Chicken and Lemons

I had to take a little time off from my Christmas preparations this week when my husband got the flu. I hear it is a bad year for the flu and it has come early. Take it from me my husband has been sick for a week and still coughs and cannot talk. On the up side, he has lost 10 pounds. He really was not hungry but seemed to want some soup.

Instead of working on Christmas food I went in search of food for the sick and thought of chicken and rice soup. Believe it or not Martha Stewart had a whole article in her January 2013 issue of’ Martha Stewart Living’ on chicken with rice and the use of lemons. I have lots of home grown lemons to use so this was for me. Our home grown lemons are so much more juicy than those in the store. Think about it for next year.  We grow them in large pots and only bring them in the garage if the temperature is to be down in the 20’s.  They are not quite as hardy as satsumas and kumquats.

I went to the local store and got a big fat chicken and cut out the back. This technique is called spatchcocking when you split and flatten out the chicken and expose more of the chicken skin and this really crisps up at high temperatures. I did this and it was really wonderful how well the chicken cooked. You slip the lemons under the skin and the meat is permeated with a citrusy brightness. I had enough bird to eat by itself and enough for the soup. This would not be only for the sick person but a great fresh food for trimming of the tree or when friends come by to visit.

Roast-Spatchcocked Lemon Chicken

Serves 4

1 whole 4-pound chicken

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 lemons, thinly sliced, divided

6 small shallots (6 ounces), peeled and quartered lengthwise

Preheat oven to 425⁰F. Place chicken, breast side down, on a work surface. Starting at thigh end, cut along 1 side of backbone with kitchen shears. Turn chicken around; cut along other side. Discard backbone or save for stock. Flip chicken, and open it like a book. Press firmly on breastbone to flatten.

Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with 1 tablespoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Brush 1 tablespoon oil in the center of a rimmed baking sheet slightly larger than the size of the chicken, and place half the lemon slices in a single layer on top of oil. Place chicken, skin side up, on lemons. Beginning at the neck end of breast, carefully loosen skin from flesh of breast and thighs with your fingers. Slide remaining lemons under skin in a single layer.

Roast chicken 20 minutes. Toss shallots with remaining teaspoon oil, and scatter around chicken. Continue to roast chicken until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast reaches 165⁰, 25-30 minutes more.

Transfer chicken to a carving board, and let rest 10 minutes. Cut chicken into 8 pieces, and serve with roasted lemons, shallots, and pan juices. If using chicken for soup, let chicken cool completely. Remove and discard skin, lemon under skin, and bones, and shred meat into bite-size pieces. Chicken, roasted lemons, shallots, and pan juices can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Store meat and pan juices in separate containers; lemons and shallots can be stored together.

Roast Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup

Serves 4-6

For a thicker soup add two egg yolks and the juice of one lemon into the soup just before serving.

1 cup long-grain white rice

1 2/3 cup water

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups shredded chicken form the chicken recipe above

Roast lemons, shallots, and pan juices from above chicken recipe

Coarsely chopped fresh dill, for garnish

Bring rice, water, lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir once, reduce heat to low, and cover.

Simmer until rice is cooked and water evaporates, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.

Bring stock to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in rice, chicken, lemons, shallots, and pan juices, and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper.

Divide soup among 4-6 bowls, and season with lemon juice and dill. I didn’t have any dill but cilantro adds a nice touch as garnish as well as flavor.