By Cody is on day two hundred and eighty-four of his sentence. The thirty-first visit was Saturday. He told me at the table that he is starting a fourth piece for the workshop. The piece is going to be longer than the other three. The piece is called The Bathtub. The piece is about the EF-4 tornado that came through our neighborhood in 2013, when Cody was twelve and I was eleven, and the four of us were in the bathtub for the storm with the roof of our house leaving in pieces over our heads.
I want to put on the page what I said when Cody told me the topic. I said, Cody, you do not have to write about that. He said, I want to, Kay. I have not written about it for thirteen years and I think I need to. I said, okay. I am not going to write more about the piece in this notebook, because the piece is his and not mine. I am writing down that he is writing it because the writing of it is the kind of work I want him to keep doing.
And the recipe Sunday was grilled lime coconut chicken with coconut rice. The recipe was a Cafe Delites tropical-leaning weeknight dinner. Chicken thighs marinated in coconut milk and lime juice and garlic and ginger, grilled on the small Weber Aunt Tammy gave us last summer, served with rice cooked in coconut milk and chicken broth instead of plain water.
The math: chicken thighs from the markdown rack $2.79, a can of coconut milk $1.79 (Aunt Tammy left a half can after Easter; I used the rest of that and bought a fresh can), two limes $0.98, garlic and ginger from the kitchen, rice $0.30, salt and pepper. Total: about $7.40 for three dinners.
The technique is the marinade and the dual-coconut. You marinate the chicken in half the can of coconut milk, the juice of one lime, two cloves of minced garlic, a teaspoon of grated ginger, salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for two hours. While the chicken marinates, you cook two cups of rice in a mixture of the remaining half can of coconut milk plus a cup of chicken broth, with the zest of the second lime and a pinch of salt. The rice picks up the coconut and lime as it cooks.
You grill the chicken thighs on the Weber over medium heat for six minutes per side, until cooked through. You serve over the coconut rice with a squeeze of fresh lime. The dinner tastes, on a fall evening, like a small vacation to a place we have never been.
Mama said, when she ate this Sunday night, baby, this tastes like a beach. Mama has not been to a beach. Neither have I. The dinner was the closest either of us has been.
The recipe is below. The trick is the dual-coconut — coconut milk in the marinade and coconut milk in the rice, so both components carry the flavor. Use full-fat coconut milk, not light.
Chicken and Rice Bake
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice, uncooked
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 3 chicken breasts)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Prepare the rice layer. Spread the uncooked rice evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.
- Mix the sauce. In a bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, and water until smooth. Pour evenly over the rice.
- Season the chicken. Rub the chicken pieces with olive oil and season with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken on top of the rice and soup mixture.
- Cover and bake. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour, until the rice is tender and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Rest and serve. Remove foil and let sit for 5 minutes. The rice will have absorbed the soup and become creamy. Serve straight from the dish.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 340 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 36g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 680mg