This healthy one-pot dish is for fans of greens. 🙂 I thought that it could even work as a dish to serve for a small-scale Thanksgiving feast because it incorporates bread (stuffing), greens (vegetables), and chicken (poultry). It would just need potatoes on the side- which is actually how my husband ate the leftovers. 😉 It was a pre-Thanksgiving meal for us because my crowd prefers a more indulgent feast on the big day. We did end the meal with apple pie bars.
This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Melissa Perello. It was inspired by chef Judy Rodgers’ famous wood-fired roasted chicken at Zuni Café in San Francisco. I kept waiting for chard to appear in my CSA box so that I could make it. This dish gobbled up all of the chard, kale, and beet greens from my share! The capers and golden raisins made the base of the dish extra delicious.
Yield: Serves 4 to 8
- 8 to 10 oz (about 1/2 loaf) day-old peasant bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used a pain au levain boule)
- 4 to 6 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 T salted capers, rinsed well
- 4 T golden raisins
- 1 1/2 pounds tender fresh greens such as Swiss chard, kale, spinach, or beet greens (the original recipe uses Swiss chard)
- 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 skinless bone-in chicken thighs or one 3 1/2 pound chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces
- fresh thyme and parsley, for garnish, optional
- Prepare the Greens: If using Swiss Chard: Remove the stems and finely slice or chop; slice leaves in half through the ribs and cut into 2-inch ribbons. If using Kale: Remove ribs and discard; tear leaves in half and slice into 1/2-inch ribbons. If using Spinach or Beet greens: Remove stems and slice leaves into 2-inch ribbons. Wash and spin dry.
- Preheat the oven to 350°, preferably on convection.
- In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, capers, raisins, prepared greens, shallots, and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Spread the bread-greens mixture in a large enameled cast-iron casserole. (My pan was almost overflowing!)
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and arrange them over the bread. Sprinkle with dried thyme.
- Cover the chicken with a piece of parchment paper and close the casserole with a heavy lid. Bake the chicken for 35 minutes.
- Remove the lid and parchment paper and increase the oven temperature to 400°.
- Bake the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until golden on top and cooked through.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the chicken with the bread and greens, garnished with fresh herbs.
thebrookcook 
Looks colorful and delicious. 😋🌿
Thank you! 🙂