A winning formula for chicken and rice

I have been slowly training myself to cook without a book. And, ironically, a couple books have really helped me in this realm: Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal and  Michael Ruhlman's Ratio. I've also been told to check out The Flavor Bible. 

The key, of course, is to remember a few great techniques. In this case, I used my favorite chicken-roasting method and a go-to flavor combo I use in a lot of my salads: cumin and raisins. Trust me, it's good.

I call this a formula because, in the spirit of cooking with what you've got, I'm pretty sure it's adaptable to whatever you have on hand. If you don't have broccoli, maybe you have another vegetable that is good in steamy conditions. If you don't have almonds, I'm sure other chopped and toasted nuts would do perfectly well, like pistachios or hazelnuts. If you have a favorite rice medley, use it - or use another grain entirely, like quinoa or bulgur - just be sure to adjust the cooking time. My recipe uses brown and black rice, which takes longer, but I find it to be especially attractive. If you're anti-raisin, that's too bad. But other dried fruits, especially like apricot, would be good here, too. And, if you have nothing but chicken and rice and some seasonings, you still have a meal.

The best part of cooking without a book is that if you remember how you did it later, you can write it down and call it whatever you want. I'm calling it

Cumin roasted chicken and raisin-nut rice
Serves 4

3-4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
salt
pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 c. rice, combination of brown and black
1 3/4 c. chicken stock
olive oil
1 c. chopped broccoli
1/3 c. golden raisins
1/4 c. sliced or chopped almonds
handful of chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Drizzle in a little olive oil and stir in the rice. Bring back to boil, then down to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes, or about 10 minutes less than full cooking time.

In the meantime, line a rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil. Generously salt and pepper the chicken thighs, and sprinkle them with cumin. Place skin-side up on the pan and roast for about 40 minutes, or until done.

When the timer for the rice is done, add the broccoli and raisins, stir, and cover again and continue cooking for 10 minutes over low heat. The key is to do this while there is still a bit of water in the pan to steam the broccoli and soften the raisins.

When the chicken is done, place it on a plate to cool slightly.

Scatter the almonds in a dry pan to toast, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat as they turn golden brown. They will continue to toast a bit so don't overdo it.

When the chicken has cooled, remove the skin, work around the bones and chop the meat into inch- or half-inch-pieces. Add it to the rice and stir to combine. Top with the almonds and parsley and serve.