Lemon-Spiced Chicken and Bulghur Wheat Pilaf

Lemon-Spiced Chicken and Bulghur Wheat Pilaf
One of our wedding gifts was "The Newlyweds Cookbook" and this was taken straight from there.  The first time we made it was Valentine's Day this year.  Greer first spotted the recipe, and it was certainly a good find.  As much as we like to mix up recipes, this one worked really well for us as is.  This made 3 full servings. 





Ingredients:

1.5  lbs of Chicken Thighs (with skin on)

1/6 cup extra virgin olive oil

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
A small bunch of thyme sprigs, fresh
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Trim any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Put the chicken in a large baking dish. Put the oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the chicken and turn to coat well. Cover and set aside for atleast 30 minutes, or refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

Make sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up in the dish and roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F until browned and cooked through, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve immediately with juices.

Bulghur Wheat Pilaf:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

A handful of cappellini, about 1 ½ oz.
2 garlic cloves
1 ¼ cups bulghur wheat
1 bell pepper, diced
1 roma tomato, diced 
2 ¾ cups unsalted fresh chicken broth
A few springs of thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan, break the cappellini into small pieces as you add them to the pan, add garlic and cook, stirring regularly until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in bulghur wheat and a good pinch of salt and mix to coat the grains.

Add the stock and thyme, stir and bring to a boil. Cover over low heat and cook, undisturbed, until all liquid has been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.  Add diced bell pepper and tomato. Fluff up grains and serve.

Cost:

1.5 lbs of Chicken Thighs - $3.28
Garlic - $0.50
Bulghur Wheat - $1.06
Roma Tomato - $0.35
Thyme - $0.50
Bell Pepper - $2.49
Lemon - $0.20
Cappellini - $0.75
On Hand (spices, olive oil, chicken broth) - $3.00
Total: $12.13
Per Serving: $4.04
Changes:
We like the roma tomatoes and bell pepper mixed in with the pilaf, but there should be a lot of freedom to change that. 

Leftovers:
The skin isn't crispy the next day, and the chicken dries out slightly, but it makes a pretty good lunch.  Save some of the juice to store with the chicken and pilaf.