Quickies: Matty Matheson's Easy, Comforting Chicken with Rice

In our cooking series Quickies, we invite chefs, bartenders, and other personalities in the world of food and drink who are serious hustlers to share their tips and tricks for preparing quick, creative after-work meals. Every dish featured in Quickies takes under 30 minutes to make, but without sacrificing any deliciousness—these are tried-and-tested recipes for the super-busy who also happen to have impeccable taste.

Matty Matheson is one of the busiest guys we know. He's been running Parts & Labour in Toronto since 2010, he's the host of the best show on television, and, on top of that, he's got a wife and a shiny new kid to look after. Needless to say, Matty's no stranger to convenience foods. On some special occasions, though, a homemade meal is in order, and it's gotta come together fast.

One of these must-cook occasions was right after his son, Mac, was delivered. For his (obviously exhausted) wife, Matty whipped up a comforting, warm bowl of Hainanese chicken when they got home with their newborn.

When Matty came to visit, we asked him to recreate the dish using ingredients from the MUNCHIES rooftop garden, and he happily obliged.

Matty came armed with the main components for the dish: chicken, stock, white rice, and pickled ginger.

From our garden, he made out with a sizable haul—handfuls of herbs, flowers, and a whole bunch of chiles.

The recipe, which is inspired by traditional dishes cooked in the Hainan island province of China, is the ultimate exercise in efficiency. While Matty prepped the herbs and toppings, he had rice cooking up with chicken stock, and a whole chicken steaming away in a pot.

The chicken came out perfectly steamed in just half an hour—steaming the bird keeps it perfectly moist and delicate.

Matty grabbed chopped cucumbers, anise hyssop, Szechuan buttons, chiles, and cilantro, then tossed those up with some lime, salt, and oil. He also mixed up some olive oil with pickled ginger (liquid too) and scallions. Then came the fun part—the assembly.

He garnishes the final product with some sesame seeds and leftover flowers, and we're left with the ultimate comforting dinner that comes together in 30 minutes. Perfect for if you just had a baby—or not.