Cock of the Walk
March 26, 2011 5:07 AM Subscribe
Roasted Chicken Recipe Filter. I'll be doing two roasted (oven baked) whole chickens for a dinner with my in-laws tomorrow.
I want one to be a "safety" chicken, just a simple brine soak and then simply roasted with some really excellent herbes de provance that my MIL gave me for Christmas (bonus points!) but the other one I want to do something a little adventurous with. Any ideas? Something spicy or exotic or just unexpected from a roasted chicken?
I want one to be a "safety" chicken, just a simple brine soak and then simply roasted with some really excellent herbes de provance that my MIL gave me for Christmas (bonus points!) but the other one I want to do something a little adventurous with. Any ideas? Something spicy or exotic or just unexpected from a roasted chicken?
Best answer: Make the Peruvian-style roasted chicken from this month's Cooks Illustrated. I've had it twice already and it's fantastic. Recipe here.
posted by BobbyVan at 5:52 AM on March 26, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by BobbyVan at 5:52 AM on March 26, 2011 [6 favorites]
Super simple, but if you dump a can of Newman's Own Pineapple Salsa over it (and stuff the cavity with onions and chunks of pineapple), it comes out very moist and delicious and salsa-y.
I often use pineapple rings (from a can) as a "roasting rack" under the chicken when I make the chicken this way, and then serve them on the chicken's platter, which is also delicious and people always think it's clever and fun.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:20 AM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
I often use pineapple rings (from a can) as a "roasting rack" under the chicken when I make the chicken this way, and then serve them on the chicken's platter, which is also delicious and people always think it's clever and fun.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:20 AM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I am a garlic addict so whenever I roast a chicken I like to do 40 clove chicken.
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6590/chicken+with+40+garlic+cloves
Serve it with crusty bread so you can squeeze out all the garlicy goodness from the roasted cloves onto the bread to eat. It sounds like a lot of garlic, but the slow cooking softens the flavour beautifully and it is a lot more subtle tasting than you'd think.
posted by wwax at 6:30 AM on March 26, 2011 [2 favorites]
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6590/chicken+with+40+garlic+cloves
Serve it with crusty bread so you can squeeze out all the garlicy goodness from the roasted cloves onto the bread to eat. It sounds like a lot of garlic, but the slow cooking softens the flavour beautifully and it is a lot more subtle tasting than you'd think.
posted by wwax at 6:30 AM on March 26, 2011 [2 favorites]
Seconding 40-clove chicken as a really excellent dish, but that Peruvian one sounds like it's worth trying the next time I want to roast one.
posted by briank at 6:33 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by briank at 6:33 AM on March 26, 2011
Response by poster: I LOVE the idea of the Peruvian chicken and the garlic chicken (I'll throw a head of garlic in a chicken when I roast it for myself).
posted by carlh at 6:38 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by carlh at 6:38 AM on March 26, 2011
Wow, that Peruvian chicken sounds delish.
I like to sometimes do a five spice chicken. Rub with a mix of garlic and five spice powder, put onions to roast in the bottom of the pan, and use Chinese rice wine mixed with stock to baste.
posted by miss tea at 7:45 AM on March 26, 2011
I like to sometimes do a five spice chicken. Rub with a mix of garlic and five spice powder, put onions to roast in the bottom of the pan, and use Chinese rice wine mixed with stock to baste.
posted by miss tea at 7:45 AM on March 26, 2011
I love Moroccan chicken. Recipes:
About.com
Epicurious
Martha Stewart - I use this one and LOVE it. Great with couscous.
posted by methroach at 7:57 AM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
About.com
Epicurious
Martha Stewart - I use this one and LOVE it. Great with couscous.
posted by methroach at 7:57 AM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I don't have any spice suggestions, but one trick I've found is to let the chicken sit in the fridge naked for a couple hours before you roast it --- the dry air in the fridge sucks any surface moisture off the bird and the skin comes out really crispy. You can put spices on it if you're doing that.
posted by Diablevert at 8:07 AM on March 26, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by Diablevert at 8:07 AM on March 26, 2011 [4 favorites]
Judy Rodgers' Zuni Cafe Roast Chicken. The best, easiest and most fool-proof way to make delicious roast chicken at home.
posted by trip and a half at 9:09 AM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by trip and a half at 9:09 AM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you end up doing the Peruvian chicken, make sure you also make the spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce... You'll love it!
posted by BobbyVan at 9:21 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by BobbyVan at 9:21 AM on March 26, 2011
My normal routine is this:
1. Take out innards & put them in a small saucepan full of water (1 cup) to slow boil
2. Put chicken on rack and pour a little of each of the following on top:
White wine
Rice wine vinegar
Olive oil
(Optional: Juice from an orange. I tried lemon once. Once. We still joke about how bad it was!)
Sprinkle dried rosemary on top.
Stuff cavity with: garlic, apples, onions.
Cook chicken at 375-ish (I have a tabletop roasting oven, so my temperatures aren't the same as other ovens). Meanwhile, turn off heat to saucepan and take innards out. After 20 minutes, pour contents of saucepan over chicken. Baste every 20 mins or so until done. Drippings are perfect for gravy. :)
posted by luckynerd at 10:03 AM on March 26, 2011
1. Take out innards & put them in a small saucepan full of water (1 cup) to slow boil
2. Put chicken on rack and pour a little of each of the following on top:
White wine
Rice wine vinegar
Olive oil
(Optional: Juice from an orange. I tried lemon once. Once. We still joke about how bad it was!)
Sprinkle dried rosemary on top.
Stuff cavity with: garlic, apples, onions.
Cook chicken at 375-ish (I have a tabletop roasting oven, so my temperatures aren't the same as other ovens). Meanwhile, turn off heat to saucepan and take innards out. After 20 minutes, pour contents of saucepan over chicken. Baste every 20 mins or so until done. Drippings are perfect for gravy. :)
posted by luckynerd at 10:03 AM on March 26, 2011
Strongly 2nding the Zuni Cafe Roast Chicken from Smitten Kitchen (I'm a huge Smitten fan and had no idea that her name was Judy Rodgers... my friends and I always just call her Smitten like it's her name!). Anyway, I always use her recipe and it is the best roast chicken of ever. It isn't "exotic" -- I prefer to do a really amazing high heat dry roasted chicken and dress it up afterwards with sides/sauces (pick your fresh herbs to complement what you plan to serve it with).
posted by telegraph at 10:11 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by telegraph at 10:11 AM on March 26, 2011
Stick a lemon in it and be done with it! Well, first poke the lemon all over with a skewer. Oh, and olive oil+salt+pepper the skin. And then be done with it!
posted by ericost at 10:15 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by ericost at 10:15 AM on March 26, 2011
Response by poster: Hmm! I've seen two recipes, one of which strongly recommends a lemon, and the other completely abhors lemons like the plague. Is there a secret accident to avoid when cooking with lemons that makes a recipe a Total Fail? I'm guessing that it's good as an aromatic but not an actual marinade?
posted by carlh at 10:46 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by carlh at 10:46 AM on March 26, 2011
In my case, I used too much lemon. I'm guessing more is less when it comes to lemon.
posted by luckynerd at 11:34 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by luckynerd at 11:34 AM on March 26, 2011
Best answer: Damnit, less is more!!!
Btw, I used limes once, and that was tasty.
posted by luckynerd at 11:35 AM on March 26, 2011
Btw, I used limes once, and that was tasty.
posted by luckynerd at 11:35 AM on March 26, 2011
Best answer: Carlh, its the moisture and the aroma of the lemon you're after. By putting it INSIDE the chicken, Italian-mom-style, you get that without ending up with sour lemon juice in your drippings. See ericost right above your post: THAT'S how to roast a chicken that tastes the most like actual CHICKEN (well, that and the head of garlic you cut in half to put in the cavity with the lemon, but I digress...). The flavors are subtle, the meat is steamed from the inside out, the skin is crisp, and salty, and delicious - and the whole thing tastes like chicken, not limes, or rosemary, or anything else. There are times for flavoring a centerpiece ingredient - and if it's your third chicken dinner this week, I say, bring out the flavor weapons - but the perfect roast chicken doesn't need any of that.
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 11:39 AM on March 26, 2011
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 11:39 AM on March 26, 2011
Oh we just had this tonight! It's amazing – like all my good recipes, I think it came originally from America's Test Kitchen:
A COUPLE OF HOURS BEFORE DINNER:
Simmer 6 or 8 minced garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon each finely chopped thyme and rosemary in ¼ cup olive oil for a few minutes, then drain and mix with 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and a little lemon juice and let cool.
Rinse and thoroughly dry a nice big chicken, then spatchcock it by removing the backbone and the breastbone. Remove all accessible yellow fat. Work your fingers under the skin of the breasts, thighs, and legs and rub the thyme-rosemary gremolata under the skin.
Pin the legs up so the whole flattened bird is about evenly thick, and put it uncovered on a big plate in the fridge, skin up.
45 MINUTES BEFORE DINNER:
Start your oven heating to 500ºF. Cover the bottom of a broiling pan with aluminum foil and cover that with big pieces of carrot, then liberally salt and pepper. Put on the top of the broiling pan and put the chicken on there. Roast at 500ºF for 20 minutes, then rotate 180º and roast until the thickest part of the breast is at 165ºF, about another 20–30 minutes. Carve and serve with the carrots.
The chicken skin will be cracklingly crisp and amazingly tasty, and the meat will be ridiculously moist and well-seasoned. But the carrots – oh man! – they are like candy. They look burned on the bottom, but are sweet and salty and crunchy+gooey and covered in delicious schmaltz. They're the best thing.
posted by nicwolff at 7:43 PM on March 26, 2011
A COUPLE OF HOURS BEFORE DINNER:
Simmer 6 or 8 minced garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon each finely chopped thyme and rosemary in ¼ cup olive oil for a few minutes, then drain and mix with 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and a little lemon juice and let cool.
Rinse and thoroughly dry a nice big chicken, then spatchcock it by removing the backbone and the breastbone. Remove all accessible yellow fat. Work your fingers under the skin of the breasts, thighs, and legs and rub the thyme-rosemary gremolata under the skin.
Pin the legs up so the whole flattened bird is about evenly thick, and put it uncovered on a big plate in the fridge, skin up.
45 MINUTES BEFORE DINNER:
Start your oven heating to 500ºF. Cover the bottom of a broiling pan with aluminum foil and cover that with big pieces of carrot, then liberally salt and pepper. Put on the top of the broiling pan and put the chicken on there. Roast at 500ºF for 20 minutes, then rotate 180º and roast until the thickest part of the breast is at 165ºF, about another 20–30 minutes. Carve and serve with the carrots.
The chicken skin will be cracklingly crisp and amazingly tasty, and the meat will be ridiculously moist and well-seasoned. But the carrots – oh man! – they are like candy. They look burned on the bottom, but are sweet and salty and crunchy+gooey and covered in delicious schmaltz. They're the best thing.
posted by nicwolff at 7:43 PM on March 26, 2011
My simple lemon-garlic roasted chicken never fails to get applause:
Brine the chicken (swish 1/2 cup of salt in a bucket of water, toss in chicken) for 3-5 hours.
Make a paste of garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Rub into/onto chicken.
Roast the chicken on a rack (just don't set it in a pan where it will drown in it's own grease).
Brining, which keeps the meat juicy, is a major part of the secret.
posted by artdrectr at 9:36 PM on March 26, 2011
Brine the chicken (swish 1/2 cup of salt in a bucket of water, toss in chicken) for 3-5 hours.
Make a paste of garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Rub into/onto chicken.
Roast the chicken on a rack (just don't set it in a pan where it will drown in it's own grease).
Brining, which keeps the meat juicy, is a major part of the secret.
posted by artdrectr at 9:36 PM on March 26, 2011
All of these sound delicious. Marcella Hazan's chicken with two lemons has been recommended to me -- very simple, and reportedly very delicious.
Also minor point of clarification: Judy Rodgers is not Smitten Kitchen; she is a chef and co-owner of the Zuni Café and the author of the Zuni Café cookbook. (I think SK's name is Deb.)
posted by librarina at 11:15 PM on March 26, 2011
Also minor point of clarification: Judy Rodgers is not Smitten Kitchen; she is a chef and co-owner of the Zuni Café and the author of the Zuni Café cookbook. (I think SK's name is Deb.)
posted by librarina at 11:15 PM on March 26, 2011
Here's a variation on a Filipino roast chicken that is wonderfully aromatic, somewhat exotic, and very easy. Take a nice roasting chicken, wash and pat dry inside and out. Next, take about 2 bunches of green onions, chop coarsely, set aside. Take a nice handful of fresh ginger, peel, and slice into thick rings. Smash the rings with a heavy spoon, mallet, or something. Take the smashed ginger and rub the entire chicken, inside and out. Season with salt and pepper to your liking, inside and out. Then, stuff the cavity of the bird with the green onions and ginger. I usually slip some underneath the breast skin as well. Place the bird in a deep roasting pan. Finally, take a bottle of low-sodium soy sauce, tip the bird on it's end and fill the cavity until the soy sauce runs out. Position the chicken breast-side up, cover the bird TIGHTLY with foil-this is critical...you want a tight seal so the chicken steams nicely with the aromatics. Cook 2 hrs at 375 degrees, remove foil the last 20 min. to allow the bird to brown nicely (ok to baste with the juices at this point as well). When finished, it will literally fall apart. Serve over Jasmine steamed rice....be sure to try the ginger/green onions stuffing along with the chicken and rice....really tasty!
posted by kskiivv at 1:10 PM on March 27, 2011
posted by kskiivv at 1:10 PM on March 27, 2011
Probably too late for Carlh's dinner, here's a Roasted Lemon Chicken from Cook's Country:
Roast Lemon Chicken
Serves 3 to 4
Avoid using nonstick or aluminum roasting pans in this recipe. The former can cause the chicken to brown too quickly, while the latter may react with the lemon juice, producing off-flavors.
1 whole chicken (3 1/2- to 4-pounds), backbone removed and butterflied (see related
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest plus 1/3 cup juice from 3 lemons
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1. SEASON Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine lemon zest, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Following photo 2 (of step-by-step), rub 2 tablespoons zest mixture under skin of chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper and transfer to roasting pan. (Seasoned chicken can be refrigerated for 2 hours)
2. ROAST Whisk broth, 1 cup water, lemon juice, and remaining zest mixture in 4-cup liquid measuring cup, then pour into roasting pan. (Liquid should just reach skin of thighs. If it does not, add enough water to reach skin of thighs.) Roast until skin is golden brown and thigh meat registers 170 to 175 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 20 minutes.
3. MAKE SAUCE Pour liquid from pan, along with any accumulated chicken juices, into saucepan (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Skim fat, then cook over medium-high until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Whisk cornstarch with remaining water in small bowl until no lumps remain, then whisk into saucepan. Simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and parley and season with salt and pepper. Carve chicken and serve, passing sauce at table.
posted by JABof72 at 2:49 AM on March 28, 2011
Roast Lemon Chicken
Serves 3 to 4
Avoid using nonstick or aluminum roasting pans in this recipe. The former can cause the chicken to brown too quickly, while the latter may react with the lemon juice, producing off-flavors.
1 whole chicken (3 1/2- to 4-pounds), backbone removed and butterflied (see related
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest plus 1/3 cup juice from 3 lemons
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1. SEASON Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine lemon zest, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Following photo 2 (of step-by-step), rub 2 tablespoons zest mixture under skin of chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper and transfer to roasting pan. (Seasoned chicken can be refrigerated for 2 hours)
2. ROAST Whisk broth, 1 cup water, lemon juice, and remaining zest mixture in 4-cup liquid measuring cup, then pour into roasting pan. (Liquid should just reach skin of thighs. If it does not, add enough water to reach skin of thighs.) Roast until skin is golden brown and thigh meat registers 170 to 175 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 20 minutes.
3. MAKE SAUCE Pour liquid from pan, along with any accumulated chicken juices, into saucepan (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Skim fat, then cook over medium-high until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Whisk cornstarch with remaining water in small bowl until no lumps remain, then whisk into saucepan. Simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and parley and season with salt and pepper. Carve chicken and serve, passing sauce at table.
posted by JABof72 at 2:49 AM on March 28, 2011
I have had good luck with Jamie Oliver's chicken in milk recipe. Yes, it sounded a little gross to me before trying, but yes, it turned out well. Personally, I think the best idea in the recipe is shredding the chicken - I always feel like parts of roasted chicken turn out amazing while other parts turn out bland. This spreads the flavor around.
posted by Jorus at 8:52 AM on March 29, 2011
posted by Jorus at 8:52 AM on March 29, 2011
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posted by mhoye at 5:28 AM on March 26, 2011