ROSEMARY CHICKEN WITH BALSAMIC ONION AND BROCCOLI FRIED RICE

Don't ask me why I came up with this dish after I got home one day. It was easy and it surely sold itself.

I wanted the dish to go with fried rice but we ran out of leftover rice, so I immediately cooked the rice making sure the water is just enough. Not too dry, not too watery. I measure the water by dipping my middle finger in the water with the rice, and the reading should be on the first line of my finger. Don't ask me to teach you this, because I don't know if it will work for you. I learned this from my grandmother and my mother, when the rice cookers weren't invented yet, and when rice was cooked in a metal aluminum pot.

I know I'm breaking the rules here, but when I want to eat fried rice, and there's no leftover rice, I just go ahead and cook the rice. After it's cooked, open the lid of the rice cooker to let the steam out. Let it sit for about an hour, and when all steam is gone and the rice is a bit colder, fluff the rice with a fork to separate them.

Some cooks will tell you to make fried rice with leftover rice, but hey, if you don't have any leftover rice, and you want to make fried rice, just cook the rice before making your accompanying dish. End result? To me, it doesn't make any difference. Rice comes out nice and fluffy, and they do not stick together at all.

Ingredients
2 pounds chicken (any part will do)
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon thyme (fresh or dried)
1 tablespoons fresh (or dried) rosemary leaves
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Procedure
Preheat oven to 375 * F.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken. Rub the minced garlic on the chicken. Sprinkle the thyme and rosemary leaves. Put the sliced onions on the bottom of the rectangular baking pan. Lay the chicken on top of the sliced onions and bake in the oven. After 2o minutes, pour the balsamic vinegar and olive oil all over the chicken.

Bake for another 25 minutes or until cooked.

*Serves 4 to 6 persons