Do You Think This Would Work?

[Juliebove]

My daughter loves plain chicken breast and plain rice. And I need to be able to make it in the crock pot. The recipe I've tried in the past came from that blog with a different crock pot recipe each day. It contains a faux "cream" soup which fits our diet since it is dairy free. I really loved the end result. Husband, not so much so. Daughter hated it! Didn't like either the chicken or the rice. I was using a combination of brown and wild and both of them really prefer white rice.

Most all of the recipes I see call for cream of something or other soup. I have found some with tomatoes, but I am doing Spanish rice tomorrow so not sure I want to do something so similar right away.

I found this recipe and it sounds good to me, but I know daughter and husband would object to the lemon in it.

Open Original Shared Link

Do you think I could make this subbing in chicken broth for the wine, water and lemon juice? I would probably leave out the tabasco sauce and add in some parsley. Seems like it would work, but I don't have a lot of experience cooking rice in the crock pot.

Has anyone done something similar?

Thanks!

[Jestgar]

I don't see why it wouldn't. Keep in mind that I don't do a lot of rice, but the broth-for-wine sub should be just fine

[Glutin-Free Man]

The important consideration when cooking rice (with any method) is to keep the amount of liquid the same - it doesn't matter so much what the liquid is, as that the amounts are correct. A general rule of thumb is to have 2 cups of liquid for 1 cup of rice. This ration changes a bit with volume (use less water when doubling it), and a bit with different methods (my rice cooker uses a lot less water), but is a good general rule to follow.

Your substitution should be fine, as long as the overall liquid content is about the same (ie. add up the wine, water, and lemon juice when replacing it with chicken broth).

Crockpot cooking is fairly foolproof - it's not like baking, where there's chemistry involved and you have to be careful with substitutions.

Just make sure you have sufficient moisture in the pot (don't let it cook dry or it will burn).

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Have you looked at A Year of Crockpotting? There are 365 AMAZING recipes in there, all gluten-free.

See Open Original Shared Link

You can also email the blogger and ask for advice, she's an expert!

For cream soup substitution, I have found that the best substitute by far is, for 1 can of "cream of something" soup, use Mix 2-3 tablespoons of corn starch with an equal amount of chicken broth, then add enough additional

chicken broth to equal 1 cup (not 1 can) (I sometimes like to sneak in a little wine, too for flavor). Add whatever other flavoring you like, like garlic, mushrooms, tarragon, dill, worcestershire sauce, or whatever. Then, at the END of cooking time, stir in 1/2 cup of cream or sour cream (or more, as your heart desires!).

[Juliebove]

I don't see why it wouldn't. Keep in mind that I don't do a lot of rice, but the broth-for-wine sub should be just fine

Good. Thanks!

[Juliebove]

The important consideration when cooking rice (with any method) is to keep the amount of liquid the same - it doesn't matter so much what the liquid is, as that the amounts are correct. A general rule of thumb is to have 2 cups of liquid for 1 cup of rice. This ration changes a bit with volume (use less water when doubling it), and a bit with different methods (my rice cooker uses a lot less water), but is a good general rule to follow.

Your substitution should be fine, as long as the overall liquid content is about the same (ie. add up the wine, water, and lemon juice when replacing it with chicken broth).

Crockpot cooking is fairly foolproof - it's not like baking, where there's chemistry involved and you have to be careful with substitutions.

Just make sure you have sufficient moisture in the pot (don't let it cook dry or it will burn).

Okay. Thanks!

[Juliebove]

Have you looked at A Year of Crockpotting? There are 365 AMAZING recipes in there, all gluten-free.

See Open Original Shared Link

You can also email the blogger and ask for advice, she's an expert!

For cream soup substitution, I have found that the best substitute by far is, for 1 can of "cream of something" soup, use Mix 2-3 tablespoons of corn starch with an equal amount of chicken broth, then add enough additional

chicken broth to equal 1 cup (not 1 can) (I sometimes like to sneak in a little wine, too for flavor). Add whatever other flavoring you like, like garlic, mushrooms, tarragon, dill, worcestershire sauce, or whatever. Then, at the END of cooking time, stir in 1/2 cup of cream or sour cream (or more, as your heart desires!).

Yeah. That's where I got the "cream of" recipe that didn't go over well. I also tried the brown sugar chicken and we all thought it was disgusting. I tried a few of the other recipes and none went over well. I am thinking her family has different tastes than mine. However I did get the idea of using creamed corn from her. I have been using it in some recipes in place of cheese. We can't do dairy so no cream or sour cream here!

[angieInCA]

Chicken and rice (white or brown) is one of those wonderful foods that are very forgiving and usually blends well with just about anything you add to it. I experiment all the time and sometimes it's "What do I have in my Pantry that might taste good?"

I think what you posted should blend well together and taste great.

[purple]

Yeah. That's where I got the "cream of" recipe that didn't go over well. I also tried the brown sugar chicken and we all thought it was disgusting. I tried a few of the other recipes and none went over well. I am thinking her family has different tastes than mine. However I did get the idea of using creamed corn from her. I have been using it in some recipes in place of cheese. We can't do dairy so no cream or sour cream here!

Thanks...creamed corn is a great idea...my dd loves corn and is df. I will try it

[Juliebove]

Chicken and rice (white or brown) is one of those wonderful foods that are very forgiving and usually blends well with just about anything you add to it. I experiment all the time and sometimes it's "What do I have in my Pantry that might taste good?"

I think what you posted should blend well together and taste great.

Thanks!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Yeah. That's where I got the "cream of" recipe that didn't go over well. I also tried the brown sugar chicken and we all thought it was disgusting. I tried a few of the other recipes and none went over well. I am thinking her family has different tastes than mine. However I did get the idea of using creamed corn from her. I have been using it in some recipes in place of cheese. We can't do dairy so no cream or sour cream here!

If you can tolerate soy, there is very good soy sour cream. There is also a new dairy-free cream called "mimicreme," that people say is really good--it's shelf-stable until opened. I think it's nut based, so if you have nut-sensitivities, that would be out.

[GFinDC]

One I like to do is chicken and rice with coconut milk, cinnamon, ginger, salt, pepper, lots of garlic, some bok choy and random other veggies. Maybe a few shrimpy shrimps too. Also slice up a couple oranges and put them in peel and all. I find the orange peel bitterness disapates after an hour of cooking. Some people may not though. I never made this in a crocker before, but it probably works. If you end up with too much liquid you can always throw some gluten-free flour in at the end to thicken it. Just mix it with a little cold water first so you don't end up making gluten-free dumplings.

[Juliebove]

If you can tolerate soy, there is very good soy sour cream. There is also a new dairy-free cream called "mimicreme," that people say is really good--it's shelf-stable until opened. I think it's nut based, so if you have nut-sensitivities, that would be out.

We can't do soy and we're allergic to almonds. Daughter is allergic to peanuts.

[Juliebove]

One I like to do is chicken and rice with coconut milk, cinnamon, ginger, salt, pepper, lots of garlic, some bok choy and random other veggies. Maybe a few shrimpy shrimps too. Also slice up a couple oranges and put them in peel and all. I find the orange peel bitterness disapates after an hour of cooking. Some people may not though. I never made this in a crocker before, but it probably works. If you end up with too much liquid you can always throw some gluten-free flour in at the end to thicken it. Just mix it with a little cold water first so you don't end up making gluten-free dumplings.

Not sure that would go over too well here. Every savory dish I've tried with fruit in it has not been liked. But thanks!

[ang1e0251]

I was taught to make chicken and rice this way. Use a little broth with your diced chcken and bring to a low boil with your choice of vegetables. Boild this down to almost dry then stir in cooked rice. Add a little oil to this till hot then serve. You can make it pretty by filling a soup bowl with it packed tight. Upend on a plate & remove the bowl. Very pretty presentation!!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

We can't do soy and we're allergic to almonds. Daughter is allergic to peanuts.

:( Sorry... :(

[Juliebove]

I was taught to make chicken and rice this way. Use a little broth with your diced chcken and bring to a low boil with your choice of vegetables. Boild this down to almost dry then stir in cooked rice. Add a little oil to this till hot then serve. You can make it pretty by filling a soup bowl with it packed tight. Upend on a plate & remove the bowl. Very pretty presentation!!

Okay. Thanks!

[Juliebove]

So... It sort of worked, but...

I didn't use the 6 qt. crock pot because I was in a hurry and I had the 3 qt. still sitting there ready to go. Perhaps I should have used the bigger one. The 3 qt. was fully to the top, but I did add a bit more chicken. I also used boneless, skinless breasts.

I decided to cook it for an hour on high, then turn it down to low. But after two hours on low, most of the chicken was still totally raw. The chicken nearer to the bottom of the pot was more done. Weird.

We had to leave for dance class. I decided to cut the chicken into smaller chunks and then turn it up to high for the remaining 2+ hours.

Got home to a solid mass of chicken. I had to use my kitchen shears to cut the pieces apart. The rice was sort of a soupy mess. There was a lot of broth sitting there on top of the rice. After letting it sit with the lid off for a few minutes, most of it was absorbed. The rice was rather overcooked.

So our rating of this dish is... I like the chicken. Would prefer the rice not to be so mushy.

Daughter hated the chicken but liked the rice. Go figure.

Husband hasn't said anything yet. Not sure he has actually eaten any yet.

I think in the future when I want rice, I will just cook it separately, or get some more bags of the pre-cooked stuff from the health food store.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I think the general rule for crockpot cooking is that they cook most efficiently when 2/3 full, and that raw meat needs 8-10 hours on low to fully cook, or you can do 5-6 on high. If you started with frozen chicken breasts, you would need more than that, I think, plus you might have to worry about bacterial nasties with such a long time between frozen and fully cooked.

Also, some brands of slow cookers ONLY heat on the very bottom. I think the Rival Crockpot brand does heat from all around as well, but things on the bottom do tend to cook through faster.

[Juliebove]

I think the general rule for crockpot cooking is that they cook most efficiently when 2/3 full, and that raw meat needs 8-10 hours on low to fully cook, or you can do 5-6 on high. If you started with frozen chicken breasts, you would need more than that, I think, plus you might have to worry about bacterial nasties with such a long time between frozen and fully cooked.

Also, some brands of slow cookers ONLY heat on the very bottom. I think the Rival Crockpot brand does heat from all around as well, but things on the bottom do tend to cook through faster.

I rarely use frozen meat. If I do, I use a minimal amount of it. Next time perhaps I will just use the larger crock.