TREND BITES:

Rice Dishes

September 5, 2024

Early this year, we discovered that rice is the number one ingredient mentioned in online chicken conversations, and those rice and chicken mentions are only continuing to grow. We've been waiting until comfort food season was upon us again to share cozy, flavor-packed meal ideas as we head toward colder weather. And now's the time! Plus, according to the USDA, rice is a staple for over 50% of the world's population, so there's no better format to bring global flavors onto your menu, and we've got some simple ideas for those too.

Rice and Chicken: Menu Powerhouses

USA Rice and the Hartman Group do annual research on rice consumption in America. This year's data showed that, "consumers see rice as both a comfort food and a way to discover new and exciting cuisines." That sentiment is reflected through rice's wide range of use on restaurant menus. Datassential's "Food Versatility Score" for rice is an impressive 100/100, just like another ingredient we know a lot about—chicken!

In Food & Wine's passionate article, "Rice is Everything," they gave us this handy list of dishes that feature rice: "plov, sticky rice, paella, biryani, jollof rice, sushi, bibimbap, broken rice, tahdig, fried rice, nasi goreng, arroz con pollo, rice and breans, risotto, dirty rice..." Going through that list, we can confirm that all of those rice dishes taste amazing with chicken. (Even sushi, if you're daring enough to try our Chicken Sushi Sandwich recipe.)

Try these rice and chicken applications!

Orange Chicken

Madras Chicken Curry

Street Corn Risotto

Rice in Comfort Foods

Here in Wisconsin, as soon as September hits, we happily declare it "soup season," and we turn to hearty, comforting soups, like this Great Northern Chicken Wild Rice Soup. In other regions of the country, comfort might be more common in the form of a stir fry, some jambalaya, or fried rice with fried chicken, like in this nasi goreng. A steaming bowl of rice is part of so many comfort foods because rice's familiar texture has a nostalgic coziness and its neutral flavor goes well with just about everything!

Rice as a Base for Current Trends

We've used rice in recipes for several of our latest Trend Bites, including a Street Corn Risotto recipe for this "Rice Dishes" trend. It combines two of our favorite recent food trends—"Elote" and "New Italian"—for a modern, flavor-packed take on risotto. You can also menu "Swicy" with rice using this Hawaiian Chicken Bowl recipe, "Korean" with this Chicken Bulgogi Lettuce Wrap recipe, and "Citrus" with this Citrus Chicken Bowl recipe.