Monday, March 22, 2010

Chicken in a Pot with wild rice and bulgur with vegetables

This chicken recipe takes a while to cook but the final product is very juicy chicken and it tastes delicious! The chicken juice that is left after cooking the chicken tastes great spooned over the wild rice mixture. I added steamed asparagus sprinkled with goat cheese to round out the meal. Lately my kids have been loving asparagus so while it is in season we will be eating it! And I cut up the leftover chicken to use in tomorrow's nights dinner! Check back tomorrow to see what we make with it.

Chicken in a Pot (recipe from America's Test Kitchen)
1 whole roasting chicken (4 -5 pounds), giblets removed and discarded
2 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped medium
1 celery stalk, chopped medium
6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed
1 bay leaf
1 fresh sprig of rosemary (optional)
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Heat oven to 300 and adjust rack to lowest position. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken over (use a wooden spoon and insert into cavity of bird) and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 8 minutes. Remove from heat; place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 when inserted into thickest part of breast. It took about 1- 1 1/2 hours to cook fully.

Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil and let rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain juices from pot through fine-mesh strainer and then use a gravy separator to get rid of the fat. Pour liquid into saucepan and set over low heat. Stir lemon juice into juice to taste and serve with chicken.

Wild Rice and Bulgur with Vegetables (adapted from Gourmet, Jan 2005)
1 quart water
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup bulgur
1/2 cup wild rice
1 leek, cut into 1/4 inch dices
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 small carrots, diced
1 large celery stalk, diced

Bring water and salt to boil. Put bulgur in a large glass bowl, then pour half the boiling water over it and let it soak about 30 minutes, uncovered, until tender. Add wild rice to water remaining in pan and simmer, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes.

Drain bulgur and wild rice together in a large colander. Set aside. (Can do this ahead of time).

Wash leeks in a bowl of cold water, then lift them out when ready to cook, don't pour liquid out first because then the sand that you are getting rid of will be back incorporated into the leeks.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add leeks, carrots, celery and 1/2 tsp salt and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in rice and bulgur and cook, covered, until heated through.


1 comment:

  1. I know this one is delicious because we had the chicken last night. I cooked the bones and used the remaining chicken for Chicken Tortilla Soup tonight! I love that your kids eat asparagus! How can I get Uncle Ken to eat them???

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