Portuguese Chestnut Rice Recipe
Portuguese chestnut rice is a saucy, savory side dish made with fresh chestnuts and homemade chicken stock. Serve it at Thanksgiving or any fall dinner.
Ingredients
For the Stock
- 1 pound chicken bones
- 1 large carrot (peeled)
- 2 medium onions (peeled and halved)
- 2 garlic cloves (whole, peeled)
- 1 ½ quarts water
For the Rice
- 3/4 pound chestnuts (in the shell)
- ⅓ cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 ½ cups rice (long-grain)
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
Equipment
- 1 4-Quart Stainless Steel Saucepan
Instructions
- Place the chicken bones, carrot, halved onions and whole garlic cloves in a 6-quart stock pot with 1 1/2 quarts of water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the top. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour. Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. You should have a quart of stock. If you have less, add water to bring it up to a quart. Return the stock to the rinsed pot and keep it hot over low heat.
- While the stock simmers, use a sharp medium knife to cut a line across the rounded side of each chestnut. (Don’t worry if the knife cuts into the nut.) Steam the chestnuts, covered, until the shells open, about 15 minutes for small chestnuts and 20 minutes for large ones.
- Peel the chestnuts while they’re warm, discard the shells and inner skins and cut the chestnuts into quarters.
- Pour the olive oil into a 4-quart saucepan and add the chopped onion, minced garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden. Don’t let the onion and garlic burn.
- Add the quartered chestnuts and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the hot stock and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender but still has a little bite, about 15 minutes. The rice should be a little wet with a starchy, saucy texture.
- Serve with chicken, turkey or another protein.
Notes
- You can steam and peel the chestnuts a few hours ahead. Cover them and refrigerate them until you’re ready to cook.
- You can substitute about 1/2 pound of frozen peeled chestnuts for fresh chestnuts. Skip the steaming and peeling steps.
- If you don’t have chicken bones, use 1 quart of bottled unseasoned chicken bone broth. Don’t use boxed chicken stock.
- Store leftover chestnut rice in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat it over low to medium heat with a splash of water, stirring frequently.
Nutrition
Calories: 311kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 19mgPotassium: 336mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1286IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg
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