Let’s get back to food. It was similar to Maria’s recipe, but included shredded chicken, cooked until crispy in cinnamon-butter. I knew it would be the perfect meal for a cold day, so I recreated it, using Maria’s recipe as the base, and then threw in some pomegranate seeds at the end for a dash of color and sweetness. It was warm, nutty, buttery, and crunchy!

A New Year (and Butter-Roasted Cinnamon Chicken)

A New Year (and Butter-Roasted Cinnamon Chicken)

 

A New Year (and Butter-Roasted Cinnamon Chicken)

A New Year (and Butter-Roasted Cinnamon Chicken)

A New Year (and Butter-Roasted Cinnamon Chicken)

Bulghur with Butter-and-Cinnamon-Roasted Chicken and Almonds

Serves 2-3.

  • 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 large shallot, peeled and sliced into quarters
  • 10 whole peppercorns
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3/4 c. bulghur [with 1 1/3 c. water]
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 TBS salted butter
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 c. whole skin-on almonds, toasted lightly
  • 1/4 c. pomegranate arils (optional)
  1. Place the chicken, shallot, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick in a shallow pan, such as a dutch oven, and fill with water to cover the chicken by about 1/2 an inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat, boil 3 minutes, then remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes for the chicken to finish cooking. Remove the chicken, check to ensure that it is cooked all the way through, and rinse under water to cool. Tear the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
  2. Bring 1 1/3 c. water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add bulghur and salt, stir, return to a boil for 1 minute then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes, until bulghur has absorbed all of the water. Fluff with a fork.
  3. While bulghur is cooking, melt the butter over medium heat in a large frying pan. Once it has melted, cook for 2-3 minutes, until it smells nutty, is foamy on top, and has brown flecks at the bottom. Scrape the brown flecks up from the bottom with a wooden spoon, then add the cinnamon and cayenne powder and stir to combine. Add the shredded chicken and almonds (they will sizzle!) and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, until everything is fully coated in the cinnamon butter and the chicken is beginning to crisp around the edges. Add the bulghur to the pan and stir just to coat. Remove from heat.
  4. Serve warm, garnished with pomegranate arils if desired!

Dining and Cooking