Anna Barnett
A truly comforting winter warmer. Simple to cook with just the one pot, with heaps of flavour and all the deliciousness. Rule 101 use up your Grana Padano and always keep the rind. Throwing it into stews, soups and sauces creates a unique depth of flavour, adds seasoning and once stewed can even be chopped up and eaten as part of the meal!
Ingredients
- 120 g orzo
- Good glug of oil
- 2 stalks of celery, finely sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 100 g olives – I’ve used Nocellara here
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 leeks, cleaned, halved lengthways and halved again
- 1 rind of Grana Padano
- 850 ml good quality chicken stock
- Sprinkle of sea salt flakes
- Several turns of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium organic chicken around 1.4/5kg
- 30 g butter, with a sprinkle of salt
- Garnish
- Small bunch of dill, finely chopped
- 2 lemons halved, zest of half
- 40 g Grana Padano, finely grated
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
Prepare all ingredients as noted in the instructions.
Place a large casserole dish over a medium heat and once hot add in your oil followed by the celery, garlic and bay leaves. Allow to sweat for 3-4 minutes then add in the olives and leeks followed by the Grana Padano rind, chicken stock and seasoning.
Combine the butter and seasoning and gently raise the skin of the chicken across the breast then add in a thick layer of butter.
Place the chicken on top of the leeks and place in the oven for around an hour depending on the size of your chicken- ensure it’s cooked by cutting into the thigh, the liquid should run clear.
Ten minutes ahead of removing from the oven, add in your orzo, stirring through the liquid. Allow to cook for ten minutes then remove from the oven. The orzo will continue to cook once removed so avoid overcooking.
Remove from the oven. Remove the chicken from the pot and once cool enough to handle remove the meat from the carcass and return the meat to the broth (you keep the carcass to make some homemade bone broth). Chop up the Grana Padano rind and add back into the pot.
Squeeze in lemon juice and finish with a scattering of roughy chopped dill and of course an extra helping of Grana Padano.
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