Matzo Stuffed Roast Chicken For Passover Food

SPICED MATZO-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Cook onion and bell pepper in 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.
• While onion mixture cooks, rinse matzo farfel in a colander under warm running water until softened, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain, pressing gently to extract excess water.
• Remove onion mixture from heat and stir in farfel, pistachios, raisins, parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Whisk together eggs and 3/4 cup broth, then stir into farfel mixture.
• Set aside 1 1/2 cups stuffing and transfer remainder to a generously oiled 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish.
• Bake stuffing in dish in lower third of oven until set and golden, about 30 minutes.
• While stuffing bakes, stir together spices with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
• Insert a paring knife horizontally into middle of thicker end of each chicken breast half, stopping about 1 inch from opposite end, then open incision with your finger to create a 1-inch-wide pocket. Pack 3 tablespoons stuffing into each pocket. Pat chicken dry and add to spices, tossing to coat.
• Straddle a large flameproof roasting pan across 2 burners, then add remaining 3 tablespoons oil and heat over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sear chicken, skin side down, until skin is deep golden, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over, then roast in upper third of oven until just cooked through, 16 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a platter and straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Stir in 3/4 cup broth. Whisk together remaining 1/4 cup broth and potato starch and whisk into sauce, then cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup. Let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and discard fat (or use a fat separator). Season sauce with salt.

MATZO-STUFFED ROAST CHICKEN FOR PASSOVER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
• Remove the giblets from the chicken cavity. Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the gizzard and heart and sear well on all sides. Add the liver and cook, turning as needed, for a few minutes longer. Transfer the giblets to a cutting board and chop finely.
• In a bowl, combine the matzo meal, 1/2 to 2/3 cup wine, the eggs, the walnuts, the currants, and the giblets. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, season with salt and pepper, and mix well
• Spoon the stuffing into the chicken cavity loosely and sew or skewer closed. Reserve any extra stuffing. Rub the chicken liberally with oil and the lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a rack in a roasting​ pan.
• Roast the chicken, basting occasionally with the remaining wine and with the pan drippings, until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a knife, about 1 1/2 hours. If you have stuffing that did not fit into the bird, put it in the roasting pan for the last 15 minutes of roasting, where it will cook and take on color.
• Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and let rest for about 10 minutes. Scoop out the stuffing into a serving bowl and carve the chicken.

PASSOVER MATZO STUFFING

Steps:

• Crush matzah.
• Saute' onions in oil till transparent.
• Add carrots and apples and cook till the are softened.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Mix together and taste for seasoning.
• If too dry you can moisten with a bit more broth or water.
• Stuff turkey loosely.
• Any leftover stuffing can be cooked along-side turkey in foil or in a casserole dish.
• When basting turkey, add some of the juices to any stuffing cooked outside the bird.