Chinese American Roast Chicken and Rice Casserole

A one-pan chicken and rice dinner is a dream to make and serve. It's easy to prepare and when done, all you need to do is set the pan on the table and dig in. This recipe, however, is not your average American chicken and rice casserole. It's a cozy recipe by Michelin-star chef Ron Hsu that's loaded with Asian touches -- ginger, garlic, shiitakes, for instance -- to make it extremely craveable. More importantly, it tastes special and is weeknight doable.

In his debut cookbook, Down South + East written with Hugh Amano, chef Ron admits that the casserole started out as a mistake. He was trying to make Hainan chicken and rice in the oven. The traditional recipe, called com ga Hai Nam in Vietnamese, is a splendid dish of poached chicken, delicate broth, gingery-garlicky rice plus a bunch of spicy, oniony, zippy sauces. Ron admitted that his initial experiment to tweak the classic resulted in a hodgepodge of flavorless tough chicken and rice. He kept trying and refining his recipe to land on this one, which keeps certain flavors in check, like the garlic, ginger and fatty richness of the chicken.

Cheffy pro tips for good chicken and rice casserole

Chef Ron stuck to some basics but goes rogue by deploying some of his Michelin star-chef methods, honed through decades of professional cooking. Of note, browning and roasting the chicken and then cooking the rice in the oven is not an Asian method for old school Hainan chicken and rice.

Many chefs efficiently cook rice in the oven to evenly cook the grains. It's also hands-off cooking. Aside from the oven cooking, there's mushroom and coconut milk in the mix too plus lemongrass, which are not usually in Hainan chicken and rice. In total, Ron has devised a smart way to build layered flavors with little stress. The result is a delicious casserole that's achievable for many home cooks. Ron says this chicken and rice casserole is now one of his family's favorites! I've made and understand why.

Some recipe pointers

This is a keeper recipe but do keep the following mind when selecting ingredients:

• Why use chicken leg quarters? They ensure you get an equal amount of drumsticks and thighs but if you lean one way or another, go for it. Just make sure you have the total weight amount at the end. Dark meat chicken has more flavor and juiciness than chicken breast.
• How to choose the rice? Jasmine rice cooks up to a chewy fragrance whereas other kinds of long-grain white rice may not. Jazzmen is a domestic version of jasmine rice grown in Louisiana; I've used Jazzmen instead of jasmine so you can too!
• How to prep the mushroom? Cut them thick so they'll withstand the cooking well. I cut through the cap and stem to keep them intact. If you don't want to eat the shiitake stems then discard them. Fresh shiitake stems are totally edible.
• Can I use black pepper instead of white pepper? Yes, but the flavor tends to be hotter. Whichever pepper you choose, used freshly ground pepper. It will have fresher flavor.
• What's the difference between chicken stock and broth? Stock means it's more all purpose whereas a broth is more dish specific. But, people use the terms interchangeably. Use Swanson brand if you don't have home made around.
• What does the lemongrass do? During roasting the lemongrass imparts aroma. I did not detect much flavor when eating the rice. In other words, you could skip the lemongrass, if you want. But stick to Ron's recipe for your first time out to get how his chef brain works.

Why this recipe is a keeper

Ron's approach to building flavor work to infuse the rice with aroma, umami and chicken-y goodness. While the casserole bakes, make a salad or throw some lightly oiled asparagus onto a sheet pan to roast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. You'll be sitting down to dinner in about 45 minutes. Down South + East: A Chinese American Cookbook is full of solid recipes to learn from as you cook up one good dish after another.