Curried Chicken and Brown Rice with Red Peppers

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SERVES 6 • TO PREP 40 MINUTES • STORE 8 TO 24 HOURS • TO FINISH 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Looking to develop a chicken and rice dish that was out of the ordinary, we paired meaty chicken thighs and hearty brown rice with a fragrant curry sauce. For a complexly flavored sauce that was easy to throw together, we used store-bought red curry paste enhanced with sautéed onion and scallion. Blooming the scallions and curry paste in oil brought out their flavors further. Left to soak overnight, the rice tenderized and absorbed some of the flavor of the sauce. We seasoned the chicken thighs and marinated them overnight with oil and fresh lemon grass, which infused the chicken with flavor. To give the sauce richness and a silky texture, we stirred in coconut milk on the second day. Using boneless, skinless chicken thighs meant we could avoid the need to sear the chicken and eliminated the problem of soggy skin; we simply nestled the chicken into the rice before reheating and by the time the rice was fully tender, the chicken was perfectly cooked. Using light coconut milk was important because it kept the rice from becoming too greasy. See the sidebars that follow the recipe.

2	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1	onion, chopped
	Salt and pepper
2	scallions, minced
2	tablespoons red curry paste
2½	cups chicken broth
1½	cups long-grain brown rice, rinsed
2	red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
2	pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
1	lemon grass stalk, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and minced (2 tablespoons)

TO FINISH AND SERVE
½	cup canned light coconut milk
1	tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
	Lime wedges

TO PREP

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in scallions and curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 cup broth, scraping up any browned bits.

2. Transfer broth mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish, stir in rice and remaining 1½ cups broth, and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Stir in bell peppers.

3. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and place in zipper-lock bag. Add lemon grass and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to bag, press out air, and seal; toss to coat chicken.

TO STORE

4. Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate rice mixture and chicken separately for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

TO FINISH AND SERVE

5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap dish and nestle chicken into rice. Cover dish tightly with greased aluminum foil and bake casserole until liquid is almost fully absorbed and rice and chicken are tender, about 1 hour, stirring thoroughly 3 times during baking. Stir in coconut milk and bake, covered, until liquid is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.