Chicken With Freekeh

Ingredients

• 1 medium chicken (about 3 pounds)
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• Coarse sea salt, or kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1½ cups freekeh (see note)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound plain yogurt (optional)
• Cilantro for serving
• lemon wedges, for serving

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    980 calories; 57 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 70 grams protein; 270 milligrams cholesterol; 1007 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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Serves 4

Preparation

1. Rinse the chicken and put in a medium saucepan. Add 7 cups water and set over high heat. When the water is about to boil, skim the surface, then add the onion, cinnamon sticks and 1 tablespoon salt. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Remove 3 cups of stock and reserve. Cook the chicken for 30 minutes more.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the freekeh and stir until it is well coated. Let toast, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and add the ground cinnamon, allspice, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or more, until the freekeh is cooked to your liking. (At this point if the stock has all been absorbed, turn off the heat, recover the pot and let steam while you prepare the chicken. If the freekeh is too wet, drain excess stock and let steam as above.)
3. Transfer the chicken to a chopping board and cut into 4 or 8 pieces, keeping the skin or not, as desired. Spoon the freekeh into a shallow serving bowl and arrange the chicken pieces on top. Garnish with cilantro, lemon, additional salt, pepper and ground cinnamon, if desired. Serve immediately with a bowl of plain yogurt.

• Freekeh is available at cporganics.com.

2 hours 15 minutes