“Say!
Everyone’s talking ‘bout
chicken:
Chicken’s
a popular bird;
Anywhere
you go, you’re bound to find,
A chicken ain’t nothin’ but
a bird.” *
(listening: Marcin Wasilewski Trio: Faithful
A roast chicken is a beautiful meal, perhaps one of the most
requested when we’re all together. Carved and brought to the table with its
roasted vegetables, the juices bound together into a gravy or sauce, it’s an
excuse for mashed potatoes (never enough) and while you're at it, don’t forget the crispy skin on
the side for my oldest daughter who discovered its pleasures early in her life.
Years ago after one of my brothers moved into his first apartment he
called home to ask, “How hot do you cook a chicken?” Back then, 325 degrees was
roasting temperature for a chicken.
Today, 450 degrees is the norm.
Roasting a chicken requires little actual work; the oven
does it all. You just have to monitor it as the cooking progresses to make
certain that nothing is roasting too much, you know, burning. Having said that,
I have never experienced any such problems save for a stray vegetable or two.
If you see any problems, reduce the heat.
Whole chickens come in various sizes. For this recipe I used
a chicken that weighed almost five pounds so your cooking time may be
different. Always check the temperature of your chicken with an instant read
thermometer. Place the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast,
without touching bone. The temperature should reach 160 degrees before it’s
removed from the oven. As the
chicken rests, it will continue cooking and reach at least 165 degrees, the
required ending cooking temperature. Whenever I roast a chicken, I always look
for it’s leftover potential-the chicken stock and the meals made with the
leftover chicken. I also roast the chicken on a bed of vegetables which are
part of the meal, equally as good as the chicken. While this recipe reflects
the amount of vegetables for two people, it’s easy enough to extra more when
cooking for more people. And don’t be limited by the choice of vegetables,
either.
You could skip the mashed potatoes (why would you?) and
roast peeled quartered potatoes along with the chicken.
“You can boil it, roast it, broil
it
Cook it in a pan or a
pot
Eat it with
potatoes, rice, or tomatoes,
A chicken’s
still what you got, boy! “*
Roast
Chicken:
One roasting chicken
For two people, I used:
3 carrots
1 large onion
6 to 8 cloves garlic
2 parsnips
several sprigs of fresh thyme and fresh rosemary
an additional carrot and onion half for the cavity of the
chicken
salt and ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 & ½ cups chicken broth (you can use canned broth)
white wine, optional
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut the carrots crosswise in half, then cut the pieces
lengthwise into equally thick pieces, about 3” in length. Peel the onion.
Leaving the root end on cut the onion in half lengthwise and cut the halves
into two or three lengthwise pieces. Peel the garlic cloves and keep whole.
Peel the parsnips and cut them similar to the carrots.
3. Place all of the vegetables into the bottom of a roasting
pan. Season the vegetables with some salt (about 1 teaspoon) and ground black
pepper. Scatter the herbs among the vegetables. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons
olive oil over the vegetables. Set aside.
4, Remove the chicken from its wrapper. Remove the giblets
inside the cavity and drain any liquid inside. Pat the chicken dry with paper
towels. Remove any excess fat from the cavity. To make carving easier you may
choose to remove the wishbone; if it breaks while you are removing it be careful
since the bone pieces will be sharp. (You can consult a video demonstration by
Jacques Pepin to see how to remove the wishbone). Season inside the chicken with some salt and ground black
pepper; place the additional vegetables and additional herbs into the chicken
cavity. Truss the chicken with a length of cotton twine or alternately, tie the
legs together. Place the chicken into the roasting pan over the vegetables.
Season the chicken with salt (1 to 2 teaspoons) and ground black pepper.
Drizzle the chicken with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place the chicken into
the oven. After the chicken has roasted for about 20 minutes, check to see that
there is some liquid (rendered chicken fat) in the pan to help the vegetables
roast; if the pan appears dry, add about ¼ cup chicken broth or some wine.
Continue monitoring the progress of the chicken every 20 to 30 minutes, adding
additional broth if necessary.
5. Roast the chicken until an instant read thermometer
inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 160 degrees and the juices
run clear. The chicken I
used was almost 5 pounds and took 1 hour and 20 minutes to cook.
6. Remove the finished chicken from the oven. Transfer the
chicken to a plate, cover with a piece of aluminum foil; let rest the chicken
rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. If the vegetables aren’t tender, you
can lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and return the roasting pan with
vegetables for additional cooking.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a serving dish; cover and
keep warm. Place the roasting pan
onto the stove. Over medium-high heat, scrape any browned bits from the bottom
of the pan. Remove roasting pan from the heat and strain the liquid into a
saucepan. Spoon off any fat on the top of the cooking liquid and discard. Add
an additional ½ cup broth to the liquid in the saucepan. In a small bowl, mix 2
Tablespoons cornstarch with remaining chicken broth; mix until smooth. Place the saucepan over medium heat and
bring to a boil. Remove pan from the heat and whisk in some of the cornstarch
mixture. Place pan back over heat and whisk as it comes to a boil and thickens.
If the sauce needs additional thickening, off the heat whisk in some more of
the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil again. If sauce has thickened too
much, thin it with some more stock or water. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6. Carve the breast meat from the chicken and place onto a
warm platter. Remove the legs and place onto the platter, if serving. Serve
with the roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, and the sauce.
*”A
Chicken Ain’t Nothin’ But a Bird” by Cab Calloway
Marcin Wasilewski:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqhPBEJt7Yc
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