Plate by Scott Bartolomei Edmonds. Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.
Personal chef and colleague, Peter, is probably up late tonight making a gorgeous thousand layered crêpe cake. He saw the cake in the latest Dean and Deluca catalog and, despite the fact that he is halfway through his fruit-only detox, he will be making this cake tonight.
I have to thank Peter for inspiring me to make this dish. When I told him I had some leftover buckwheat to experiment with, he suggested I make a stuffed chicken breast. "It's easy!" he said. I was skeptical about how easy it would really be, but his enthusiasm inspired me to try it anyway.
To make the stuffing I started with day-old cooked buckwheat groats (also known as kasha). To that, I added some onions, finely diced carrots, roasted almonds, fresh thyme, fresh Italian parsley and some finely chopped orange rind. Then, I sliced the chicken breasts, stuffed them, and browned them in a skillet. These were finished in the oven in a parchment paper pouch with oranges and wine.
As complicated as stuffed chicken sounds, I have to say it is a moderately easy meal to make. I encourage you to try it. Give yourself about 45 minutes to prepare it. It's also a good idea to cook the buckwheat groats the day before. Fresh cooked buckwheat tends to be on the delicate side and you risk mushy stuffing if using it straight from the pot.
Herbed Buckwheat Stuffed Citrus Chicken
1 1/2 cup cooked buckwheat groats (kasha)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1/4 cup toasted almonds
2 teaspoons thyme, stems removed plus 4 sprigs
1/2 teaspoon orange rind
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons Canola oil
4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1 orange, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1. Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat and add onion, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrot, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in cooked buckwheat, almond, orange rind and thyme to warm. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a 15" long sheet of parchment paper in a 9" x 13" roasting pan to create a shallow bowl. Set aside along with a second 15" sheet of parchment paper and some kitchen string.
3. Pat chicken dry and arrange, skinned sides down, on a work surface. Cut a pocket in each breast by slicing the breast horizontally, stopping about 1 inch from opposite end. Open the breast to create a pocket. Pack one quarter of the stuffing into each pocket. Use a toothpick to seal the opening.
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat. Brown chicken in 2 batches, about 2 minutes on each side, transferring to the parchment paper in the small roasting pan as browned.
5. Add the wine and arrange orange slices and a thyme sprig on each chicken breast. Place the second sheet of parchment paper over the chicken and fold the long edges of parchment paper together to seal the sides. Gather a short end and tie with kitchen string, repeat with the other end. Make sure that the juices will not seep through the seams in your parchment pouch. Place chicken in the middle of the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
6. Let chicken stand for 5 minutes in the pouch, then carefully open the pouch and remove each breast. Slice and serve.
Makes 4 servings.