Simple Roast Chicken Cooked at High Heat

A cold day calls for a really hot oven to help keep you toasty and warm. And what sounds better than a Roast Chicken for dinner?

Adapted from Roasting: A Simple Art (William Morrow, 1995)

Serves 2 to 4

5- to 6-pound chicken at room temperature, wing tips removed
1 lemon, halved
4 whole garlic cloves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup chicken stock, water, fruit juice, or wine for optional deglazing

1. Place rack on second level from bottom of oven. Heat oven to 500°F (or for convection, reduce to 450°F).

2. Remove the fat from the tail and crop end of the chicken. Freeze the neck for stock.

3. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon, garlic, and butter, if using. Season the cavity and skin with salt and pepper.

4. Place the chicken in a 12 x 8 x 1 1/2-inch roasting pan breast side up. Put in the oven legs first and roast 50 to 60 minutes, or until the juices run clear. After the first 10 minutes, move the chicken with a wooden spoon or spatula to keep it from sticking.

5. Remove the chicken to a platter by placing a large wooden spoon into the tail end and balancing the chicken with a kitchen spoon pressed against the crop end. As you lift the chicken, carefully tilt it over the roasting pan so that all the juices run out and into the pan.

6. Optional: Pour off or spoon out excess fat from the roasting pan and put the roasting pan on top of the stove. Add the stock or other liquid and bring the contents of the pan to a boil, while scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon. Let reduce by half. Serve the sauce over the chicken or, for crisp skin, in a sauceboat.

Photo by Nicole Franzen

Chicken Cacciatore

January is the perfect month to make this hearty, Italian chicken dish. Hopefully you still have some canned heirloom tomatoes left in your pantry and a Browder's Bird in the freezer to really make it special!

Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 4

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 3 to 4 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 cup white wine
1 28-ounce can peeled whole tomatoes
1 large bay leaf
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups rich chicken stock

Heat half the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly colored, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, continuing to stir, for about 2 minutes more. Remove onions from pan and reserve. Add remaining oil to pan and over moderately high heat brown the chicken on all sides, about 6 minutes.

Add onions back to pan then add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about 5 minutes. Chop the tomatoes reserving the juice and add to chicken. Stir in reserved juice, bay leaf, rosemary and fennel seed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer, gradually adding chicken stock as tomato juice evaporates, for 45 minutes until chicken is tender. Correct seasoning and stir in parsley and serve with steamed potatoes or white rice.

John Ash © 2012

Roast Chicken with Apple and Herb Stuffing

I was passing through Bridgehampton yesterday and stopped at the Halsey family farmstand -- The Milk Pail -- for apples and delicious cider.   I just had to stuff a chicken with apples for dinner!

Ingredients

For Chicken:
5 sprigs of parsley
4 sprigs of thyme
1 4-lb white broiler or 3 1/2 lb red broiler
1/2 lemon
1/2 onion, quartered

Preheat oven to 375. Put the sprigs of parsley & thyme, the lemon and onion into chicken cavity. Season with pepper.

For Stuffing:
2 Tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely diced
1 large apple, grated
1 cup of frsh breadcrumbs (I recommend Blue Duck cranberry-walnut bread)
1 small egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon thyme, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
salt and black pepper

To make the stuffing:  soften the diced onion in the butter for a few minutes.  Remove from heat and add apple, bread crumbs, parlsey, thyme, lemon zest, egg, salt and pepper.

Spoon the stuffing into the neck-end of the chicken. If you leave the neck attached, just cut an opening.  Close up the skin over the stuffing and secure with a wooden skewer. Put the leftover stuffing into an oven proof dish and cook for the last 40 minutes with the chicken.

Rub a little oil or butter, salt and pepper onto the chicken and cook breast-side down in a roasting pan until brown.  Once brown, flip over and cook for approx 1 1/2 hours. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

French Chicken with Dijon Mustard and Grilled Tomatoes

Make sure to pick up your organic chickens from us at the farmers' market tomorrow along with beautiful, heirloom tomatoes from Sang Lee Farms for this inspired recipe for the grill.  Perfect for the cooler nights at the end of summer!

Serves 8.

2 whole chickens, 3-4 pounds each
Olive oil for brushing, plus 1/4 cup
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons white wine
1/3 cup strong Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup of panko, or fresh white bread crumbs, plus extra for tomatoes
4 tomatoes, halved

Heat the grill and prepare it for indirect cooking over medium heat.

Rinse and dry chickens.  Using poultry shears, or a very sharp knife, cut down the length of each backbone (on each side) and remove. Turn chickens breast side up and break the breastbone by striking it with a blunt object (such as a can of beans). 

Spread chickens open and lay flat.  Tuck wing tips under the upper wings, then brush all over with olive oil. 

Season with salt and pepper, and place in center of grill, skin side up.  Cover the grill and cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, assemble the mustard sauce.  Whisk together the white wine and mustard, then slowly drizzle the 1/4 cup of olive oil and the butter into the mixture.  Add the thyme, cayenne and scallions and combine.  Reserve 8 teaspoons for the tomatoes. 

After cooking chickens for 20 minutes, turn them over and spread mustard sauce on backs of chickens.  Grill, covered, for 10 minutes.  Turn breast-side up and spread mustard sauce on the skin. Grill another 10 minutes, covered.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and grill, covered, 10 - 15 minutes more or until juices run clear. 

Remove from heat and allow chickens to rest for 10 minutes.  Spread each tomato with reserved mustard sauce, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and grill while the chicken is resting.  Serve hot.

Blue Ribbon Northern Fried Chicken

Chef's Eric and Bruce Bromberg opened Blue Ribbon in Manhattan over 20 years ago and now have a small empire of excellent restaurants. Their trick is to take a realtively simple dish with perfect ingredients and give it a twist.  This dish takes chicken out of the fyrer and hits it with alot of spice. For faster prep, substitute our Browder's GRILL blend for the seasoning!

Serves 4.

6 cups of soy oil
1 3-4 pound chicken, cut into 2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 brest pieces, 2 wings
4 large egg whites, whisked
1/2 cup matzo meal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons hot paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Freshly ground white pepper

1.  Fill a large pot with about 3 inches of oil.  Heat the oil over medium-high heat until deep-fry thermometer reades 375 degrees.

2.  Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry.  Place the egg whites in a shallow bowl.

3.  In a sperate bowl combine the matzo meal, flour and baking powder.  Dip each chicken piece into egg white and let excess drip back into bowl.  Next, press each chicken piece into the matzo mix and tap off excess.

4.  Working in 2 batches, fry the chicken until the coating is a dark golden color, about 10 minutes for white meat and 13 minutes for dark meat.

5.  In a seperate bowl, while chicken is frying, combine the paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, basil and cayenne to make the spice seasoning.

6.  Transfer cooked chicken to a paper-towled lined plate.  Sprinkle immediately with salt and white pepper, and then coat the pieces with at least of teaspoon of the spice seasonings.

Devilish Chicken

Looking for a way to cook your Browder's chicken this weekend?  Chef Mary Ann Esposito, host of the PBS tv show "Ciao Italia" offers this easy recipe for a whole chicken cooked on the grill. 

Serves 4

1 - 3 1/2 to 4 pound free-range, organic chicken, butterflied
1/4 cup of olive oil
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper or dried hot pepper flakes
1 cup of dry white wine
Lemon wedges

To butterfly chicken,  place it on a plastic cutting board, breast side down.  With kitchen shears or a boning knife, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove the bone (save it for stock).  Turn chicken over, skin side up, and flatten it by pressing down with hands or a meat pounder.

Coat chicken completely with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.  Transfer chicken to a dish, cover, and marinate for several hours.  This step can also be done the day before. 

Preheat grill.  When coals are white or a gas grill temperature reaches 500 degress, place chicken on grill, breast side down.  Cook, turning frequently, and keeping the fire under control so as to not burn the chicken. 

About 10 minutes into grilling, begin basting the chicken with white wine.  Continue to baste every 10 minutes.  The chicken is cooked when a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh bone registers between 175 and 180 degrees.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and cut into serving pieces.  Serve hot, with lemon wedges and a squirt of lemon juice.  Use your fingers, not a fork, to eat. 

Cast-Iron Skillet Roasted Chicken for a Picnic

For your next picnic, why not serve classic, roasted chicken sandwiches?  The twist is to split and roast your bird in a cast-iron skillet the night before, and then serve it cold along with some sliced sourdough or whole grain bread.  Include seasonal fixings such as spring lettuces, fresh herbs, radishes and chutney or homemade mayonnaise.  Add a bottle of wine along with the grilled chicken and you are good to go!

Start to finish:  50 minutes
Servings: 8

4-pound Browder's Birds organic chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Place chicken on a cutting board, breast side down.  Use sturdy kitchen shears to cut down the length of the spine on both sides.  Discard the spine. 

Turn the bird breast-side up.  Gripping the two sides, open the bird up, pressing down firmly at the center to flatten it.

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, garlic powder, thyme and pepper.  Rub the mixture evenly over the entire chicken. 

Set a large cast-iron skillet on a burner over medium-high heat.  When the skillet is hot, add the chicken -  breast side down. Let the chicken brown for 5 minutes, then use tongs to carefully flip so breast side is up.  Set the skillet in the oven and roast for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the thickest part reaches 165 degrees. 

Remove the chicken from the oven and serve immediately for dinner, or let cool and then refrigerate for use in a picnic the next day.