Ninja Combi Roast Chicken and Crispy Rice Casserole

One of the Holy Grails of cooking fanciful rice dishes is getting a crispy bottom crust. When I noted that chef Ron Hsu's Chinese American roast chicken and rice casserole was mostly cooked in the oven, I wondered if the Ninja Combi™ would make the dish well. I recently bought one to test drive and have been impressed with how it air fries, for instance. What combi ovens are and their various capabilities make them nifty game changers for home cooks.

The Ninja Combi has thirteen functions total. For this recipes, I wanted to know more about the "Sear / Saute" and something called "Combi Crisp". Does the oven act like a stovetop and how does it make food crispy? Could I adapt Ron's recipe to test drive those Ninja Combi functions? What would happen?

What I experienced was surprisingly delicious with the added bonus of a gorgeous, delectable rice crust. The photo below does not do the rice justice. I've never had a rice crust develop so evenly and up the side of a pan like this. A number of things factored into getting that crust -- the rice and the fat, but it's the Ninja Combi that made the difference. I never thought an appliance could make such a difference.

In this post, I'll share with you what I did to adapt a conventional recipe for cooking in the Ninja Combi™ steam oven. There's also a video of the cooking process. This small countertop steam oven is a mighty but slightly quirky machine. Borrow my tips here for other rice dishes!

Watch me cook the chicken and rice casserole in the Ninja Combi

The Ninja Combi is a funny little machine that is highly effective for this recipe. Expects lots of beeps! And as I say in the video, it's a forgiving appliance.

How to adapt recipes for the Ninja Combi

What I learned while experimenting with this recipe for the Ninja Combi:

• Capacity: The Ninja Combi has a capacity to make food for two (2) very hungry people or four (4) moderate eaters. If your recipe serves 4 to 6, scale things down to not overwhelm the machine and ensure things cook well. Ron's original recipe made enough for 4 to 6 with four medium chicken leg quarters (2 ½ pounds total). I bought two large chicken leg quarters weighing 1 ¾ pounds total, guessing that they would fit nicely in the cooker pan. By weight, I scaled the original recipe back by one third (30 percent).
• Organize ingredients: Prep ingredients to smoothly flow through the cooking process. You want to use the machine's heat and momentum to reduce wait time for the oven to heat up. You also want to focus on programing the machine, which can be confusing with all settings involved. Also, leave energy to monitor cooking and finessing cooking settings to get the Ninja Combi to do what you want it to. The last thing you need is to be whacking on a lemongrass stalk. Once you get everything in the pan (on the right) and in the oven, then have a glass of wine!

• Make ahead: The Ninja Combi has a "keep warm" function but you don't need to use it to keep something hot. This steam oven stays warm for a long time. You can just turn the heat off. However, the heat plate stays hot for a long time so for this recipe, you may burn the rice. It's better to pull the cooker pan from the oven and let it sit out, covered, to avoid drying. About 15 minutes before serving reheat the casserole in the combi.
• Check the grains for crispiness: Look at the perimeter of the pan for golden brown, crispy grains. Use a wood or silicone spatula to look. If it's not to your liking, heat some more in the Ninja Comb. Remember that the bottom will brown faster than the walls of the pan. The rice will remain crisp for a good 30 minutes!

I was jotting down notes as I used the Ninja Combi so I could write this recipe for you! We had to hold off on eating all of the casserole. Enjoy it and and please report your results and tweaks.

Print Recipe

Ninja Combi Roast Chicken and Crispy Rice Casserole

Here's my adaptation of chef Ron Hsu's chicken and rice casserole recipe that was originally prepared on the stovetop and in the oven. Cooking in the Ninja Combi yields a super tasty casserole that also comes with a crispy rice crust to boot! Use fresh shiitake mushroom with big, thick caps if you want them to stand out. Otherwise choose large cremini (aka baby bella) mushrooms.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian American

Keyword: chicken and rice casserole, ninja combi, ninja combi oven

Equipment

• Ninja Combi Oven

Ingredients

• 2 large (1 ¾ pounds | 780g) chicken leg quarters, split into drumsticks and thighs
• Fine sea salt
• Ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• ½ cup | 60g finely chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (1 tablespoon)
• 1 packed tablespoon minced peeled ginger
• 4 ounces | 140g big cremini mushrooms, cut into ½-inch (1.25cm) thick pieces
• 2 cups | 380g raw jasmine rice, rinsed and drained well
• 1 can (14.5 oz | 411ml) chicken broth, preferably Swanson
• ¾ cup | 180ml coconut milk
• 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, split lengthwise, and crushed with the side of a knife or meat mallet
• 3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoon thinly sliced green onion, green parts only
• ½ lime, cut into wedges (optional)

Instructions

• Season, sear, and roast the chicken: Season the chicken with salt and white pepper, lifting the skin to get some underneath to flavor well.
• Using the Air Fry/Stovetop mode, set the oven to SEAR / SAUTE at medium heat (default). When hot, add the oil to the deep Combi cooker pan. Add the chicken, skin side down. Let let sear 3 minutes, undisturbed, until pale gold. Stop the Ninja Combi and leave the pan in the oven.
• Set the oven to BAKE at 390F (default temp). Roast the chicken until golden brown, 5 minutes, then flip the chicken and roast for an additional 5 minutes. Stop the Ninja Combi. Transfer the chicken to a plate or small baking sheet. Leave about 2 tablespoons of oil and fat in the pan.
• Saute the aromatics: Set the Combi to SEAR / SAUTE on medium heat (default level). Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft, translucent but not brown, about 4 minutes.
• Increase the SEAR / SAUTE temp to High, then add the mushrooms and continue to saute, stirring often, until soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stop the Ninja Combi.
• Pour in the broth and coconut milk, then taste and season with salt and white pepper to finish bold. Add the rice, stir to combine the level out. Arrange the chicken on top and add any cooking juices. Add the lemongrass pressing it down slightly into the rice. Return the pan the oven.
• Combi Crisp the casserole: Switch to COMBI COOKER mode and set to COMBI CRISP at 390F (the default level). Let cook 15 minutes, pausing midway to open the door and cover with the Ninja Combi lid.
• When done cooking, remove the pan from the oven and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes to finish cooking the rice grains. For a crisp bottom, set the oven to Combi Crisp at 350F and let cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until the rice grains at the edge are richly golden brown.
• Rest and serve: Cool briefly then shower the pan with cilantro and green onion. Serve from the pan with wedges of lime, if you like. The aromatic lemongrass is inedible.