Sunday Chicken with Couscous

By cacelias

This is a perfect dish for a wonderful Sunday dinner- or a special occassion. It takes a bit of time to prepare it all, but it is well worth the effort. It's homey, comforting and delicious.

Recipe from Susan Spungen, "Recipes"

Ingredients

• 1 cup couscous
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 shallots, sliced lengthwise
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons rosemary, chopped
• 3 cups chicken stock
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, loosely packed
• 2 small onions, sliced
• 2 whole chickens (3 1/2 pounds each)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the nuts on a large baking sheet and place in oven. Shake the pan every few minutes so the nuts toast evenly and do not burn. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and set aside.

Raise oven temperature to 435 degrees.

Toast the couscous in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, celery, and 1 tablespoon of the chopped rosemary, and saute until the shallots begin to turn golden, about 8 minutes.

Return the couscous to the pan. Add 1 cup of the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, 8-10 minutes. Transfer the couscous to a bowl and cool slightly. Adjust the seasonings and add the cranberries and parsley.

In a large roasting pan, arrange the onion slices so they are touching in a single layer at the center of the pan. This will serve as the rack for the chicken. Wash and dry the chickens thoroughly inside and out. Make sure to rinse out all traces of blood inside the bird. Remove the excess fat around the neck and discard. Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Add the chicken necks to the roasting pan if you have them. Stuff each chicken with half of the stuffing. Close the cavity using toothpicks and tie the legs of each chicken together. Rub each chicken with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Season with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of rosemary. Place the chicken breasts skin side up on top of the onions, facing in opposite directions. Transfer to the oven.

After 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Roast the chicken basting occasionally with pan juices, until the legs of the chickens move easily when wiggled and an instant-read thermometer registers 180 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the thights, about 1 hour and 30-45 minutes.

Carefully transfer the chicken to a platter to rest. Pour off the liquid from the pan into a glass measuring cup, leaving the onions and necks in the pan. Using a spoon or baster, skim off as much fat as possible from the liquid. The onions should have browned while cooking under the chicken, but in case they haven't, place the roasting pan over medium-high heat until they brown.

Pour the wine into the pan and deglaze the pan over medium-high heat; while loosening the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the remaining 2 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Pour the liquid from the roasting pan into a sieve set over a medium saucepan, pressing down on the onions to release the juices. Set the onions aside and discard the necks.

Add the skimmed liquid that was set aside to the sauce pan, as well as the juices that have accumulated on the plate under the chicken. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid has reduced by 1/4.

Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour in a small bowl, making a thick paste. Whisk the flour-butter paste into the sauce, whisking continuously, until it is dissolved. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Just before serving, add a few pinches of finely chopped rosemary and a few of the reserved onions, if desired, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the toothpicks and string from the chickens. Scoop out the stuffing into a large serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley leaves. Carve the chicken and serve immediately with the couscous stuffing and the gravy.