The last ink I gave to my kitchen cook and columnist contemporary Laura Kurella and her Whiting roots was in November 2024 after her original recipe accolades for using wild rice.
She’s back in the news because for an astonishing three years in a row, Kurella has won the People’s Choice award in the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council’s annual “Get Wild with Wild Rice” recipe contest, and she credits Michigan cherries for helping her rack up this third win.
“Her winning recipe, Argentine Wild (Michigan) Cherry Chicken, is a delicious, slightly savory, slightly sweet creation,” Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council spokesperson Chelsea Russell described to me.
“The fruity-fresh berry flavors of her sauce pairs perfectly with all the smoky flavors found in wild rice.”
A self-taught home cook with no professional training in the culinary arts, Kurella said she was stunned by the three-in-a-row win.
“I am absolutely overjoyed and thank God for blessing me with creative kitchen abilities that call me to ‘play’ in the kitchen,” Kurella said by phone with her signature giggle.
“Wild rice is so unique and health-filled, but also a challenge to develop recipes for. I am super-thrilled that Michigan cherries helped me rack up this three-peat win. Their eye-catching color and combination of tart, fruity-fresh flavors do well to complement the earthy-nutty-smoky flavors in wild rice. Working together to elevate this dish into a fun, festive and flavor-forward fork experience!”
Kurella’s Argentine Wild (Michigan) Cherry Chicken features a well-seasoned chicken with wild rice, all flavorfully serenaded by generous scoops of freshly-made chimichurri sauce.
“The sauce gives this dish an unmistakably fresh and tangy flavor that pairs well with the savory, earthy flavors in wild rice,” Russell said.
“We also liked that this dish offers flexibility and can be served as an appetizer, a skewer, or as a plated main.”
Kurella’s Argentine Wild (Michigan) Cherry Chicken features seasoned chicken on a bed of wild rice that’s accented with freshly-made chimichurri sauce.
Laura Kurella’s award-winning recipe for “Argentine Wild (Michigan) Cherry Chicken” garnered the People’s Choice Award in the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council’s 15th Annual “Get Wild with Wild Rice” recipe contest in October 2025. (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council)
Savoring Kurella’s current 2024-2025 win, Russell recalled her 2023-24 win, which was a scrumptious Wild Rice Beer Bread with Maple Spread recipe.
“It (the bread recipe) had a magical flavor combination with a hint of sweetness and a distinctive, nutty-earth flavor that was so good, and her 2022-23 winning recipe was also unique,” Russell said.
“Her ‘Popped’ Espresso Mocha Pillow Crisps were delightfully soft and sweet marshmallow ‘pops’ coated in dark chocolate, then sprinkled with a touch of espresso powder, aromatic cinnamon, then wrapped in a crisp blanket of nutty-delicious ‘popped’ wild rice that made it a cute, sweet and chocolaty-delicious crunchy treat.”
She applauds Kurella’s flair “for thinking way outside the rice box,” crediting Kurella’s inventiveness for this unprecedented winning streak.
The Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council (MCWRC) was established in 1974 to support Minnesota’s cultivated wild rice growers, who are the top producers of wild rice in the United States. Their first annual “Get Wild with Wild Rice” recipe contest was held in 2010, and has helped make their website home to the world’s largest free online wild rice recipe library. To view it, visit mnwildrice.org.
To receive a printed copy of the 2024-2025 Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice finalist recipes, which contain the recipes from all the finalists, send a business-size, self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council, Newest Recipes, 4630 Churchill St #1, St. Paul, MN 55126.
Originally from Whiting, and a favorite occasional guest host on my weekly WJOB 1230 AM radio show when she’s back visiting Northwest Indiana, Kurella and her husband now live up north in Wellston, Michigan.
“It’s been challenging during the holiday because my hubby had a heart attack, and I have been overwhelmed to say the least,” Kurella explained.
“I thank God for saving his life and the amazing care we received at both Manistee and Traverse City hospitals. They truly made the difference between life and death for him. I cannot be more thankful and grateful.”
Laura Kurella and her husband Richard Taylor helped me with information for an August 2021 published column about rutabagas, which are abundant each year in the couple’s upper Michigan garden along with the boundless acres of Michigan cherry orchards which fill the landscape.
“Not only do I promote Michigan cherries as a much-valued Midwest crop, but they are also loaded with health-promoting benefits, making them a true win-win-win on every level as an ingredient,” Kurella said.
Columnist Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is a weekly radio show host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at PhilPotempa@gmail.com or mail your questions: From the Farm, PO Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374.
Argentine Wild (Michigan) Cherry Chicken with Chimichurri Drizzle
Makes 4 servings
Chimichurri Drizzle:
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small shallot, peeled
2 tablespoons dry red wine (or red wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup pitted fresh (or re-hydrated) cherries (tart or dark)
8 sprigs fresh cilantro
4 sprigs fresh parsley
4 fresh mint leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon unrefined (colored) sea salt
1/2 cup oil (favorite)
Chicken:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (key for flavor), cubed
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter/fat/ oil
2 cups cooked wild rice
Fresh lime wedges, garnish
Cilantro, garnish
Directions:
Make chimichurri by combining all ingredients in a food processor and pulsing just until mixture is well-blended and between coarse and medium-chopped. Move contents to a covered glass container and chill for at least one hour before serving.
To prepare chicken, using a medium skillet, brown chicken in butter, fat or oil as desired.
Season meat with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in wild rice and heat through so ingredients are acquainted.
Right before serving, drizzle the chicken and rice with warmed (or, if preferred, still chilled) chimichurri.
