Chef Vivian Howard Recipes

CHICKEN AND RICE

Steps:

• Remove gizzards and liver from chicken and discard; keep the neck (optional). Place chicken-and neck, if using-into a large Dutch oven or pot, breast side up. Add enough cool water to just barely cover the chicken. Over high heat, bring to a boil. While heating, season with ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and add bay leaves and onion if using. When boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook, about 1 hour.
• After an hour, chicken should be fully cooked and falling off the bone. Turn off heat, remove lid, and let rest in the broth, 30 minutes.
• Remove chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, season the broth with remaining black pepper and salt. Bring back to a boil and stir in rice; lower heat and simmer uncovered, 1 minute. Stir and cook another 8-20 minutes, depending on the cooking directions of the type of rice you're using.
• Meanwhile, pull the chicken into sizable chunks, discarding the bones, skin, and fat; pour any juices that run off back into the chicken meat. When the rice is cooked, add chicken back to the pot. Stir, cover, and simmer, 10 more minutes.
• After 10 minutes, the rice will have absorbed most of the broth, yielding a soupy consistency. (At this point, add more broth if desired.) Season with more black pepper and salt to taste. Stir in the lemon juice. Sprinkle with more black pepper and serve immediately.

SWEET AND SPICY PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat to 350 degrees F. Whisk egg whites until they are doubled in volume and stick to the whisk (just before "soft peak" stage). Gradually whisk in sugar and salt. Add spices: paprika, chipotle, cumin, paprika and coriander. Whisk to combine. Add pecans, then use a rubber spatula to toss, coating the nuts evenly.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread nuts in a single layer. Bake on the middle rack for 10 minutes.
• Remove baking sheet. Use a spatula to flip pecans, breaking up any clumps, working quickly so they don't lose their heat. Bake an additional 10-20 minutes. (Total baking time will vary depending on size and moisture content of nuts.) When pecans are ready, they will be dark brown; when tapped with a spoon, they should sound dry and flat. Remove from oven and cool before serving. Pecans will keep for 2 weeks at room temperature stored in an airtight container.

BLUEBERRY BBQ CHICKEN

Steps:

• Sauce: In a food processor, add blueberries, vinegar, and sugar. Pulse to break up the berries into a chunky pulp. Place mixture into a saucepan; add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, covered, 10-15 minutes.
• Remove from heat; remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Carefully transfer the sauce to a blender. Make sure the lid is entirely sealed to prevent sauce from spattering while you blend. Blend the sauce to a smooth consistency, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high. When sauce is smooth, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.
• Transfer sauce back to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, uncovered, and reduce by ¼, about 5 minutes. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon, and the viscosity should be more like maple syrup than honey. Pour into a container and cool to room temperature. Makes about 2 cups. (Sauce will keep for up to 6 months refrigerated in a lidded container.)
• Prep chicken: Lay spatchcocked chicken breast side up on a wire rack fitted over a rimmed baking sheet. Season liberally on both sides with salt and pepper (about 15 turns of a pepper mill per side). Let rest at room temperature while preheating the grill, 30 minutes.
• Grill chicken: Preheat a charcoal grill to medium-high heat, about 375 F. The coals should be ashed over in some places, with red embers burning within. Move the coals to one side of the grill to create areas of both direct and indirect heat. Place the chicken skin side up on the side of the grill over the coals (direct heat). Cover and cook, 15 minutes.
• Divide the Blue Q Sauce: half should be used for basting, while the other half should be reserved for the final baste and for serving. (If the cooled sauce has thickened too much, simply reheat in a saucepan over low heat, or briefly microwave to return to its original syrupy consistency before using.) Remove the lid. Use tongs to flip the chicken over, skin side down, onto the indirect heat side of the grill. Baste the underside of the bird with Blue Q Sauce, then gently re-position back over direct heat, still skin side down. Cover and cook, 5 minutes. Repeat this process-flipping, basting, and grilling for 5 minutes at a time, covered-2-3 more times, until chicken is fully cooked. (The leg, when tugged, should become loosened from the breast. Alternatively, a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone, should register 165 F.) Discard remaining basting sauce.
• Remove chicken from the grill and place on a cutting board, skin side up. Use reserved Blue Q Sauce to baste one last time and let rest, 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into 6 or 8 pieces and drizzle once more with sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature with additional sauce on the side.