cups after toasting the rice and you have pretty much a complete meal when done cooking.

This was a hit with the family last night. I had to use white rice and chicken thighs instead of brown rice and chicken legs. Because of those two changes, I had to adjust: (1) increased to 2 cups white rice and eliminated the soak, (2) used a dutch oven instead of skillet, and (3) reduced the time in the oven to just over an hour. And those 10+ minutes without the lid at the end are important to get the crispiness back in the chicken and add just a little to the rice.

I loved the backstory as well. This sounds wonderful.

I have eaten prison food as a volunteer with the Alternatives to Violence Project. I understand the need to flexibility when cooking or doing much of anything in prison. I used to volunteer with the Attica Friends Meeting when I lived in upstate NY in the late 70's through the early 80's.

I love how Samin tweaks the recipes of amateur cooks instead of high profile chefs. It gives me confidence in my own cooking. You don't have to use fancy ingredients to make something delicious and healthy. Trust your instincts!

The recipe only calls for about 2/3 t. salt for 4 servings, or about 1/6 t. salt per serving. The volume of the spice mix is 6 1/3 T (19 t.), of which 1 T. (3 t.), is salt, but you only use 4 t. of the total spice mix and then store the rest. (But you do also salt and pepper the chicken before cooking.)

Then don't use salt. And use low-sodium stock.

The spice and herb mix would make a very good poultry seasoning on its own.

Absolutely amazing! Didn’t change a thing. Loved the very sweet story that accompanied this recipe in the Sunday Magazine. The spice mix is perfection! I stuck to bone-in, skin-on full legs and they were beautiful, but I’m sure thighs would work just as well in a pinch. Don’t be shy during the initial browning step, and make sure you use a wide skillet so that the chicken sits up on the rice and all the delicious liquid has a chance to fully soak in. Put John Prine radio on in the background.

I would say yes. I have several recipes for Chicken legs that I only use for thighs. Also--check the picture accompanying this recipe; it shows both the leg and thigh.

Pretty much how I cook this, spices varying of course to fit/suggest a culture. But one thing. With freedom comes access to WILD rice. Trader Joes works best. I grew up in Minnesota; I've tried 'em all.Large batches are great. Leftovers with roasted vegetables become the very best soup, chicken, or on Thanksgiving, turkey, better yet. I roast the carcass to build a stock, even make a roux to brown and enrich. Makes winter a better thing, and no head cold can stand up to it.

I hate firing up the oven for a rice dish. At step 7, instead of oven, I swapped to rice cooker. The results are perfect as long as you don't miss the nicely browned chicken skins.

This is one of my favorite recipes from NYT. I've made it dozens of times and it comforts every time. The story behind the recipe is also very cool.

Being neither a fan of chicken legs nor brown rice, must say was a MASSIVE hit. Loved. Frugal and easy, house smelled wonderful. Didn’t change a thing.

I liked the flavors but the brown rice never fully cooked with this method. I kept putting it back in and it still tastes underdone. Also, be warned that this recipe takes like 3-4 hours minimum for undercooked rice.

How would you recommend reheating this?

At what point do u add the spice mix to chicken? Ive read this a number of times..

Wow. This was much more than the sum of its parts. I was concerned it would be “too spicy” for 4 year old but her and 8 year old loved it. Exceptionally seasoned dish that is as comforting as it is delicious. Will be making again, and again, and again.

This is a phenomenal recipe. Full of deep flavors that become a warming, comforting dish. I modified the yogurt sauce slightly, adding a bit of sweet/acid (white wine vinegar, though I suspect sherry vinegar would work) as well as some salt and pepper.You could easily sub (as I did) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, bolster with a salad, and feed 6.

Made in two parts (up to oven step, stepped out of the house, returned and put into oven for 60 minutes due to rice soaking in broth) for a weeknight meal. Made with chicken thighs for equally perfect results.

I added a couple of carrots and a cup of frozen green beans for some extra veggies, and I added just a touch more broth. Good life choice. Probably would also work with frozen peas or frozen corn.

Just made this last night and it was amazing! I used skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts and they were juicy and tender, and falling off the bone. The only adjustment I had to make was reducing the cooking time to 70 minutes. If I had cooked it any longer the rice would have been mush. This recipe is a keeper!

this is one of my favorite things to cook and it always gets rave reviews. don’t sweat the chicken stock too much; if you’re using store bought stuff, dump the whole batch of spice mix in. it will round out.

Made the recipe exactly as written and it was fantastic. Fantastic. It’s tempting to alter and substitute things the first time through with a new recipe, but you may be depriving yourself of experiencing something different from your norm (aka, Ways you already prepare things!). Lots of people have talked about the sodium content and it was fine in the chicken and rice. Might reduce it slightly in the yogurt/raita next time, but that’s it.

This is going to be a pretty common dish showing up in my evening rotation. A good, no frills, unfussy pantry staple recipe and the leftovers are excellent. I swapped some red pepper flakes for the cayenne and that worked nicely. I also did only chicken legs instead of quarters just for ease of eating. And I found I only needed about an hour to get everything cooked through so check the pot at that point to see if you're done.

Made exactly as written with homemade chicken broth. It was a huge hit. Don't skip on the sour cream sauce. It's delectable with that crispy skin. Love the story behind this beautiful, comforting dish! Thank you for sharing.

Update: I did this in the instant pot with chicken thighs and saved a lot of time: I followed the recipe and adjusted for less volume (four chicken thighs) and pressured cooked 8 minutes on high followed by a ten-minute decompression before steam release. Perfect!