Low-Cost Comfort Cooking

Sometimes leftovers are just so good they'll hug your insides. Read up on how to pull together some black pepper chicken rice in no time.

Ingredients:

• 1 Large yellow onion, diced
• 1 Leek, sliced into quarter moons
• 2 cups Vinegar
• 2 cups Water
• 3 tbsp. Sugar
• 1 Carrot, sliced into half moons
• 1 Leftover rotisserie chicken, whole
• 2 cups Jasmine rice
• 2 tbsp. Black pepper
• 3 tbsp. Neutral oil (e.g. canola, avocado)
• Salt to taste
• Fresh herbs you have laying around

Instructions:

1. Bring the vinegar, water, and sugar to a boil. Add the sliced carrots and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to add later.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the onions and leeks, adding pinches of salt as they sauté. Cook for another 5 or so minutes.
3. Add the chicken to the pot along with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid reduces by half (to 4 cups). Keep tasting to monitor salt level.
4. Add the black pepper and rice. Boil and simmer again, cooking the rice per instructions. When the rice is finished cooking, let it rest for 10 minutes. Remove the large parts of bone from the rice and fluff with a fork.
5. Strain the carrots, and reuse the pickling brine as you see fit. Add carrots to the pot.
6. Add salt and herbs to taste and hot sauce for a kick of heat. Serves 4.
7. All raw cutting scraps from vegetables and the chicken bones can be repurposed into a stock by boiling with salt, pepper, and whatever suits your taste.

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