Truffle Roasted Chicken with Grilled Kale & Pecan Pesto Jazzmen Rice
Author: Chef Meg Bickford, Café Adelaide
Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon granulated onion
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 gallon water- 2 lemons, halved
- 6 Joyce Farms skin-on chicken breasts
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Truffled Butter (recipe follows)
- Summer Squash Purée (recipe follows)
- Grilled Kale & Pecan Pesto Jazzmen Rice (recipe follows)
- White truffle oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- Make the brine: Whisk salt, sugar, granulated garlic, granulated onion, thyme, bay leaves, red pepper flakes together in 1 gallon of water. Squeeze lemon juice into brine and add squeezed halves. Submerge chicken breasts in water overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Remove chicken from brine, and pat dry. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken breast on the grill over high heat until
skin has charred grill marks and skin begins to crisp. - Place chicken on a sheet tray and rub with Truffled Butter. Place in oven to finish cooking, until an inserted thermometer reads 165°.
- When the chicken is done, spoon a little more Truffled Butter over the chicken and allow it to melt down the skin of the chicken.
- Into the bottom of a bowl, spoon Summer Squash Purée. Make a nice tight pile of Grilled Kale & Pecan Pesto Jazzmen Rice in the center of the bowl; place chicken breast on top. Drizzle white truffle oil around the bowl into the Summer Squash Purée to finish.
Truffled Butter
Yields: 1½ quarts
Ingredients
- 1 pound unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons white truffle oil
- 1 teaspoon black truffle shavings
- 1 teaspoon black truffled sea salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as thyme, basil, tarragon, and chives)
Instructions
- Let butter come to room temperature until soft. In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, combine all ingredients; blend until the butter turns a white, creamy color.
Summer Squash Purée
Yields: 4½ cups
Ingredients
- 2 summer squash, diced
- 1 small onion
- ½ quart heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
- Course kosher salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer squash, onion, and heavy cream until squash is tender. Transfer to a blender and purée, adding cheese, and salt and pepper, to taste.
Grilled Kale & Pecan Pesto Jazzmen Rice
Yields: 4 cups
Ingredients
- Rice:
- 1 quart water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups dry rice
- Pesto:
- 5 stems curly kale
- 1 cup canola oil, plus more for coating leaves
- Course kosher salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 ounces basil
- ½ bunch parsley
- 1 cup raw pecan pieces
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Make the rice: Bring 1 quart water, salt, and bay leaf to a simmer. Stir in rice, and bring back to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and turn off heat. Allow rice to steam for a few minutes. Uncover, and fluff with a fork.
- Make the pesto: Rub kale leaves with a little bit of oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Lay leaves on the grill, set to high heat, and allow them to get a little charred. (This won’t take but a minute on both sides.) Once you’ve removed the kale from the grill pull the leaves away from the stems and discard stems.
- In the work bowl of a food processor, place kale leaves, basil, parsley, pecans, Parmesan, and lemon juice. Pulse until a chunky paste forms. Drizzle 1 cup canola oil into food processor as it’s pulsing to bring all ingredients together.
- In a large bowl, mix together rice and pesto. Rice should be moist and well coated, but not clumpy.
