Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Crawfish Country Rice and Creamy Pan Gravy
Simple, economic, and delicious, this is a perfect dish for Sunday dinner. Once you put it in the oven it will tend itself. If you have a crowd, just double or even triple the recipe. The rice could be served on its own as a side dish; cook 2 to 3 minutes after adding the crawfish or shrimp, until the seafood is opaque.
Ingredients
- Crawfish Country Rice
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Onion - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
- Bell Pepper - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
- Celery - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
- Bay Leaf - 1
- Seafood seasoning - 1 tablespoon (recipe below)
- Short-Grain Rice - 1 cup
- Chicken Stock - 2-1/4 cups
- Crawfish Tails - 1 cup (alt. small shrimp), shelled and deveined
- Green Onions - 1/2 cup sliced (green part only)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Chicken leg and thigh quarters - 4 boned
- Dry White Wine - 3/4 cup
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1 cup
- Seafood Seasoning
- Paprika - 6 teaspoons
- Garlic powder - 4 teaspoons
- Freshly ground black pepper - 4 teaspoons
- Onion Powder - 2-1/2 teaspoons
- Thyme - 1-1/2 teaspoons, dried
- Oregano - 1-1/4 teaspoons, dried
- Basil - 1-1/4 teaspoons, dried
- Cayenne Pepper - 1 teaspoon
- Salt - To taste
Instructions
To make the country rice: In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter and saute the vegetables until tender. Add the bay leaf and seafood seasoning, then add the rice and saute for about 1 minute, or until coated and opaque. Add the stock slowly, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Add the crawfish or shrimp and green onions, and season to taste with salt.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. When the rice is completely cooled, stuff the chicken quarters with the rice, overlapping the skin at the end to hold the rice inside. Season the outside of the chicken and place it in a buttered ovenproof skillet or roasting pan. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until browned and the juices run clear. Remove from heat.
Pour off the fat from the pan, pour in the wine, and stir over medium heat to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and cook to reduce until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
To serve: Pool sauce on the warmed plates and place a chicken quarter on each.
Seafood Seasoning
(Makes 1/2 cup)
Combine all ingredients and store in a sealed container.
