Cooking: Chicken Monterey with Parsleyed Rice

Chicken Monterey (Silver Palate)
This is a great recipe-

" Officially this is a fricassee- that is, the chicken is first partially cooked in butter or oil and then finished in a liquid, in this case a mixture of orange juice, tomatoes, and chicken stock. There is a bit of garlic, a touch of rosemary, and a colorful garnish of sauteed vegetables. The whole dish is bright and fresh,....."

1¼ hours | 10 min prep

SERVES 4

* 5 tablespoons best quality olive oil (I usually use half the oil called for with fine results)
* 1 (2.5-3 lb) whole chickens, quartered (I often use 4 half breasts)
* salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
* 2 carrots, peeled and chopped, about 1 cup
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
* 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
* 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
* 1 sweet red pepper, cut into julienne
* 1/2 large zucchini, sliced diagonally
* 1/2 large yellow squash, sliced diagonally
* 1/3 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (garnish)
* 1 orange, zest of, grated

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Pat chicken pieces dry, season with salt and pepper, and cook gently for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken, season again, and cook for another 5 minutes. Do not attempt to brown chicken as it will continue to cook in the sauce and you don't want it to overcook (chicken should be dark golden in color) Remove chicken from skillet and reserve.
2. Add the onions, carrots and garlic to the oil remaining in the skillet and cook, covered, over medium low heat until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. (I usually only spend 10-15 on this step).
3. Uncover skillet and add the stock, orange juice, tomatoes and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and simmer the mixture, uncovered for 10-15 minutes.
4. Return chicken pieces to the pan and simmer further, 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is nearly done and the sauce reduced. Baste the pieces with the sauce and turn them once at the 15 minute mark.
5. Heat remaining 2 T of olive oil in another skillet and saute the peppers for 5 minutes. Add the sliced squash and season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat and toss the vegetables in the oil until they are tender but firm.
6. Transfer vegetables to the skillet with the chicken and simmer together for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and orange zest and serve.



The Parsleyed Rice:

4 cups water or chicken stock
2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
1 T salt
8 T or 1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Bring the water or stock to a boil in a heavy pan. Stir in the rice and salt, return to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover tightly. Let rice cook undisturbed, for 25 minutes.

2. Uncover the pan, add the butter and parsley (do not stir) and cover. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand 5 minutes

3. Uncover the pan, toss the rice with a fork to mix in the butter and the parsley, and serve immediately.

6 cups cooked rice, 6 to 8 portions

We simplified this recipe by first cooking the rice in a rice cooker in chicken stock.