Cozy Food on a Snowy Day: Almost Chris's Chicken and Rice

I've talked a lot recently about "comfort food" - you know, the stuff we turn to for consolation when something is wrong in our world. I propose we establish a parallel category, "cozy food," for days when things are perfectly fine (or better!) and you want something that's warm and comfy without all the implied therapeutic overtones.

This particular dish has been on my mind a lot lately. My stepdad used to make a massively unhealthy chicken and rice that was utterly, utterly delicious. It involved a stick of butter and 2 cans of condensed soup, and my arteries twitch just thinking about it. I remember making it several times for a great-aunt of mine who passed away recently, and at least once for an uncle (who, ironically, is dealing with serious heart problems right now. I'm sure that neither of these things is *directly* related to that chicken recipe, but it certainly does give one pause). There's no way to justify making the original dish given (1) our household food restrictions and (2) a grain of sense, but that hasn't stopped me from craving it on cold, snowy, cloudy days.

Imagine my delight when this turned out to be nearly as good as Chris's chicken! The recipe that follows made us dinner with a bit left over for a lunch the next day; it could scale up easily as needed, and is straightforward enough that you could easily cook it in someone else's kitchen. Adapted ever-so-slightly from Mark Bittman's marvelous How to Cook Everything.

Almost Chris's Chicken and Rice 

olive oil for the pan
4 chicken leg quarters (or other bone-in chicken pieces - I'd suggest sticking with dark meat)
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped finely (you can also skip these, if you're a mushroom hater)
2 cups long-grain white rice
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
salt and pepper

Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a large skillet (one with a lid) over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken, then brown on both sides and remove to a plate. While the chicken is browning, saute the mushrooms in a separate pan with a little more olive oil until they're softened.

In the same pan, saute the onions until they start to soften. Remove the mushrooms from the other pan with a slotted spoon and add to the onions (if you just dump the contents into the onion pan, you'll get more liquid than you want). Add the rice and stir until the rice is coated with oil.

Return the chicken to the pan, on top of the rice. Add the chicken stock and water, cover the pan, and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is done.