Grilled Lemon-Orange Chicken with Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Brown-and-Wild Rice
Serves 4
This zesty, good-for-you recipe is perfect for a family dinner. “Pickling” the meat with citrus makes for a quicker prep time.
Ingredients
- 1 bulb garlic, end cut to expose the cloves
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 cup wild-and-brown rice blend, such as Whole Foods brand, or make your own blend from bulk bins at market (1 part wild rice to 4 parts brown rice)
- 2 1/4-2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary (3 stems), finely chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Salt and pepper
- 1 small red onion, cut into 6 slices
- 3 4-6-inch skewers, soaked in water
- 2 lemons, halved
- 1 blood orange or navel orange, halved
- Baby kale or arugula (a few handfuls), for garnish
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
- Place garlic bulb on a piece of foil; drizzle with EVOO and wrap tightly. Roast for 40 minutes or so until the cloves are soft and light golden in color. Cool to handle, then squish the cloves from the skins into a bowl and mash into a paste.
- Place 1 cup rice blend and 2 1/4 cups stock in a pot with 1 tablespoon EVOO. Whisk in the garlic paste and add the rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally; turn off the heat and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Fluff with fork and add the pine nuts. If the rice gets a little dry before it’s fully cooked, add another 1/4 cup stock.
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat or prepare an outdoor grill.
- Slice the chicken breast thinly, working across the breast, into large medallions. Lightly pound to make the medallions thinner. Dress with about 2 tablespoons EVOO. Season with red pepper and liberally with salt and black pepper or use your favorite seasoning blend. Secure the onion slices on the bamboo skewers.
- Grill the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side and remove the medallions to a platter. Grill the onions until marked and tender, 7-8 minutes. Grill the cut citrus until charred and well-marked, about 4 minutes. Douse the chicken with the grilled citrus juices and let stand for about 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
- Serve a bed of rice in shallow bowl and top with the grilled onion rings and chicken medallions. Top with a few leaves of arugula or baby kale.