This is my favorite winter comfort food growing up, but I love to eat it year around. This recipe is a cheat version that anyone can make in their rice cooker. I like to serve this with a side of chinese veggies.

Chicken and Mushroom Clay Pot Rice (in rice cooker)

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:
Rice – 1 cup (using rice cooker measuring cup)
Chinese dried mushroom – 8 to 10 small pieces (cut into slices)
Wood ear – 8-10 pieces (cut into slices)
Chicken – 3 pieces of thigh meat (cut into bite-size pieces)
Scallion – 3 (cut into 1-2 inch pieces)

Seasoning:
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
White pepper
Sugar
Chinese cooking wine

Directions:
1. Soak dried mushroom and wood ear in water until re-constituted.
2. Marinate chicken, wood ear and mushroom in soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, sugar and chinese cooking wine. Add enough soy sauce until it covers the fixings entirely; add sesame oil generously, and only a dash of white pepper and sugar. Use about 1/2 cap of chinese cooking wine.
3. Cook rice in rice cooker as usual, using less water.
4. After about 10 minutes in the rice cooker, layer the chicken, wood ear and mushroom with its seasoning on top of the rice. Top off with scallions*.
5. Close the rice cooker lid and let it continue cooking. When the rice is done, do not lift the lid for another 10 minutes so the steam can further cook the chicken**.

* If you prefer the scallions to not be too soft, you can sauté it separately in a pan (with oil and salt) and top off the rice with it.
** Since all rice cookers are different, make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving.