Chicken – Braised with Pumpkin

Ingredients

• 300 g Hokkaido pumpkin (0.5 Hokkaido pumpkins)
• 800 g small chicken (1 small chicken)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 5 sage leaves (more if desired)
• 150 g whole grain rice
• 1 tsp Rapeseed oil
• 2 tsp flour (Type 1050)
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 100 ml apple juice
• 250 g leeks (1 stalk)
• 175 g apples (1 apple)
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash the pumpkin, cut into wedges and then each wedge into four pieces.

2. 2.

   Wash the chicken, pat dry and break it apart: separate legs from the body and split at the joint, detach wings.

3. 3.

   Separate the torso from the clavicle to the spine and loosen the breast. Rub everything with salt and pepper.

4. 4.

   Rinse the sage and shake off excess water. Put the rice and 250 ml salted water in a pot, bring to a boil and then simmer covered over low heat for about 45 minutes.

5. 5.

   Heat oil in a skillet or braising pan and slowly brown the chicken pieces all around over medium heat. Drain the fat until only about 1 tsp remains. Add the pumpkin pieces and continue cooking while turning for about 5 more minutes.

6. 6.

   Meanwhile whisk flour into 100 ml water in a small bowl until smooth. Rinse thyme and shake off excess water.

7. 7.

   Pour apple juice over the chicken, bring to a boil and stir in the flour mixture. Add thyme and cover; simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes.

8. 8.

   In the meantime trim the leeks, cut lengthwise deep slashes and rinse under running water. Shake dry and slice into rings about 2 cm thick.

9. 9.

   Wash the apple, pat dry, quarter it, core it and slice crosswise into finger‑thick slices. Add the apple and leeks to the chicken and simmer for another 10 minutes.

10. 10.

    Remove thyme and season the braised chicken and vegetables with soy sauce. Serve with sage rice.