Georgian Stuffed Chicken
Updated May 7, 2024
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 25-pound chickens
- 6tablespoons butter
- 2onions, peeled and finely chopped
- 2cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1cup basmati rice
- ½cup dried sour cherries, roughly chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼cup chopped parsley
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
1014 calories; 67 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 74 grams protein; 1503 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Remove any fat from cavities of chickens, and place fat in a wide saucepan. Add 4 tablespoons of the butter and place over medium heat. When butter melts, add onions and garlic. Sauté until onion softens and begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Discard any remaining hard bits of chicken fat. Add rice and chopped cherries to pan. Stir well, and add 2 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to as low as possible. Cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Step 3
Season rice mixture with salt and pepper to taste and stir in parsley. Spoon rice into cavities of both chickens. Use kitchen twine to tie legs together tightly so stuffing is secure.
- Step 4
Place chickens in a roasting pan and rub with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Place in oven and roast until skin is crisp and golden and juices run clear when pierced near the thigh with a knife, 1½ to 2 hours. Allow chicken to rest before carving. Serve each portion of chicken with some stuffing.
Private Notes
Comments
This stuffing recipe is very similar to one my mama sometimes used but she added an egg to the rice toward the very end of cooking time, stirring. She also used home made chicken stock in place of water. I did this a few times and actually placed one big bird in a stoneware pot brought from Italy and cooked it over coals in my fireplace adding additional EVOO. Luscious, crisp, browned skin and succulent meat.
Can use dried cranberries in place of dried cherries. Don't think Sr. Cream would go but a dash of Balsamico may just be a nice touch.
Recipe for French bread: flour, water, yeast and salt. Simple but it transcends to greatness with technique. This recipe is deceptively simple. With 2 chickens you are going to have chicken fat. Trim fat and gently render it before the sauté: it will make all the difference. Find a nice Jewish grandmother and ask about schmaltz. Chicken fat, butter & onion sauté creates a rich base for your rice. Use stock instead of water. Rice has no flavor? Don't blame the recipe.
Cook rice all the way. It takes 30 min, not 15.
So the chicken—if not the entire recipe—is excellent. A 3ish pound bird. Cooked at 425 for 75 mins. It was done by then. But the rice—though I trussed with a seriousness—and cooked with adequate or advised amount of water on the stovetop (plus onions and garlic and cherries too) was dry as a bone. It was brown basmati. Maybe that was the problem? Or was the rice to have been already cooked (which goddamit I had in the fridge) but feared would turn to mush inside the chicken. Thoughts/feelings?
Brown basmati or whole-grain basmati can really take a bit longer, I would try again with a little more cooking time. Or maybe pre-frying the rice risotto-style? But that is just an idea, I have never tried it myself.
It’s in the oven now. I had some duck fat too as I had a slim chicken so combined the two. Then butter. Hope it works. It smells great. As I am making only one chicken I am assuming that it will need less oven time.
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