Spiced Matzo-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Amarante

Tue, Mar 21 2017, 7:17 am

See notes which helped me - can be mostly made ahead of time

Spiced Matzo-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups packaged matzo farfel (small pieces of matzo)
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon hot paprika or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 boneless chicken breast halves with skin (about 3 pounds)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon potato starch

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Cook onion and bell pepper in 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.

While onion mixture cooks, rinse matzo farfel in a colander under warm running water until softened, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain, pressing gently to extract excess water.
Remove onion mixture from heat and stir in farfel, pistachios, raisins, parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Whisk together eggs and 3/4 cup broth, then stir into farfel mixture.

Set aside 1 1/2 cups stuffing and transfer remainder to a generously oiled 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish.

Bake stuffing in dish in lower third of oven until set and golden, about 30 minutes.
While stuffing bakes, stir together spices with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Insert a paring knife horizontally into middle of thicker end of each chicken breast half, stopping about 1 inch from opposite end, then open incision with your finger to create a 1-inch-wide pocket. Pack 3 tablespoons stuffing into each pocket. Pat chicken dry and add to spices, tossing to coat.

Straddle a large flameproof roasting pan across 2 burners, then add remaining 3 tablespoons oil and heat over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sear chicken, skin side down, until skin is deep golden, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over, then roast in upper third of oven until just cooked through, 16 to 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a platter and straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Stir in 3/4 cup broth. Whisk together remaining 1/4 cup broth and potato starch and whisk into sauce, then cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup. Let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and discard fat (or use a fat separator). Season sauce with salt.

Notes:

This was a spectacular main course for my Passover seder. A much enjoyed change for my family and guests...all with sophisticated palates. But, it's a fair amount of work. To make life easier on the night of the seder, I made the dish the night before. Following the advice of a previous reviewer, I cut the pockets in the chicken breasts and then seared the chicken breasts in a saute pan before I stuffed them. After they were stuffed, I put them in the roasting pan. I cooked both the stuffing and the chicken the night before, just under the full required time. I refrigerated them overnight and brought them to room temperature before the seder. While we were eating the first courses of the dinner, I cooked the chicken and stuffing again for about 10-15 minutes. The only thing left to do at the last minute was the sauce, which was pretty easy. It was delicious, and my guests raved about it. A few things I learned: the stuffing will need additional chicken broth, so make sure to have extra on hand; the spices called for in the recipe are not quite enough to cover the chicken, so make extra; and the extra day helps bring out the flavors better. For my main course, I served only the chicken, the stuffing, and some roasted asparagus. No need for any other carbs, and the asparagus works well with this recipe.