Directions[]
A classic Spanish dish of boned chicken with saffron that deserves a much wider audience than it currently has.
Ingredients[]
- 2.5 kg chicken
- 2 chicken livers, 1 chicken heart (giblets should be in a bag within the chicken)
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 60 g white rice
- 35 ml white wine
- 35 ml white vermouth
- 430 ml chicken stock
- generous pinch of saffron
- 6 cardamom pods, cracked
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 peeled carrots, diced
- 2 peeled onions, sliced
- 1 stick celery, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 cracked cardamom pods
- 1 bay leaf
- 50 ml white wine
- breastbones from the chicken
Directions[]
- Chop the livers and heart into small pieces then fry with a little butter in a heavy-bottomed pot for about a minute.
- Transfer to a plate then melt the remainder of the butter in the pot and use this to fry the onions over a gentle heat, until softened.
- Next add the rice and stir for two minutes.
- Add the white wine and vermouth and then the chicken stock along with the saffron, bay leaf, cardamom and a twist of black pepper.
- Cover the pot and allow the rice to cook for fifteen minutes, until it's just ready.
- Now add the fried liver and heart take off the heat and place in a bowl.
- Add the egg, mix-in thoroughly and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile begin preparing the bird by cutting out the two breasts.
- Then, with a pair of scissors cut away the exposed breastbone.
- Season the inside of the chicken liberally with salt and ground pepper.
- Spoon the cooked rice inside the bird so that the entirety of the inside of the bird is filled then replace the two breasts.
- At this stage truss the bird in several layers of muslin so that it's completely secure and the breasts are held in place.
- Place the bird in a casserole or cooking dish that's taller than the bird, add the cooking ingredients and enough water to just cover the bird.
- Bring the water to a simmer and skim-off any foam that rises to the top.
- Once the foam has stopped cover the pot and allow to cook, undisturbed, for an hour and a quarter.
- Take off the heat and allow the bird to sit for half an hour in the stock.
- De-bone the chicken and serve on a warm serving dish along with the rice (spoon the broth over the top but reserve the remainder for making saffron broth).