Name: Spice-crusted chicken with dirty rice
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 4 - 6
Ingredients: 4 carrots, thickly sliced; 2 leeks (white part only), thickly sliced; 1 chicken (1.5kg); 2 tbsp olive oil; ½ tsp each sweet paprika, ground coriander and ground cumin; ¼ tsp ground white pepper; 1 bunch thyme; 1 lemon, quartered; 6 garlic cloves, bruised; To serve: Tabasco and mayonnaise; Dirty rice; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 celery stalks, finely diced; 1 onion, finely diced; 1 green capsicum, finely diced; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 4 bacon rashers, diced; 150 gm pork and fennel sausage meat (about 1 large sausage), removed from skin and coarsely crumbled; 400 gm long-grain rice (2 cups); 300 gm chicken livers, trimmed and diced; 700 ml chicken stock

Spice-crusted chicken with dirty rice

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for spice-crusted chicken with dirty rice.

Serves 4 - 6

Prep

45M

Cook

1H 30M

Total

2H 15M

Dirty rice is a classic Cajun dish made in a similar style to a pilaf. It’s the livers in the rice that lend it a “dirty” appearance: rustic and delicious.

Ingredients

4 carrots, thickly sliced

2 leeks (white part only), thickly sliced

1 chicken (1.5kg)

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp each sweet paprika, ground coriander and ground cumin

¼ tsp ground white pepper

1 bunch thyme

1 lemon, quartered

6 garlic cloves, bruised

To serve: Tabasco and mayonnaise

Dirty rice

2 tbsp olive oil

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1 onion, finely diced

1 green capsicum, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

4 bacon rashers, diced

150 gm pork and fennel sausage meat (about 1 large sausage), removed from skin and coarsely crumbled

400 gm long-grain rice (2 cups)

300 gm chicken livers, trimmed and diced

700 ml chicken stock

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 180C. Scatter carrot and leek in a roasting pan, place chicken on top, brush with oil, then season with spices and sea salt. Tear thyme and place in the cavity with lemon and garlic, secure cavity with a skewer, tuck in wings and roast until chicken is cooked through (1¼-1½ hours). Set aside to rest (10-15 minutes).

2.Meanwhile, for dirty rice, heat oil in a saucepan over high heat, add celery, onion, capsicum and garlic and stir occasionally over medium-high heat until golden (8-10 minutes). Add bacon and sausage meat and stir to combine and break up sausage (2-4 minutes). Add rice and liver, stir to combine, then season to taste. Add stock, bring to the simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender (13-15 minutes). Remove lid and remove pan from heat, then cover with a tea towel and set aside to rest (5-10 minutes).

3.Carve chicken, then serve with pan vegetables, dirty rice, Tabasco and mayonnaise.

Note Allow plenty of time to rest meat so the proteins relax and the juices settle. It really makes the difference for a juicy, tender result. Cover the meat loosely with foil (unless it has crackling, which would lose its crunch) and rest it in a warm place. Large cuts of beef, veal and pork need around 30 minutes, chicken 15 minutes and fish 5-10 minutes.
Drink Suggestion: Super-hoppy American IPA Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes