Crispy Brown Rice with Soy Chicken and Shiitake Mushrooms
By Stephanie WinterPublished on December 13, 2025
Time
1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, each piece halved3 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin8 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry4 teaspoons oyster sauce 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger ½ teaspoon white pepper 3 garlic cloves, minced¼ cup avocado oil 2 cups water 1 cup unsalted chicken broth 1½ cups long-grain brown rice, rinsed1 teaspoon table salt 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced ¼ inch thick
Before You Begin
We like brown jasmine rice in this dish, but any long-grain brown rice will work.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pat dry 1 pound chicken thighs, trimmed and halved, with paper towels. Whisk the thinly sliced whites of 3 scallions, 8 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, 4 teaspoons oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons grated ginger, and ½ teaspoon white pepper together in large bowl. Measure out ¼ cup sauce and transfer to small bowl; set aside until ready to serve. Whisk 3 minced garlic cloves into remaining sauce in large bowl, then add chicken and toss to coat.
- Heat ¼ cup avocado oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until golden, 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally; using slotted spoon, return chicken to bowl.
- Add 2 cups water and 1 cup unsalted chicken broth to fat left in pot, scraping up any browned bits. Cover pot and bring to boil over high heat. Off heat, stir in 1½ cups rinsed long-grain brown rice and 1 teaspoon table salt, spread chicken and any accumulated juices in single layer over rice, then top with 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and bake until rice is tender and top of rice is dry and beginning to brown, 60 to 70 minutes.
- Remove pot from oven, place clean dish towel under lid, and cover pot tightly. Let rest for 10 minutes. Remove towel and lid from pot. Cook over medium-high heat until rice on bottom is crackling, about 2 minutes. Drizzle reserved sauce over chicken and sprinkle with thinly sliced greens of 3 scallions. Serve.
Time
1¾ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, each piece halved
3 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
8 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
4 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon white pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup avocado oil
2 cups water
1 cup unsalted chicken broth
1½ cups long-grain brown rice, rinsed
1 teaspoon table salt
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced ¼ inch thick
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, each piece halved
3 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
8 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
4 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon white pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup avocado oil
2 cups water
1 cup unsalted chicken broth
1½ cups long-grain brown rice, rinsed
1 teaspoon table salt
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced ¼ inch thick
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, each piece halved
3 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
8 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
4 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon white pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup avocado oil
2 cups water
1 cup unsalted chicken broth
1½ cups long-grain brown rice, rinsed
1 teaspoon table salt
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced ¼ inch thick
Why This Recipe Works
We love the comforting one-pot harmony of Chinese claypot chicken and rice—a dish known for its tender, soy-marinated chicken, umami-packed mushrooms, and most of all, the prized crispy rice layer that forms at the bottom of the pot. Here, we swapped in brown rice for the usual white rice for an extra dose of fiber. But replicating the signature texture with brown rice (which doesn’t always crisp well) proved tricky. Our solution? We borrowed our baked brown rice method to ensure evenly cooked rice, serving the nutty grains with golden-browned chicken thighs and meaty shiitakes. We finished the dish with a brief stovetop sear to give the rice its signature irresistible crunch. To give our chicken thighs plenty of flavor, we seasoned them with scallion whites, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, ginger, and white pepper. We reserved some of this mixture to drizzle over the final dish, punching up the savory depth. The result: a deeply flavorful, fiber-rich twist on a beloved classic.
Before You Begin
We like brown jasmine rice in this dish, but any long-grain brown rice will work.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pat dry 1 pound chicken thighs, trimmed and halved, with paper towels. Whisk the thinly sliced whites of 3 scallions, 8 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, 4 teaspoons oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons grated ginger, and ½ teaspoon white pepper together in large bowl. Measure out ¼ cup sauce and transfer to small bowl; set aside until ready to serve. Whisk 3 minced garlic cloves into remaining sauce in large bowl, then add chicken and toss to coat.
- Heat ¼ cup avocado oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until golden, 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally; using slotted spoon, return chicken to bowl.
- Add 2 cups water and 1 cup unsalted chicken broth to fat left in pot, scraping up any browned bits. Cover pot and bring to boil over high heat. Off heat, stir in 1½ cups rinsed long-grain brown rice and 1 teaspoon table salt, spread chicken and any accumulated juices in single layer over rice, then top with 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and bake until rice is tender and top of rice is dry and beginning to brown, 60 to 70 minutes.
- Remove pot from oven, place clean dish towel under lid, and cover pot tightly. Let rest for 10 minutes. Remove towel and lid from pot. Cook over medium-high heat until rice on bottom is crackling, about 2 minutes. Drizzle reserved sauce over chicken and sprinkle with thinly sliced greens of 3 scallions. Serve.
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