Chicken w/Wild Rice
This recipe will stuff 15 chicken breasts, with a bit extra rice for a side dish (for the vegetarians). The Wild Rice Stuffing makes a great side dish later in the week too, so I like making extra. Basically, use any amount of chicken breasts, according to how many you’ll be feeding. This recipe serves 15 or so.
Prepare Wild Rice Stuffing ahead of time, even a day earlier.
In pot with a lid, bring to boil: > 3 1/2 c. water
Add the following the pot, to precook the wild rice: > 1 c. wild rice > 3-4 bay leaf > 1 carrot, peeled, left whole to cook until tender
Let simmer 1-2 hrs. After pre-cooking, remove carrot, let cool, then dice. Set aside.
Add to wild rice in pot, bringing to boil: > 3 c. water
Add rice and, then simmer with a lid on for 15 min. more: > 2 c. white rice (if brown rice, cook 40 min. Add a bit more water if necessary)
Grill in pan until tender: > 1 small onion, diced > 2 stalks celery, chopped > the pre-cooked, diced carrot > hearty splash of olive oil
To the pot of cooked rice, add: > The grilled celery, onion, carrot > 2 1/2 tsp. Vege-sal (found at Health Food Stores) > 1 1/2 c. walnuts > 1/3 c. frozen orange concentrate > 1/2 tsp. thyme
On two cookie sheets (with sides, to hold extra juices), or big pyrex pans, use: > 15 or so chicken breasts with bone in, skin on
Lift skin from the chicken and stuff with: > The cooked Wild Rice mixture
Bake at 375° for 50 min. or so, until chicken is golden and cooked through. Meanwhile, make Black Cherry Sauce.
Black Cherry Sauce
Make a half recipe of this if you’re only serving 8 or so.
Drain two 8 oz. cans of pitted black cherries, set cherries aside, use juice in sauce. Mix together in sauce pan: > Juice of two 8 oz. cans black cherries, plus enough stock or more black cherry juice to make 3 c. liquid > 1/3 c. brown sugar > 2 TBS. cornstarch
Turn pan on high, stirring until it comes to a boil. Lower heat, let sauce cook 1 min. more, then add reserved cherries. Serve over the chicken.
P.S. Order Jennifer Cote’s cookbook, From the Land of Milk and Honey, online at Winepress Books. (Or at Amazon.com)
