This one-dish meal from the November 2012 issue of Chatelaine is ready in about 30 minutes and is both healthy and tasty. Skinless, boneless chicken thighs are browned and then removed from the pan. Add garlic, ginger, uncooked rice, broth, hoisin and chili-garlic sauce and bring to a boil. Then top with shiitake mushrooms and the browned chicken, cover and cook until the rice is done. Remove the lid, lay baby bok choy on top, cover and cook again until the bok choy is tender and the chicken is done.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure your canola oil and sesame oil do not contain preservatives and look for a chicken broth that is all natural, such as Imagine brand. I have never been able to find hoisin sauce or chili-garlic sauce without artificial ingredients, so I make my own; the recipes are below.

Fresh chili-garlic sauce

Homemade hoisin sauce

Brown skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Remove chicken and add uncooked rice

Add stock, bring to boil and top with shiitakes and browned chicken

When rice is done, top with baby bok choy, cover and continue cooking

Dinner is ready when the bok choy is tender and the chicken is done

One-Pot Asian Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

Chili-garlic sauce

6 ounces hot chiles (e.g., cayenne, Fresnos, habanero, jalapeno, long, serrano, Thai, or a combination of them), stemmed and chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

1 ½ tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Put all the ingredients in an electric mini chopper or food processor. Process to a coarse texture. Taste and adjust the flavor with add extra salt or sugar. Transfer to a small jar and refrigerate. Let stand at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to blend. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Hoisin sauce

4 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. peanut butter

1 tbsp. honey

2 tsp. white vinegar

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. sesame seed oil

1 tsp. Chinese-style hot sauce

1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients.

One-Pot Asian Chicken and Rice

1 tbsp canola oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 ½ cup jasmine rice, rinsed well and drained

3 cups no-salt chicken broth

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 to 2 tsp chili-garlic sauce

113 g pkg fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and quartered

4 stalks gai lan or 8 baby bok choy

1 tsp dark sesame oil

Preparation:

Heat a large pot over medium-high. Add canola oil, then chicken. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 min per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add garlic, ginger and rice to pot. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min. Add broth. Stir in hoisin and chili-garlic sauce. Arrange mushrooms and chicken over rice and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, until rice is almost tender, 10 to 12 min.

Remove lid. Lay greens over chicken and rice. Cover and continue simmering until greens are just tender, about 5 more min. Drizzle sesame oil over finished dish before serving.

From the November 2012 issue of Chatelaine