One-pot Hainanese chicken and rice for harried weeknights

Because busy Wednesdays deserve easy, gingery chicken and rice with a sizzled scallion sauce.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 7, 2024 Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. One-pot Hainanese chicken and rice for harried weeknights By Melissa Clark The classic method for Hainanese chicken rice, which has you gently poach a whole bird and use the resulting broth to cook the rice, makes for a flavor cycle where nothing is lost. In her smart and deeply comforting take, Genevieve Ko streamlines the cycle further by cooking the chicken and the rice in the same pot, making it a perfect meal for any given Wednesday. Even more, instead of the three sauces that are traditionally offered alongside, she opts for a single killer one, a pungent mix of ginger and scallions warmed by a drizzle of sizzling oil. With its silky chicken, gingery rice and aromatic, bright green sauce, this is a vibrant, satisfying meal that will elevate your week. Featured Recipe One-Pot Ginger Scallion Chicken and Rice View Recipe → Copious amounts of grated fresh ginger are a great way to add sparkle to a dish without much effort; a spoonful of chile crisp is another. No chile crisp on hand? No problem. In her speedy recipe for chile crisp shrimp and green beans, Ali Slagle shows how to make your own by frying a mix of shallots and garlic with potent red pepper flakes and cumin. Then she uses that oil to stir-fry some shrimp and green beans for a 20-minute meal that packs a fragrant wallop. Also from Ali comes an adaptation of Michele Baldacci's black pepper and onion spaghetti, a dish that has been on the menu at Locanda Vini e Olii in Brooklyn since it opened two decades ago. To make it, a mix of red and white onions are very slowly braised in olive oil and their own juices until they nearly fall apart. These sweet alliums are tossed with pasta and then seasoned simply with tarragon, plenty of black pepper and some grated cheese stirred in at the end, if you like. It does take over an hour to make, so save it for a stretch of time when you can luxuriate in its aromatherapeutic cloud of simmering onion steam. This weekend would be perfect for an onion-spa day, unless of course you're happily cooking for Lunar New Year, the Super Bowl or both! The Year of the Dragon begins this Saturday, bringing with it a period of good luck and positive change, which everyone could probably use. Ring it in with dumplings or noodles, or take a cue from Andrea Nguyen and simmer up a pot of thit heo kho trung (pork and eggs in caramel sauce). A must-have on many southern Vietnamese Tet menus, the mix of tangy coconut-water caramel, soft and brawny pork and jammy-yolked eggs is complex and haunting. Serve it with something bright and crunchy (traditionally, pickled bean sprout salad) to cut the richness and plenty of rice to soak up the sauce. For all of you Super Bowl superfans (either of the game or of the snacks), Priya and Ritu Krishna's five-star Indian-ish nachos with Cheddar, black beans and chutney deliver a surefire mix of melty cheese and crisp chips topped with tomatoes, onions, yogurt and a sweet-tart tamarind sauce. For dessert, you could bake a batch of Yossy Arefi's chewy, nubby peanut-butter chocolate-chip cookies. Made with an ultra-ripe banana instead of eggs and butter, they're full of vegan-friendly pleasure. You'll need a subscription for the recipes. Subscribing supports our work behind the scenes adding new recipes to the thousands already available at New York Times Cooking. If you run into any technical issues, there are smart folks at cookingcare@nytimes.com ready to help. And I'm at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Chile-Crisp Shrimp and Green Beans By Ali Slagle 20 minutes Makes 4 servings Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. Black Pepper and Onion Spaghetti Recipe from Michele Baldacci Adapted by Ali Slagle About 1½ hours Makes 4 servings (about 2 cups sauce) Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. Thit Heo Kho Trung (Pork and Eggs in Caramel Sauce) By Andrea Nguyen 2 hours, largely unattended Makes 4 servings Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Sylist: Barrett Washburne. Indian-ish Nachos With Cheddar, Black Beans and Chutney By Priya Krishna and Ritu Krishna 30 minutes Makes 6 to 8 servings Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Peanut-Butter Chocolate-Chip Cookies By Yossy Arefi 30 minutes, plus cooling Makes 20 cookies Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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