Chicken with Rice; the Weekly Menu Planner

 This is from last weeks menu - but I didn't get  it posted earlier and I wanted you to see the pretty, yellow chicken I got from our farmer neighbor for letting his cows graze in our pasture.

 This  slow braising was perfect for it - and it's a traditional French  recipe!

Chicken with Rice  

1 whole chicken 
1 onion
5 - 6 medium carrots
2 cups white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 bouquet garni
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water
 
1/2 Basmati rice

The Chicken: Chop onion. Peel and cut carrots in half the long way. Then slice the carrots into 1/4" (.6cm) half circles (the short way). Heat oil in a pot or Dutch oven large enough to hold the chicken. Add the chicken and brown lightly on all sides. Remove. Add onion and carrots and sauté 5 minutes, just until the onion starts to get tender. Place the chicken on top of the onion and carrots. Add the wine, stock and herbs. Cover and simmer over low heat for 2 1/4 hours. 30 minutes before chicken is done start the rice.

The rice: Using a small ladle remove 1 cup of liquid from the chicken. Put it into a saucepan along with the rice. Don't worry if you get a bit of onion with the stock. Cover and cook over low heat until rice is done.

To finish: Remove the chicken. With a slotted spoon remove all of the carrots to a large bowl. Dissolve cornstarch in water. Turn heat up under the stock remaining in pot. Add cornstarch and thicken. Add the rice to the carrots and combine. Slice the chicken and serve, gravy on the side.

For the week of February 8, we're having Hot Spinach Salad, Creamy Scallops with Spanish Orzo, Shrimp Mary Rose, Rack of Lamb with an Herb Crust, Potatoes Savoyarde and Mini Meat Loaves    .

Become a Thyme for Cooking Subscriber and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction, and shopping list delivered to your inbox each Thursday. (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere)

Bon Weekend!

Comments

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

However does a chicken get to be so yellow?

Hot Spinach Salad sounds really interesting.

[Bellini Valli]

Is the chicken yellow because of eating corn? In Ontario their egg yolks are much more yellow because the chickens eat corn...just wondering :D..the always curious Val.It does sound delicious with the side of rice.

[Toni]

I remember when I raised chickens, they would be quite yellow. They were the BEST! I don't know if it's the corn, but there's no store-bought chicken that comes close.

Love the simplicity of this meal - it's very comforting!

[Genie]

Katie, this looks really yummy -- thanks for sharing the recipe! I have a locally-grown chicken that is begging to be eaten...it may just end up finding its further demise as part of this recipe...

[katie]

Tanna, I have no idea - but our egg yolks are really yellow, too, sometimes almost orange. They are outside, scratching, for their whole lives...

Val, I occasionally see her tossing scraps to the chickens, but usually vegetable 'tops', over-ripe melons, etc. But I haven't noticed corn.

Toni, it was simple - the recipe actually called for the rice to be cooked with the chicken...but I didn't need 2 cups of rice!

Genie, a fresh, local chicken has sooo much more flavor.... you'll love it, however you fix it...

[núria]

The poor thing seems to be in the bathtub!!! he, he! Didn't you use a coccotte for it? I'm thinking about buying one. Hasta la vista, guapa!

[katie]

Nuria, you are making fun of my lovely, blue, cast iron oven....It does look like it's in the bath, doesn't it? hhehehe

[Riana]

WOW, now i have chicken envy! its gorrrrrgeous.

[katie]

Riana, um, would that make you yellow with envy???
It was a really good chicken!