This chicken has a history that is as unusual as the chicken is delicious. The first year my parents were married, they were going to spend the first days of Pesach in Boston. They woke up on Erev Pesach to find that it had snowed (no, that isn’t a typo!) so much, that they were unable to make the trip from New York. Suddenly, they had to prepare for two seders, and two days of Yom Tov in one day, in a snowstorm. My mother ran to the corner grocery, and saw some nice fresh zucchini on sale. She bought a couple of them, and made this delicious chicken. She has served it every Pesach since then, for the Seder. Any talk of making any other dish would lead to a serious protest. This chicken has a wonderful aroma, that my family and I associate with the Pesach Seder. Best of all, it is super easy to make.
Chicken with Zucchini and Wine Stuffing
Servings
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 3 onions peeled and finely diced
- 4 zucchini peeled and finely diced
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 to 1½ teaspoons pepper
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 cup dry red wine
Instructions
- In a large pot over low heat, sauté onions in oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini to onions and stir. Add salt and pepper. Sauté over low heat until golden. (This can take a while, but you can leave the pot on the stove, stirring very occasionally.) When the vegetables are cooked through, rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides. Add the chicken to the pot. With a spoon, place some of the vegetable mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Add wine, raise heat to medium, and bring to a boil. When the mixture is boiling, return heat to low, and let simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours, depending on the size of the chicken. (Make sure there is always enough liquid in the pot to keep the chicken moist.) Serve over mashed potatoes, which will absorb the delicious sauce.
- As seen in the Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Passover 2012 Magazine – Subscribe Now.
I made this recipe during Pessach. It was very easy to make and a hit with everyone. Great Shabbat recipe when you are short on time.
I made this last night. It was juicy and delicious. Next time I would just add mushrooms to the vegetables as well. Also, I used leg quarters instead of a whole chicken. I didn’t stuff it, I just put the pieces in the pot with the vegetables and kept checking on it to make sure all parts of the chicken were submerged in the wine. I highly recommend this dish!
I assume there is either water or broth added to this since i doubt that the one cup of wine will do the trick. Would you kindly advise approximately how much other liquid is added and which you wouid suggest using. Thank you in advance.
This is yum!!!
I’ve already made it three times with my own “shortcut” variations.
The first time I baked it instead of cooking it, first covered, then uncovered for last half hour, and served it on a bed of mashed potatoes. Delicious!
Subsequently, I saved cooking the potatoes step, and put the stuffed
chicken on a bed of sliced raw potatoes, with the remainder of the stuffing around the bird, on top of the potatoes. Absolutely scrumptious!
This sounds delicious!! I’m always looking for recipes that work in more veggies!
This was incredibly easy to make and so very tasty, too. I wasn’t sure how my family would react, since it wasn’t “my” chicken, but they loved it.
Will this work in a slow cooker? How would you do this?