This Slow-Cooked Stuffed Chicken With Lemon Leek Rice is a great example of how you can turn an everyday meal into something fancier and wholesome.
And you don't need any fancy ingredients to do this, just a few very basic ones. Simply by changing the way you cook them. Instead of just baking, or roasting the chicken, slow cook it to get really tender, soft, and mellow. And instead of serving the rice and/or potatoes simply on the side, bake them along with the chicken.
In other words, make this delicious Slow-Cooked Stuffed Chicken With Lemon Leek Rice!
How To Make It
To make it, prepare the rice first by sauteing the leeks in a pan on your stovetop. Then add the rice and a bit of water to soften the rice just enough to give it a head start in order to cook properly inside the chicken later on.
Flavor the leek rice with lemon, and using a spoon, add it inside the well-rinsed chicken belly. Place the chicken either in a dutch oven, or use a plain pan (that you will cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil on top). You will have to tie the legs together with some twine, to help keep the filling inside the chicken.
Add some potatoes on the sides and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, some dried Greek oregano, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. Also, add a splash of white wine to the bottom of the pan, to flavor the chicken and help soften it even more. Quick and easy right?
How Long To Cook A Slow-Cooked Chicken
This Chicken gets cooked for double the time you would normally cook a chicken. And you get double the flavor as well! A 2kg (4 lb + 6.5 oz) chicken like the one used in this recipe, would bake in an hour and few minutes uncovered. This slow-cooked chicken though requires about 2 hours of cooking covered, and another 30 minutes of baking uncovered in order to get a nice roasted color on top as well.
Want to skip some carbs? Substitute the potatoes with vegetables like parsnips, celery root, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, even zucchini.
Salads And Dips To Serve With This Chicken Recipe:
- Simple Beetroot Salad With Garlic And Herbs
- Greek Cabbage Salad (Vinegar Coleslaw
- Cucumber Salad With Yogurt And Mint
- Whipped Feta Dip
Slow-Cooked Stuffed Chicken With Lemon Leek Rice
Ingredients
- 1 2 Kg /4 lb + 6.5 oz whole chicken
- 850 grams (about 8-10) small potatoes peeled
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 40 ml olive oil
- white wine
- kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
For The Rice Filling:
- olive oil
- 120 grams / 4.2 oz leek chopped into thin slices
- 2 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
- 180 grams / 6.3 oz long-grain rice
- 1 lemon juiced
- ½ lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Peel and cut the potatoes in half. If they're too small leave as is. Place the potatoes in a dutch oven or baking pan.
- Rinse the chicken very well all the way through its belly. Place in the pan with the potatoes.
- Add a splash of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and heat over high heat.
- Add the leek and garlic and cook until slightly softened. No need to get any color at this point.
- Add the rice and lemon juice and give it a good stir.
- Season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium. Pour 1 cup of water and wait until the rice absorbs it all. Then remove from heat, and stir in the parsley and lemon zest.
- With a spoon add the rice filling inside the chicken.
- Using some natural or cotton twine, tie the legs together to help keep the filling in place.
- Pour enough water into the pan, in order to cover its bottom by 2cm (1 inch). Then drizzle the olive oil all over the chicken and the potatoes. Add a generous splash of white wine as well.
- Add the bay leaves, and the garlic cloves cut in half. Sprinkle the dried oregano all over on top.
- Season the chicken and the potatoes with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Put the lid on, or cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil on top if using a pan, and bake for about 2 hours at 200°C / 392°F. Then uncover and cook for another 20-30 minutes until both the chicken and the potatoes get a nice roasted color on top.
- Remove the twine with a pair of scissors. Cut and serve the chicken with the potatoes and leek rice.
Nutrition
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