Adding uncooked rice to a slow-cooked stir fry

I'd like to make this slow-cooked chicken stir fry recipe.

It is suggested that it be served with rice. But I know rice itself can be made in a slow-cooker. If I don't mind having the rice already mixed together with the stir fry, can I simply add 2 cups of uncooked brown rice to the slow-cooker, along with 4 extra cups of water?

If so, is it best to add the rice on the bottom layer, or the top layer, or all mixed together?

Best Answer

You can certainly add rice to the slow cooker--but it will end up more like a rice stew, rather than a stir fry ("slow-cooked stir fry" is also an oxy-moron--the recipe that you link to is in fact a vegetable and meat stew with a vaguely asian flavor profile and has nothing whatsoever to do with a stir-fry). However, the rice you cook in the slow-cooker for several hours will be gummy, overcooked, and the starch that the rice exudes will make the whole thing a gloppy mess, more like a badly cooked risotto than anything else.

My advice would be to cook the rice separately. If you really want to cook the rice in with the other ingredients, I would add it as a top layer, so that it steams rather than boils. But, again, it seems like a much better idea to cook separately--you can even make it in advance.