Chicken And Vegetables In Saffron Broth Recipes

STIR-FRY CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Mix chicken, soy sauce, sherry, and cornstarch in a bowl.
• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat; cook and stir broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables and sauce to a large bowl and wipe skillet clean.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat; cook and stir chicken until meat is no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes. Stir in vegetables; continue to cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes more. Sprinkle with green onions.

SAFFRON CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Place chicken, leek, celery, carrot thirds (not sliced carrots), parsley sprigs, bay leaf, saffron, peppercorns, and 1 tablespoon salt in a large pot. Add enough water to cover completely (about 14 cups). Bring to a boil, then skim foam from surface; reduce heat to low and gently simmer until chicken is cooked through, 25 minutes.
• Remove chicken; continue simmering broth while you discard skin and remove meat from bones. Cover meat and refrigerate; return bones to pot and simmer 2 1/2 to 3 hours more.
• Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot; discard solids, including bones. (You should have about 7 cups broth.) Skim fat. Add sliced carrots and celery to pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook egg noodles in a pot of salted boiling water according to package directions; drain. Shred or cut some of reserved chicken to yield 3 cups of bite-size pieces (save extra for salads or sandwiches) and add to broth with noodles; season to taste. Simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes; serve with parsley leaves.

PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onion, oil, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Transfer to a 15x10x1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray., In a small bowl, mix paprika and the remaining salt, rosemary and pepper. Sprinkle chicken with paprika mixture; arrange over vegetables. Roast until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170°-175° and vegetables are just tender, 35-40 minutes., Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Top vegetables with spinach. Roast until vegetables are tender and spinach is wilted, 8-10 minutes longer. Stir vegetables to combine; serve with chicken.

SAFFRON CHICKEN BROTH WITH SPINACH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• For saffron chicken broth:
• Bring all ingredients to boil in very large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Strain broth into another pot. Spoon 1/4 cup fat from top of broth and place in medium bowl; add 1/4 cup broth. Cool fat mixture and reserve for matzo balls. Remove enough meat from chicken wings to measure 1 generous cup. Finely mince chicken; reserve for matzo balls. Chill remaining broth until ready to use. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)
• For matzo balls:
• Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper into chicken fat mixture. Mix in matzo meal, then spinach and reserved minced chicken. Cover and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Bring large pot of generously salted water to boil. Using wet hands and about 2 tablespoons for each, shape matzo mixture into 16 balls; drop into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls to 13x9x2-inch dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead; chill.)
• Skim any fat from top of broth; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked matzo balls; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Ladle broth and 2 matzo balls into each of 8 bowls and serve.

POACHED CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES IN BROTH

Steps:

• Pour the water into the pot, set it over low heat to get started, and add the seasonings-salt, peppercorns, porcini, bay leaves, and cheese rind. Cut up all vegetables as follows, and drop them into the pot:
• Cut the leeks crosswise into 4-inch lengths, but don't slice them open.
• Cut the carrots and parsnips crosswise into 3-inch lengths; slice thick sections lengthwise in half or quarters, so all pieces are about 1 inch thick (throw the skinny pointed ends of the parsnips into the broth too).
• With a vegetable peeler, shave off the outer layer of the celery stalks, then cut crosswise into 3-inch lengths.
• Slice the celery root into 2-inch, roughly square chunks.
• Trim off the tough root end of the fennel bulb, but leave the core intact so the leaves are held together; slice the bulb into six or eight wedges, through the core.
• Trim the onions but leave the root ends intact, so the layers are held together.
• When all the vegetables are in the pot, put on the cover and turn the heat to high. Bring the water to a rolling boil, set the cover ajar (I prop it up on a big wooden spoon), and lower the heat to maintain a moderate bubbling. Cook the broth and vegetables for about 30 minutes, while you prepare the chicken.
• Remove the giblets and neck from the chicken, rinse well, and drop them all (including the liver) into the broth. Rinse the chicken under cold running water. Set it on a cutting board; chop off the tail piece and add it to the pot. Pull off all clumps of fat and discard. Twist and fold the wingtips against the neck, so they stay in place under the breast.
• Put the seasonings into the body cavity: the salt, the peppercorns, the smashed garlic cloves, and the bay leaves. Rinse the lemon, cut it in half crosswise, squeeze the juice from both pieces into the cavity, then push in the squashed lemon halves too. Press the bird's legs together, close to the body, so the cavity is covered and the chicken is compact and evenly shaped.
• Spread out the cheesecloth square and place the chicken in the center. Lift two diagonally opposite corners, draw the cloth up and around the bird, and tie the corners in a simple overhand knot. Tighten the knot so it rests on the chicken breast and the cloth is snug against the bird. Now lift the other corners of the cheesecloth and bring them together, tie in another knot, and tighten it to wrap the chicken up completely. Tie the loose ends in square knots that won't unravel.
• Finally, cut a length of twine about a yard long (I double it for strength) and tie one end of the twine under the bulging cheesecloth topknots, in a secure knot. You should now be able to lift the cloth-wrapped chicken with the string-test it now, over the worktable, because you'll need to lift the cooked chicken out of the boiling broth the same way.
• When the broth and vegetables have been cooking for 1/2 hour, uncover, and lower the chicken into the broth with your strong string. Make sure the chicken is submerged, then loop the string around a handle of the stockpot, or any anchor point. Bring the broth back to a good boil, then adjust the heat to keep a steady but gentle bubbling on the surface.
• Cook the chicken, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes (less for a smaller chicken, more for a larger one or if you are using a capon). Set a big bowl close to the chicken pot. Turn off the heat, grasp your twine, lift the chicken bundle straight up above the stock, and lower it into the bowl.
• Let the chicken rest in the cheesecloth while you check the vegetables-they should be soft but not falling apart. Cook longer or lift them out of the broth with a spider or other big strainer, into a big bowl. Ladle a bit of hot broth onto the vegetables, and cover with foil or a pot lid to keep them warm.
• To free the chicken, lift it from the bowl onto a tray, a board, or a big piece of foil, which will catch the juices. Cut the twine, untie the cheesecloth knots-try to keep the cloth whole-and unwrap the bird. Spoon out the lemon, bay leaves, and other seasonings from the cavity and discard. To keep the chicken warm, put it back in the bowl, doused with fresh hot broth and covered.
• To strain the broth, drape the moist cheesecloth inside a colander or large strainer and set it over a big pot or bowl (you'll still have several quarts of stock). Pour the broth through the cheesecloth. Taste it for flavor; use (and store) as is, or bring it to a boil and reduce it if you want to concentrate it.
• To make a two-course meal, cook some thin pasta such as capellini or stelline (little stars) or rice in the broth and serve with some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for the first course. Then serve the chicken, whole or cut up, on a warm serving platter, surrounded with the vegetables. (If they have cooled off, warm them up in broth.) Pass around salsa verde and/or pepper sauce at the table.
• For my family, I like to carve the whole hot chicken at the table and assemble plates, arranging a few pieces of every vegetable around the chicken and spooning 2 tablespoons or more of salsa verde all across the top of the chicken and vegetables, with more salsa verde on the side.
• For the dressing, put 1/2 cup water, 3 tablespoons white vinegar, and 1 teaspoon honey into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Drop 3 tablespoons of golden raisins into the pan, and poach them gently for 4 minutes; then lift them out with a slotted spoon. Return the liquid to a boil, and cook rapidly until it is reduced to 3 tablespoons. Pour the dressing out of the pan to cool.
• Toast 3 tablespoons pine nuts in a dry pan until golden.
• Shred chicken meat to make 3 cups or so. Put the chicken in a pan with a few spoonfuls of broth (or water), and toss the shreds over low heat just to warm up and refresh. Put the shreds in a mixing bowl, and toss with the warm vinegar-honey dressing, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt-or more to taste. Scatter the plumped raisins and toasted pine nuts over the chicken, and toss together.
• Arrange the salad on a bed of greens, on a large platter or individual salad plates, and serve while the chicken is still slightly warm.
• This recipe gives you the bonus of several quarts of tasty broth. Whether you serve the broth as a soup right away, or save most of it for future meals, garnish it with any of the choices suggested for Turkey Broth (page 80): passatelli, tagliolini, quickly cooked tender spinach leaves, Cheesy Crostini (page 60), or just a heap of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano.

POACHED CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES, CORIANDER AND SAFFRON COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Prepare the chicken:
• In a shallow dish sprinkle the chicken with the cumin, the ginger, the salt, and the garlic, drizzle it with the oil, and rub it all over to coat it well. Chill the chicken, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• In a heavy saucepan cook the onion and the garlic in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until they are softened, stir in the ginger and the saffron, and cook the mixture for 30 seconds. Add the broth and 2 tablespoons each of the coriander and the parsley, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and the carrot and poach the chicken, covered, for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken, add the zucchini, and cook the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken with tongs to a cutting board and let it stand for 5 minutes. While the chicken is standing, add the olives and the remaining 1 tablespoon each of the coriander and the parsley to the pan, bring the liquid to a boil, and boil the mixture for 2 minutes.
• Prepare the couscous:
• Put the saffron in a small dish, set the dish on a rack set over a saucepan of the broth and 3/4 cup water, and bring the liquid to a boil. Heat the saffron for 1 minute, crumble it into the broth, and add the oil. Stir in the couscous, remove the pan from the heat, and let the couscous stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork before serving.
• Slice the chicken, divide it between 2 plates with the couscous, and spoon the vegetable mixture over it.

BRAISED LEMON-SAFFRON CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mortar and pestle (or the bottom of a spoon and a bowl), grind the saffron threads into a powder as best you can. Add the 2 tablespoons hot water and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Place the chicken in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan or baking dish. Cut large potatoes into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan. Drizzle the chicken and potatoes with the oil, then season well with salt and pepper.
• Add the lemon juice to the saffron water, mix to combine, then pour over the chicken and potatoes, stirring to coat. Arrange the chicken skin-side down. Sprinkle evenly with the whole black peppercorns, if using, then cover tightly with foil. (It's OK if everything is close together.)
• Cook until the meat is tender and easily pulled from the bone, and the potatoes are soft, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last 15 minutes, remove the foil, flip the chicken, stir the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes more, uncovered, to reduce some of the liquid.
• Season with black pepper and serve with rice or pita to soak up the lemony juices.

BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Arrange chicken breasts on a baking sheet; spread carrots, bell peppers, celery, green onion, and parsley around chicken. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and vegetables; season with salt, Italian seasoning, chili powder, lemon pepper, and black pepper.
• Bake chicken breasts in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).