Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Creamy Broccoli, Rice, and Chicken in the 1-Button Rice Cooker

I see my simple 1-button rice cooker as a pot of gold. All I have to do is put in the food and push the button (or rather, push the lever down). Well, okay, for this recipe, I add something toward the end and push it down again for a few minutes; but it's still quite simple.

I noticed that when I posted my rice cooker recipes in the past, I was using a 6-cup rice cooker. Now we are using a 14-cup rice cooker, making double-size recipes, so we will have leftovers for lunches.  You could cut this recipe in half for a smaller rice cooker or if you want less.

From my 1-Button Rice Cooker Cookbook:

2 tablespoons olive oil (I'm using a stainless steel cooker. If you are using a non-stick, you might be able to get away with less oil if you wish)
1
 ¾ cups parboiled, long grain rice OR 1 ¾ cups brown rice
½ cups water
¼ cup soy sauce (you may use low sodium or gluten free if you'd like)
10 ounce (approximately) package of frozen broccoli cuts
2 cups frozen diced chicken (you could, of course, use fresh diced chicken)

½ cup milk or half and half (milk is fine; we just don't use milk a lot, & we can get half and half in smaller containers and use it up)
1 cup grated cheese

Put all ingredients in the rice cooker EXCEPT for the milk and cheese. (Do not stir.) 

Put on the lid. Push down the lever for Cook. When the rice is cooked, it will switch to the Keep Warm setting. If when the button comes up, the rice is not quite done, you can add a few tablespoons water, and push it down again. 

When the rice is done, add the milk and stir. Then sprinkle the cheese all over the top. Put the lid back on and push the button down, and let it heat until it pops up, or for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese melts. 

Serve and enjoy! 

Note (or disclaimer): Mine did stick to the bottom a little. It didn't affect the taste of the dish. And I don't remember having this problem back when we used a non-stick rice cooker. I got the stainless steel one because we use it so often. They are a bit harder to find though.