A great oatmeal breakfast (or lunch or dinner) inspired by the Persian dish haleem (which is usually made with wheat instead of oats and is simmered for hours):
Put a pound or so of boneless skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker on low for a few hours, until they're ready to fall apart (the nice thing is that this needs little attention).
Sweat a diced onion in about a tbsp of butter in about in a biggish pot on low heat, with a pinch of salt, until translucent. Move the onions to the side, add another tbsp of butter, and toast a cup of steel-cut oats in it until it smells toasty/nutty. Pour the liquid that came out of the chicken into the pot (saving the meat for later) and then add a carton (32 fl. oz.) of good chicken stock (which they're calling bone broth these days at the supermarket).
Cook this for a while on medium heat (uncovered) until the oats are done (roughly 45 mins). Meanwhile, shred up the chicken really well with a pair of forks. When the oatmeal is done, stir in the shredded chicken. Season to taste.
Makes about four big servings, keeps great in the fridge for several days and reheats well. Makes a nutritious hot breakfast, especially with a sunny-side up egg on top. A traditional condiment for haleem is diced confit onions, which is also great. (I also like to add a bag of sauteed "power greens")
Breakfast has a surprisingly big variance across the world, with mostly Europe and North America eating sweets for breakfast. In many other places in the world, it tends to be savory. This article [0] has pictures of breakfasts from around the world.
With regards to oatmeal, my preference is to eat it as part of muesli [1], mixed with plain yogurt, filmjölk, or skyr.
FWIW, I don't think it's typical to have haleem for breakfast. My wife's family is from Iran, and when I mentioned how much I enjoyed the haleem (that my mother-in-law had sent us home with) for breakfast, they thought I was crazy! (They warmed to the idea - we've learned much from one another heh)
From what I've heard the meat just blends into the dish and gives it richness without really giving it a 'meaty' flavor. I'm just trying to find some restaurant near me that serves it.
During covid I've gotten quite bored with my chef (me) and experimented. I thought I was thinking out-of-the-box adding cashews and bananas to things like chili.
But oatmeal and chicken is broadening my mind.
I actually think it makes sense, I've always thought all-carbs-for-breakfast was invented by cereal companies. I've been way better off with something more along the lines of huevos rancheros with refriend beans.
Put a pound or so of boneless skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker on low for a few hours, until they're ready to fall apart (the nice thing is that this needs little attention).
Sweat a diced onion in about a tbsp of butter in about in a biggish pot on low heat, with a pinch of salt, until translucent. Move the onions to the side, add another tbsp of butter, and toast a cup of steel-cut oats in it until it smells toasty/nutty. Pour the liquid that came out of the chicken into the pot (saving the meat for later) and then add a carton (32 fl. oz.) of good chicken stock (which they're calling bone broth these days at the supermarket).
Cook this for a while on medium heat (uncovered) until the oats are done (roughly 45 mins). Meanwhile, shred up the chicken really well with a pair of forks. When the oatmeal is done, stir in the shredded chicken. Season to taste.
Makes about four big servings, keeps great in the fridge for several days and reheats well. Makes a nutritious hot breakfast, especially with a sunny-side up egg on top. A traditional condiment for haleem is diced confit onions, which is also great. (I also like to add a bag of sauteed "power greens")