“Confidence” recipes are a series of recipes for folks who have a pretty good handle on their skills in the kitchen.
Trifecta Chicken
Confidence
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 4-5 pounds
- 7 medium yellow onions
- 1 large head garlic
- 1 head celery
- 9 medium carrots
- 1 bunch fresh parsley stems included
- 6 bay leaves
- 2 TBSP cornstarch
- Kosher salt
- 2 TBSP Whole black peppercorns
- Crushed black pepper using a pepper mill / grinder
- 1.5 Cups long grain white rice
- Water
Instructions
To start, begin prep work:
- Do not peel but open the garlic and break into cloves.
- Cut the base from the celery head and reserve.
- Thoroughly rinse celery stalks, including the little tiny pieces in the center.
- Dry larger celery stalks and trim the leafy parts off (the larger stalks only).
- Rinse the carrots and dry them.
- Rinse the fresh parsley and set aside.
- Do not peel, but quarter 2 medium and 1 small onions.
- Cut 2 large celery stalks each into four big chunks.
- Cut 1 smaller celery stalk into two big chunks, leaves are ok.
- Cut 2 large carrots each into four big chunks.
- Pick 2 parsley stems and remove most of the leaves.
Prepare the Roasted Chicken:
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- Get out a 12” or 14” cast iron skillet at least 2 inches deep.
- If you don’t have a cast iron skillet use a 13”x9” baking pan or a Dutch oven.
- Place the 2 medium quartered onion into the above pan.
- Add 5 unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan.
- Add the cut-up large celery pieces and all but 2 pieces of the cut-up carrots to the pan.
Prepare the Giblets Pot (yup, we’re using the giblets):
- Place the small quartered onion, 2 unpeeled garlic cloves, the cut-up smaller celery stalk (including any leaves), and 2 pieces of the cut carrot into a medium saucepan.
- Add 1 tsp Kosher salt, ¼ tsp crushed black pepper, 1 bay leaf and the parsley stem.
Prepare the chicken:
- Remove the chicken from the packaging and remove the neck, and giblets and place in the prepared medium saucepan.
- Place the chicken, breast side up on top of the vegetables in prepared roasting pan.
- If you prefer, you can rinse your chicken, but if you do so, please pat it dry with paper towels, inside and out.
- Tuck the wings under the chicken carefully.
- Generously salt and pepper the outside of the chicken.
Back to the Giblets Pot:
- Cover the giblets, neck, and vegetables with cold water.
- Set pot on stove over lowest heat.
- This will continue to cook while the chicken roasts.
Roast the Chicken:
- Place the chicken pan in the oven on the middle shelf.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 425° F.
- Open the oven and turn the halfway around to evenly cook the other side of the chicken.
- Reduce temperature to 350° F and bake for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes, depending on the weight of your chicken.
- If 4 pounds or so, cook for 1 hour 15 minutes, if 5 pounds or so, cook 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes before carving.
While the chicken is roasting, prepare the Rice for the soup:
- Follow the instructions for the jasmine rice in the instant pot* recipe on this webpage, however use the 1.5 Cups long grain white rice but do not rinse the rise.
- If you do not have an instant pot cook the rice following the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Once the rice is cooked, carefully spread it out on a cookie sheet to cool on kitchen counter.
- Once fully cooled move to a storage container or zip top bag and place in the refrigerator for use later in the soup.
- *Wash the instant pot for later use.
Preparing the chicken for carving:
- Don’t remove the chicken from the pan unless you are using a glass baking dish.
- Carve the chicken in the pan, allowing the juices to run into the pan.
- There are plenty of great how-to videos of how to carve, I’m not going to re-invent the wheel here… yet…
- Serve chicken and/or set aside for the chicken and rice soup.
Preparing the gravy:
- Remove the chicken carcass, vegetable pieces, and vegetables from the pan and place into a stock pot or 8 quart (or larger) instant pot.
- Add 1 Cup of the simmering giblets broth to the pan.
- Deglaze pan with giblets broth.
- If you did not use the cast iron pan for the roast chicken, transfer the drippings from the roasting pan to a small saucepan, otherwise, continue with the drippings and broth in the cast iron pan.
- Set cast iron or saucepan to the stovetop and simmer over medium high heat.
- Allow to cook for 2 minutes.
- If more gravy is needed than what is in the pan, add up to 1 additional Cup of giblets broth.
- If you prefer, or did not use the giblets, use 1 Cup previously made chicken stock.
- Adjust seasoning, by adding more salt and black pepper.
- Mix 2 TBSP water with 2 TBSP cornstarch in a jar with a lid, shaking well.
- Add cornstarch water mixture to the pan 1 tsp at a time.
- Whisk well and allow to cook for 1 minute between each tsp.
- Transfer to a gravy boat, or other serving tool.
Select one of the following ways to prepare the stock, see note:
- Note: this part of the recipe is best used in an 8 quart instant pot. A 6 quart can be used; however, an 8 quart is best. If an 8 quart instant pot is unavailable please consider using the stovetop method.
- Preparing the stock (stovetop method):
- Add chicken carcass, vegetables from roasting pan, remaining giblet broth and all contents of giblet saucepan to stockpot.
- Add 2 TBSP peppercorns, 4 bay leaves, 2 stems of parsley, with all leaves.
- Add 2 onions quartered, 1.5 carrots quartered, remaining leafy celery hearts, 4 garlic cloves.
- Cover with 10 Cups cold water.
- Set to cook over high heat.
- Once it reaches a boil, turn to a simmer, and allow to cook for 5-10 hours.
Preparing the stock (8 quart instant pot instant pot version):
- Add chicken carcass, vegetables from roasting pan, remaining giblet broth and all contents of giblet saucepan to stockpot.
- Add 2 TBSP peppercorns, 4 bay leaves, 2 stems of parsley, with all leaves.
- Add 2 onions quartered, 1.5 carrots quartered, remaining leafy celery hearts, 4 garlic cloves.
- Cover with cold water until max fill line is reached in an 8 quart instant pot.
- It’s ok if the veggies and or carcass float over the line a little.
- Close the lid and set to high pressure cook for 45 minutes.
- Allow a full natural pressure release, by allowing all the steam to slowly seep out of the instant pot over time.
- Avoid doing a quick pressure release.
Prepping the soup:
- While the stock is cooking, prep the soup.
- Chop remaining celery, carrots, onions into ½ inch pieces and place in a bowl.
- Set aside.
- Chop garlic finely, add to bowl of celery, carrots, and onions.
- Pick parsley leaves off stems and chop finely into ¼ Cup and add to bowl of vegetables above.
- Add 2 bay leaves to this bowl.
- Chop the leftover chicken into ½ inch pieces and set aside in a SEPARATE bowl or storage container/zip top bag and place chicken in refrigerator.
Finishing the stock:
- Once the stock is done cooking, it’s time to very carefully strain the stock from the vegetables and other contents in the pot.
- Place a colander into another large pot or, a big heat resistant bowl, like glass or heavy plastic or the like.
- Place the colander/pot/bowl into the kitchen sink and ladle the stock from the cooking pot into the colander/pot/bowl until the large pot/heat resistant bowl is full.
- Then remove the colander and place the contents of the colander into a double or triple lined trash bag (without holes).
- If necessary, get another large pot or, a big heat resistant bowl, like glass or heavy plastic or the like and strain into that, repeating the steps above.
- Once all the stock is strained, and contents of the colander is emptied into the trash, allow to cool and place in storage containers, except for 5 Cups, for soup.
Select one of the following ways to prepare the soup, see note:
- Note: this part of the recipe is best used in an 3-8 quart instant pot.
- If an instant pot is unavailable, please use the stovetop method.
Cooking the soup (stovetop version):
- Add 5 Cups of the stock and the bowl of vegetables from prepping the soup into a large pot.
- Add ½ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp fresh ground pepper to the pot.
- Set the pot to the stove on medium-high heat for 45-60 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- Remove from heat and add cooled rice and chopped chicken to the pot.
- Stir well.
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Serve.
Cooking the soup (instant pot version):
- Add 5 Cups of the stock and the bowl of vegetables from prepping the soup into the instant pot.
- Add ½ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp fresh ground pepper to the pot.
- Set instant pot to high pressure and 2 minutes cook time.
- Allow to natural release for 5 minutes.
- Once depressurized, add cooled rice and chopped chicken to the pot.
- Stir well.
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Serve.
Notes
Trifecta Chicken: 1 Roasted Chicken, broken down into 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 wings. We’ll make gravy and then the carcass is used to make stock. Then some of the stock and any leftover meat is used to make chicken and rice soup. 3 meals into one easy to follow recipe. Winner-winner chicken dinner x3 = Trifecta!
Serving suggestions:
Serve roasted chicken with Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
Refrigerate leftovers immediately.
Need more help? See my “Need A Hand” version of this recipe.