Happy Friday!
Hope you’re doing well getting into the swing of things if you have school-aged children. Even if you don’t, there’s always going to be an adjustment period as routines change… seasons change... just remember to be gentle with yourself! While I definitely encourage you to forgive yourself if you end up taking shortcuts in your regular routine, just remember that the little familiar things really help in times of stress.
When I’m stressed I often get the urge to always be out of the house, to go out to eat, order in, but something usually stops me. There’s something really honouring about cooking for oneself. I love putting on a podcast or some music and zoning out when I cook. Even if it’s a labourious meal that I think I don’t have time for, I’m always grateful when I eat it. I know that I always feel better when I spend time making nutrient dense foods with ingredients I know are fresh, local and are suited for how my body reacts to it.
Eating good quality food is essential for my mental health and stress resilience. Plus if you approach cooking with a good, relaxed mindset, you can actually get a relaxing experience out of it.
Message me about some personalized kitchen coaching if you’re interested in some guidance to cooking well at home! You can find out more info on my services page.
Anyway, onto the recipe!
Olga from Ferme Reveuse sometimes gets people not knowing what to do with chicken thighs from her chickens. Well, here’s a great idea she gave me to develop into a recipe - stuffed chicken thighs! Check out the above video for how to debone the chicken thigh. If you don’t know how to get the chicken thighs off of a whole chicken, check out the video linked in my Chicken Paprikas recipe.
These are much more simple than they look. This is even a good way to use up any leftover rice, quinoa, mixed vegetables that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to serve.
Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Lemon Rice
Serves 4, gluten free, dairy free
1 tbsp bacon fat or olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 small carrot, peeled and grated thin
1 cup long grain rice
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
4-6 ferme reveuse chicken thighs, bone off, skin on
salt for seasoning chicken
1 tsp olive oil plus more for greasing the casserole dish
In a saucepan, heat up bacon fat over medium heat and add garlic and carrot. Saute for 30 seconds or until garlic is fragrant and carrot is soft. Add in rice, lemon pepper and salt and saute for 1 more minute. Pour in chicken broth and lemon juice. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and cover with a lid. Simmer for 18 minutes. Do not lift the lid or be tempted to stir during this time! Take off of the heat leaving the lid on and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Take the lid off and fluff with a fork. Gently stir in dried cranberries and parsley.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Meanwhile, rub remaining olive oil onto the chicken thighs and salt on both sides. Place the thighs skin side down onto a cutting board. When the rice has cooled slightly, remove it from the fridge. Spoon some rice in the center of the chicken thighs and bring up two of the sides. Secure with toothpicks.
Rub a casserole dish with some oil. Place the chicken thighs ‘seam’ side down onto the casserole dish. It’s ok if some rice spills out. If there is some leftover rice, you can always put it underneath the chicken thighs.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
