Bulgarian Chicken with Rice (Пиле с ориз)

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs

1 cup white Basmati rice

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 large carrot, cut in 3-4 large pieces

1 celery stalk, cut in 3-4 large pieces

3-4 oz. mushrooms, chopped

4 cups water

1 teaspoon dried spearmint (джоджен), ground

1.5 teaspoons kosher salt

¾ tsp. black pepper

1 green onion, chopped green and light green parts

Directions

Place the chicken thighs with the onion, carrots, and celery in a large stockpot and add 4 cups of water. Season with a 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Bring to boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, wash the rice and spread it evenly in a greased 9x13 inch baking or Pyrex dish.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

After the chicken thighs have simmered for 30 minutes, remove them from the stockpot and arrange them on top of the rice. Discard the carrots and celery, and pour all of the chicken stock on top of the chicken and rice. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and 1 teaspoon of ground dried spearmint.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 min. At this point, add the chopped mushrooms to the rice and some chopped scallions and mix lightly with a fork. (The mix will still be a little slushy.)

Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the rice is soft and cooked, the water has evaporated, and the chicken skin looks beautifully brown.