Charred Lemon braised chicken

This recipe is good enough for two people, and maybe some leftovers, maybe….

Chicken

Have your butcher cut the chicken in half lengthwise, or it's pretty easy if you're using a good kitchen knife, a size larger.

The breast and thigh don’t necessarily have to be attached. You could get chicken thighs and breasts separated.

The reasoning behind the half carcass is, you guessed it, flavor but also moisture. Please make sure both thigh and breast reach 165°F internal temperature. Now to the recipe!

1/2 chicken, I use half a 3.5 lbs chicken

1/2 cup of rice

4 sprigs Thyme

1 ea Lemon, cut quarters

2 ea scallions, sliced

1/2 cup Sweet potato, small yams, cut into medium diced

1/2 cup Carrots, small and tender, peeled and cut into coins, about 1/4” thick

2 cup Chicken or Vegetable stock

1 pc 2” leeks, trimmed and washed, cut straight across, 1/4” thick

1-2 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 cup Medium diced yellow onion

1 ea Bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste, but also season your chicken

1/4 cup Avocado oil or Ghee (clarified butter)

Start by seasoning the chicken with salt and black pepper.

In a Dutch oven or a skillet, add the oil, bring to hot, and add your chicken, skin side down. Sear until dark golden brown. Add the quartered lemon and roast in the pan until charred. Take both the chicken and the lemon out of the pan. Add more oil or ghee if needed in this step.

Add the onion, garlic, and leeks, and saute until soft, about 2 minutes, just enough to bring the flavors into the oil. Add the sweet potato, carrots, thyme, and bay leaf, saute for a minute or so, and add the stock.

Once this is done, add the chicken and the lemon back to the pot and simmer under the lid for about 35 minutes. This will allow your chicken to come up to temp; the chicken should not be totally submerged. Add more liquid if needed.

When the 35 minutes are up, move the chicken out of the pot ( yes, it's a lot of moving back and forth, I know), and add the rice into the pot, ensuring you have enough liquid to cook the rice. Cook the rice for about 15 minutes under the lid, add the chicken back and lid, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Add the sliced scallions and steep in the pot for another 5 minutes under the lid. The rice and vegetable mixture is extremely hot, so please be careful.