Claypot Chicken Brown Rice

Have you ever cooked claypot chicken rice with brown rice instead of regular white rice? I did and I never looked back. Using brown rice is the same method as using white rice, but with better results in terms of nutrition and taste.

Related Recipes:

Smoky claypot flavour – checked.  Signature crispy rice crust – checked. Bonus: Healthy brown rice with nutty flavour and chewy texture – checked.

Claypot Chicken Brown Rice Recipe

Brown rice contains more fiber and nutrition than white rice. Brown rice is complex aka good carbs while white rice is simple carbs – this translates to slower weight gain when eating brown rice (google it). Now did I get your attention already? But please don’t quote me on this – weight gain/loss works differently for everyone with many other factors at play. Lastly, I really love the taste of brown rice – it has a nuttier flavour and a chewier texture than white rice.

Claypot Chicken Brown Rice Recipe

All these reasons made the home-cooked claypot rice a precious gem, because I don’t think it’s easy to find claypot brown rice stalls here (if there are any at all).

Claypot Chicken Brown Rice Recipe

Claypot Chicken Brown Rice

You can cook this in one big claypot (as a big portion for sharing with 2-3 persons), or divide the ingredients into 2 small claypots for 1 person portion per claypot.

The ratio of brown rice to water is 1 cup brown rice: 2 cup waters.

Ingredients:

  • 500g chicken thighs (or half chicken) cut to bite-sized pieces
  • 1  1/2 tbsp cooking oil divided
  • 30 grams dried salted fish soaked in hot water until softened, pat dry and diced (remove bones if any)
  • 1 cup brown rice rinsed and drained
  • 2 cup water
  • 6 Chinese dried mushrooms rinsed and soaked in hot water, stalks trimmed, quartered (reserve soaking water,  filtered)
  • 1 lup cheong (Chinese sausages/腊肠) soaked in hot water for 5 minutes before removing wax covering; sliced diagonally
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil as needed
  • 2 bunches baby bok choy (小白菜) ends trimmed

(A) Marinade

  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tsp ginger juice (grate some ginger, gather the pulp and squeeze the juice)

Serving suggestion

  • chopped spring onion or coriander
  • dark soy sauce (as a condiment)

Directions:

  1. Marinade chicken pieces with (A) for at least 15 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in the clay pot. Add salted fish bits and fry until golden brown. Turn off the stove and take out salted fish, leaving behind the oil in the claypot.
  3. Add washed rice to the clay pot, coating the rice grains with the oil left in the clay pot using a spatula.
  4. Add 2 cup water (you may use some of the mushroom soaking water). Cover claypot with lid. Simmer the rice until it is almost cooked, about 10-15 minutes.
  5. Add the marinated chicken pieces without the leftover marinating sauce (otherwise, the rice may get too soggy) on top of the rice. Scatter fried salted fish bits, mushrooms and lup cheong over. Drizzle sesame oil along the walls of the clay pot so that the rice can form a nice crust later.
  6. Cover the clay pot and simmer for another 15 minutes. The rice should be cooked by now. If you want a more distinctive crust, you can simmer slightly longer, until you start to hear a gentle popping sound. Turn off the stove. Add the baby bok choy and cover with lid, allowing the contents of the claypot to keep warm and slow cook on their own for another 10 minutes.
  7. To serve, garnish with spring onions/coriander. Drizzle dark soy sauce over the rice if desired and mix up the rice before eating.