Roasted Chickens with Lebanese Rice and Pomegranate Jus

If you want to cook your chicken and have something new and different to go along with it, try out this recipe! For a wine pairing, we recommend Mastroberardino Radici Fiano di Avellino or Argiolas Selegas.

Ingredients:

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2, 3.5 lb KOL Food pastured whole broilers
  • 1 1/2 t ground alspice
  • Kosher slat and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 c medium-grain rice, such as arborio
  • 4 T coconut oil or margarine
  • 1/2 c pine nuts
  • 1/2 c slivered almonds
  • 1/2 lb KOL Foods grass-fed ground lamb or beef
  • 1/2 t ground cinnamon
  • 3 c KOL Foods chicken or poultry broth
  • 1/2 T pomegranate molasses

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove neck, rinse chickens under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly oil a large roasting pan and set chickens inside. Also place necks in pan along side the chickens. Rub the outside of each chicken with 1/2 t allspice and season the cavities with salt and pepper.

2. Roast the chickens for 30 minutes. Add 1 c water to the pan and roast for an additional 40 minutes or until instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees (take reading in the thigh without touching bone). Transfer chickens to a large platter and cover loosely with foil.

3. Meanwhile, rinse rice in sieve until water runs clear. Drain well.

4. Melt coconut oil in a medium saucepan. Add the pine nuts and almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the nuts to a plate.

5. Add ground meat to the saucepan and cook, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains. Stir in the rice, cinnamon, 1 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t pepper, 3/4 of the toasted nuts and the remaining 1/2 t allspice. Add 2 1/2 c broth and bring to a boil.

6. Cover the rice and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir, continue cooking until the broth has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Remover rice from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle top with remaining nuts.

7. Meanwhile, pout the roasting pan juices into a small saucepan and skim off the fat. Set roasting pan over 2 burners and heat until sizzling. De-glaze pan with remaining 1/2 c broth and over over moderately high heat, scraping up as much brown bits as possible with a wooden spoon. Strain into the the juices in the small saucepan and whisk in the pomegranate molasses. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a warmed gravy boat.

8. Serve carved chicken over rice and topped with pomegranate jus.

Serves 6