Spiced chicken and rice, extremely nice

And fragrant and flavorful, with turmeric and cardamom, roasted pistachios and sweet golden raisins.

View in browser|nytimes.com June 8, 2024 Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Spiced chicken and rice, extremely nice By Mia Leimkuhler I will always, in any season, make a chicken-and-rice dish. It's my favorite protein combined with my favorite carb, and I love it in any iteration: Hainanese chicken rice, arroz chaufa, arroz con pollo, iwuk edesi, chicken perloo, chicken cook-up rice, chicken doria, oyakodon. I don't care if it's hot outside; all are worth mopping my brow and doing that thing where I whap the sides of my T-shirt away from my body. Add Kay Chun's new spiced chicken and rice to that list. Boneless chicken thighs brown in olive oil until golden, and then garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric and allspice are bloomed in the same oil to release their aromas. (The turmeric is a thoughtful swap for saffron, which can be pretty pricey.) Then go in the rice, broth, golden raisins and pistachios for a quick, gentle simmer. Top with toasted almonds, and there you have it: some extremely nice chicken and rice. Featured Recipe Spiced Chicken and Rice With Cardamom and Cinnamon View Recipe → Another nice thing about Kay's recipe is that it cooks up relatively quickly for a chicken-and-rice dish — just 45 minutes from start to finish. Lidey Heuck's shrimp-y (not to be confused with shrimpy) take on vongole rosso is also quite quick. So is Ali Slagle's chipotle-coconut chicken, an excellent use for that can of coconut milk in your pantry and the half-empty jar of chipotle chiles in adobo in the fridge. Summer weekends call for casual gatherings, and casual gatherings call for lovely salads. Eric Kim adapted this recipe for lettuces with fresh herbs and cheese from the chef Adam Baumgart of Brooklyn's Oma Grassa, and it speaks to a fundamental truth. "A good salad can transport you," Eric writes, "but the truly great ones all have one thing in common: plenty of cheese." Kay's tahini ramen salad doesn't have cheese, but it does have tahini, which lends plenty of creamy savoriness. It also has instant ramen noodles, which lend their wiggly goodness. Save the seasoning packets for another use (like this Japanese party mix). I'll leave you with two easy cooking projects for the weekend, because nothing feels more luxurious to me than having a couple of hours to do whatever I want in the kitchen. Melissa Knific's new strawberry jam recipe calls to me, a gorgeous use for the bruised berries I pick up from the discount tables at my farmers' market. And to go with my jam, these pillowy, accordioned buttermilk sugar biscuits, made with homemade buttermilk because I always forget to buy some. ADVERTISEMENT IN THIS NEWSLETTER Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Shrimp Pasta By Lidey Heuck 45 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings  Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Chipotle-Coconut Chicken By Ali Slagle 45 minutes Makes 4 servings Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Sue Li. Prop stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas. Lettuces With Fresh Herbs and Cheese  Recipe from Adam Baumgart Adapted by Eric Kim 15 minutes Makes 2 servings Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Tahini Ramen Salad By Kay Chun 30 minutes Makes 4 servings Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Furikake Snack Mix By Sue Li 1 hour Makes 12 servings (about 14 cups) Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards. Strawberry Jam By Melissa Knific About 1 1/2 hours Makes About 1 cup Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas. Sugar Biscuits Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits Recipe from Briana Holt Adapted by Eric Kim 1 hour Makes 9 biscuits Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards. Buttermilk By Melissa Knific About 10 minutes Makes 1 cup 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 ADVERTISEMENT 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. Subscribe to NYT CookingGet the NYT Cooking app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018