CAROLINA RICE PILAF RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and butter. Add mushrooms and season with salt, pepper and thyme then cook 15 minutes until evenly browned and tender. Add wine and deglaze the pan. Add parsley and transfer mushrooms to a serving dish.

Steps:

• Add chicken, broth, salt, pepper, paprika, thyme and bay leaf to a large pot or dutch oven.
• Roughly chop garlic cloves, onion and celery then add to the pot. 
• Cover pot then bring to a slow simmer over medium heat. Once broth is bubbling, reduce heat to low then cook, covered, for 2-3 hours, or until legs and thighs are pulling apart from the body and the chicken is very tender.
• Remove chicken from broth; set aside to cool. Strain broth into a large bowl or pitcher, discarding onion, garlic and any loose bones or skin; set broth aside.
• Once cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones from chicken then shred or cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
• Cut sausage into bite-sized pieces.
• Melt butter in the (now empty) pot then sauté sausage and red pepper flakes for 8-10 minutes or until sausage is browned.
• Add reserved broth (should be about 8 cups) to pot with the sausage then stir well to deglaze the pot.
• Taste broth for seasoning then add more if desired. Bring broth to a boil.
• Once boiling, add rice and chicken.
• Bring to a gentle boil then cover, reduce heat to low or medium-low (wherever your dial gives you a gentle simmer) then cook for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.
• Stir rice once or twice with a fork to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot but don’t overwork the rice. Don’t stir the rice or open the lid the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• Remove from heat then let rest, covered, for 10 minutes.