Another one of my Grandma Mae's specialties!! When ever she made a chicken...which wasn't too often actually, she would make this Rice Stuffing. It was soooo her!! All the flavors of her most famous works...onion & garlic mixture, proscuitto, cheese & spinach!!! So many of her recipes have some or all of these ingredients. They are all amazing.....and so was she!!!
GRANDMA MAE'S RICE STUFFING
FOR THE STUFFING 5 CUPS OF RICE 8 SLICES OF PROSCUITTO CHOPPED 1 LARGE ONION CHOPPED 1 WHOLE HEAD OF GARLIC CHOPPED FINELY 2 CUPS CHOPPED SPINACH CHOPPED FINELY 1 CUP GRATED PECORINO ROMANO CHEESE 2 EGGS WHISKED 3 TBLSP OLIVE OIL 3 TBLSP BUTTER SALT & PEPPER
Now, first I must say that I made 2 chickens. One for us and one for my daughter and her family. All her babies are sick today so I thought I would help her out and send over dinner. So you can cut it all in half and make one....but maybe stick with 2 and make someone's day!!
Begin by heating the oil and the butter in a large saute pan.....I am sure you all know Grandma's routine by now.,,haha!! Get in the chopped garlic and the onion and saute until soft about 15 minutes. Season all well with salt & pepper!! You could put this mixture on anything and it will be amazing!!!
When all are soft and tender add in your chopped spinach. I like to chop the spinach very fine......
The spinach will wilt in under a minute....so turn off the heat and lastly add in the finely chopped proscuitto. This will give it sooooo much flavor!!
Now....let that whole mixture sit and cool while you make your rice. Grandma Mae always said....let food sit to give all the favors a chance to come together....and it's sooo true!! Once your rice is ready....get it into a large bowl and add the onion/garlic mixture......yummm!!!
Then add the 2 whisked eggs as well as the cup of grated cheese!!!
Mix well........................
Doesn't that look delicious???? Now wash you chicken....or chickens!!! I placed mine in large disposable pan....for an easy cleanup. Stuff the inside of the chickens and set the rest of the stuffing aside...we got big plans for that!! I rubbed my chickens with some softened butter....surrounded them with some veggies. I cut up some onions, carrots & celery. Drizzle the entire pan with olive oil. Season the entire pan with salt, pepper and garlic powder. And, lastly, place a few pats of butter around on top of the veggies. Cover with foil and place in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 2 and 1/2 hours or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the foil for the last hour so your chicken will brown nicely. You may need to drain some of the liquid at this point if there is an excessive amount.
Awesome!!!! Now let's plate this amazing meal. Cut up the chicken into pieces.....get the stuffing and all the veggies on the platter also.
So hopefully you made your family .....and someone elses family..... smile today with this dinner just as we always did when Grandma made this for us!! Such a delicious....comfort food dish!!
But now we take it over the top....this was always my favorite part!!! Grab that extra stuffing and a baking tray. Spray it with cooking spray. Grab a small handful and form it into a patty and place on the tray.
Bake them in the oven along with the chicken for about 30 minutes, They will be just beginning to brown. They are sooooo good I can not even tell you. These were always my favorite part. I used to beg Grandma to make a lot so we could make these rice patties....and of course...I probably loved them so much because Grandma always let me make the patties!! Memories!!!!
As Grandma always said...."Of course it's gonna be good...There's all good stuff in there" ENJOY!!!!