Monday, January 10, 2011

Chicken Baked on A Bed of Bread & Swiss Chard; and Contest Winner

I tried a new recipe last week that I want to share with you. Chicken Baked on Bread & Swiss Chard; adapted from the December issue of Food and Wine.

I’m always looking for new, easy and healthy ways to cook chicken and this seemed to fit the bill perfectly. I did make a few changes…I used baby spinach instead of swiss chard. I omitted the capers and the raisins; one because I didn’t have them and the other because my husband doesn’t like them. And I added some chopped green olives, which I thought went very well.




Chicken Baked On A Bed of Bread & Swiss Chard

Ingredients

1. 1/2 pound day-old peasant bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 loaf)
2. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3. 1/4 cup salted capers, rinsed well (I substituted chopped green olives)
4. 1/4 cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped (I omitted these)
5. 1 large bunch of Swiss chard (about 1 1/2 pound) torn into pieces ( I substituted fresh baby spinach)
6. 3 shallots, thinly sliced
7. 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
8. 1/2 teaspoon minced thyme
9. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10. One 3 1/2-pound chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces, or 8 skinless bone-in chicken thighs and/or drumsticks

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, capers, raisins, Swiss chard, shallots, garlic and thyme. Season with salt and black pepper. Spread the bread in a large enameled cast-iron casserole.

2. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and arrange them over the bread. Cover the chicken with a piece of parchment paper and close the casserole with a heavy lid. Bake the chicken for 35 minutes.

3. Remove the lid and parchment paper and increase the oven temperature to 400°. Bake the chicken for 10 to 12 minutes longer, or until golden on top and cooked through. Remove the casserole from the oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the chicken with the bread and greens.


Cookbook Giveaway Winner:

The winner of the Cooking Light Way To Cook Vegetarian Cookbook is Monet from Ancedotes & Apple Cores.    Congratulations to Monet and thanks to all of you who participated.

11 comments:

  1. Sounds good. I will probably leave in the capers and raisins because I like them.

    Kristi

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  2. I love capers and raisins. And bread. And everything having to do with this dish. I think I need to give it a go!

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  3. This baked chicken looks and sounds wonderful! I love every single ingredient.

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  4. Oh I would use the raisins. This looks like something I would try and love :-)

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  5. I'm so happy to have won that cookbook! Did you get my email with my address? I love new chicken recipes, and I'm excited that this uses day old bread (we have a lot of that around here!) I hope you are having a happy day. Stay warm and keep on enjoying all that is beautiful and tasty!

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  6. This looks GOOD and so easy to make.

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  7. Such an interesting recipe - sounds delicious!

    http://happensafterfive.wordpress.com

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  8. How delicious! I like the idea of cooking it on the bread.

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  9. This sounds great and I like your spinach substitute. I grew chard this year and didn't use nearly enough of it. I really like it, but it is really under used around here despite it being available at our farmer's markets.

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  10. I love chard, this looks like a great way to use it.

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