These five dishes looked so good I wanted to go into the kitchen and start cooking immediately. Alas, there other things in store for me today. Maybe you will want to make:
o Carrot Slaw with Cranberries and Toasted Walnuts
o Paula Wolfert’s Chicken with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Nigella Seeds
o Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie
I have been on a quest for my ‘go to’ simple weeknight roast chicken recipe. Julia Child believed that the way to judge the quality of a cook or a restaurant is by their roast chicken.
Here is what I am know: buying the best quality chicken you can find and afford, will go a very long way to providing you with a dish you will want to make again and again. I don’t like to over flavor the bird. I want to taste CHICKEN, as I have inevitably gone to the trouble of getting good one from Weavers Way Co-op, Whole Foods or a local farmers market.
I also know that there needs to be fairly high heat involved or you are going to get baked chicken. There is nothing wrong with that, but not what I am going for here. Roasting requires at least 375º or higher for at least part of the time. In reviewing a dozen or more recipes from chefs as well as my favorite bloggers, most (including dear Julia herself) recommend starting the bird at 425 to 450º for 30 minutes, and then turning the oven down to 350º.
On the finer points, in order to make the bird easy enough for even a nice weekday dinner, avoid fussiness of all sorts except to fold under the wings so they don’t get burnt to a crisp. Trussing, massaging herbs and garlic under the skin, or basting just isn’t in the cards. I love Michael Ruhlman’s blog entry “America: Too Stupid to Cook,” where he tells you to turn the oven to 450º, coat a 3- or 4-pound chicken with a tablespoon of coarse salt, “stick a lemon or some onion or any fruit or vegetable you have on hand into the cavity. Put the chicken in the oven at 450 if you have ventilation and 425º if you don’t.” And then go about your business for an hour; let rest for 15 minutes and eat.
Here is MY tried and true roast chicken with a few more details:
Preheat oven to 450º. Place a half a lemon and fresh thyme (if you have it) in the cavity. Massage a couple of tablespoons of butter or olive oil all over the bird (if you are squeamish, you can avoid this step) and salt with 1 tablespoon of coarse salt.
Use a dutch oven or roasting pan that is 1 inch larger then the chicken. Lay 3 celery stalks length-wise side by side in the bottom of the pan, throw in half a dozen baby carrots and a shallot or two (or quartered onion, or neither!). All with an eye to keeping the chicken off the bottom of the pan and flavoring the pan juices. I like to add a few potatoes for a one pot meal.
Place the chicken breast side up on the veggies and pop onto a rack in the lower third of the oven. A three-pound bird will take about an hour and a 5-pounder up to 1 1/2 hours (10 minutes per pound). An instant-read thermometer in the innermost part of the thigh and the thickest part of the breast should be at 165º. Conventional wisdom says that if there is any pink, back in the oven it goes. An updated USDA Fact Sheet has you rely on your thermometer; it is possible to see some pink and still be in safe. Rest your golden beauty for 15 minutes, make a quick sauce with the deliciousness left in the pan, and serve to much applause; OK maybe the sound of satisfied chewing.
Gilding the Lily:
To make a sauce, remove the veggies from the pan and place on top of the stove. Deglaze your pan over medium heat with 3/4 cup white wine or vermouth, scraping up all the lovely brown bits. Reduce by half. Swirl in a tablespoon of butter if you dare.
Posted in Recipes
Tagged chicken, cooking, entrée, perfect recipe, Recipes, weeknight cooking