365 More Ways to Cook Chicken (365 ways) (26 page)

1.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Use your fingers to loosen breast skin of chicken. Insert 4 to 6 whole herb sprigs under skin and spread to flatten them. Season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill chicken cavity with remaining fresh herbs. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Rub butter over skin. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.

2.
Roast until skin is a rich golden brown and an instant-reading thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180°, about 1½ hours. Remove chicken to a carving board.

3.
Pour off fat from pan. Add broth and wine to pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring up browned bits from bottom of pan. Boil until sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4.
Carve chicken and serve with pan sauce.

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 2 to 2½ hours Serves: 6

The classic sauce for duckling is also wonderful with roasted chicken.

• 1 roasting chicken (5 to 2 lemons 6 pounds), giblets removed
  

• 1 tablespoon butter, softened Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

• 2 oranges
  

• 2 lemons
  

• ½ cup orange juice
  

• ¼ cup dry white wine
  

• ¼ cup red currant jelly
  

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  

• 1½ tablespoons Cognac
  

1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub outside of chicken with cut side of 1 lemon quarter. Wrap all 4 lemon quarters with grape leaves and use to fill chicken cavity. Rub chicken with butter and season with
½
teaspoon each oregano, salt, and pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and roast until an instant-reading thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180°, about
1
½
hours longer.

2. While chicken is roasting, grate 2 teaspoons zest from remaining orange and 1 teaspoon zest from remaining lemon. Peel and section orange. In a small nonreactive saucepan, combine orange juice, wine, jelly, mustard, and grated orange and lemon zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Dissolve cornstarch in Cognac and stir into sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until lightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

3.
About 30 minutes before chicken is done, brush with some of sauce. Brush again after 15 minutes. Bring remaining sauce to a boil and whisk in remaining
1
½ teaspoons butter until melted. Add orange sections and remove from heat.

4.
Carve chicken and serve with sauce.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 2 hours 8 to 11 minutes Serves: 6

Seasoned bulgur wheat pilaf mix is the basis for this simple yet slightly exotic stuffing. Look for it in the rice and grain section of your supermarket.

• 1 (6-ounce) box seasoned bulgur wheat pilaf mix
  

• 2½ tablespoons olive oil
  

• 1 medium onion, chopped through a press
  

• 1 garlic clove, crushed
  

• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint or 2 teaspoons dried
  

• 1 roasting chicken (5 to 6 pounds)
  

• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

• 2 tablespoons flour
  

• 2 cups chicken broth
  

1.
Prepare pilaf mix according to package directions. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a frying pan, heat
1
½ tablespoons of olive oil. Add onion and cook over medium heat until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in half of mint. Toss with cooked pilaf.

2.
Fill chicken cavity with pilaf. Brush skin with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season skin with salt and pepper and tie legs together with kitchen string. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to roast until an instant-reading thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 180°, about
1
½ hours longer.

3.
Remove chicken from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of drippings. Add flour to pan and cook over direct heat, stirring, for about 2 minutes, until lightly colored. Whisk in broth and remaining mint and cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

4.
Spoon stuffing into a serving bowl. Carve chicken and serve with stuffing and gravy.

Prep: 45 minutes Cook: 2 hours 41 minutes Serves: 6 to 8

Nobody can roast a chicken like my grandma, but we all keep trying. Here is my latest effort to re-create her specialty.

• 5 tablespoons butter
  

• 2 medium onions, chopped
  

• 1 large celery rib with leaves, chopped
  

• 1 chicken liver, finely chopped (optional)
  

• ¼ cup chopped parsley
  

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  

• 1 teaspoon dried sage
  

• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  

• ½ teaspoon dried savory
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 5 cups day-old firm-textured white bread cubes
  

• 2¼ cups chicken broth
  

• 1 large roasting chicken (6 or 7 pounds)
  

• 2 tablespoons flour
  

1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large frying pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook for 2 minutes. Add liver and cook 3 minutes longer. Stir in parsley, thyme, sage, marjoram, savory, salt, and pepper. Add bread cubes and ¼ cup of broth and toss to mix.

2.
Fill chicken cavity with stuffing. Rub skin with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Season generously with additional salt and pepper and tie legs together with kitchen string. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and roast until an instant-reading thermometer inserted in thigh registers 180°, about 2 hours longer.

3.
Remove chicken from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of drippings. Stir in flour and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk in remaining 2 cups broth. Boil, stirring, until thickened and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

4.
Remove stuffing from chicken cavity and spoon into a serving bowl. Carve chicken and serve with stuffing and gravy.

Prep: 20 minutes Stand: 1 hour Cook: 2 hours 44 to 47 minutes Serves: 6 to 8

The Victorian-style stuffing used to stuff this bird can be assembled a day ahead. Packaged dried fruit “tidbits,” found in the dried fruit section of the market, make it easy. Do not stuff the chicken until you are ready to roast it.

• ½ cup chopped dried fruit tidbits
  

• 6 tablespoons dry sherry
  

• ½ cup chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans, or a mix
  

• 2½ tablespoons butter
  

• 1 medium onion, chopped
  

• 1 small celery rib, chopped
  

• 1 small tart apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
  

• ½ cup chopped unpeeled kumquats or seeded tangerines
  

• ¼ cup chopped parsley
  

• ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  

• 1½ cups cubed day-old whole wheat bread
  

• 1 teaspoon salt
  

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 1 large roasting chicken (6 to 7 pounds)
  

• 1½ tablespoons flour
  

• 1¾ cups chicken broth
  

1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, soak fruit tidbits in 3 tablespoons of sherry for 1 hour. Meanwhile, toast nuts on a baking sheet until golden and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes.

2.
In a large frying pan, melt 1½ tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add to fruits in mixing bowl along with toasted nuts, apple, kumquats, parsley, pumpkin pie spice, and bread cubes. Toss to mix well. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

3.
Reduce oven temperature to 400°. Fill chicken cavity with stuffing. Rub skin with remaining 1 tablespoon butter; season with remaining salt and pepper and tie legs together with kitchen string. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to roast until an instant-reading thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180°, about 2 hours longer.

4.
Remove chicken to a carving board. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pan. Add flour and cook over medium heat, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and remaining 3 tablespoons sherry and bring to a boil, whisking, until gravy is thickened and smooth, about 3 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

5.
Spoon stuffing into a bowl, carve chicken, and serve with gravy and stuffing.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 2 hours 5 minutes Serves: 6

The lemon and grape leaves used here are discarded after cooking, but they impart a delicate, haunting Mediterranean flavor to the roast chicken.

• 1 roasting chicken (5 to 6 pounds)
  

• 1 lemon, unpeeled and quartered
  

• 4 to 6 canned grape leaves, rinsed
  

• 1 tablespoon butter
  

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  

• 1 teaspoon salt
  

• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 2 tablespoons flour
  

• 1¾ cups chicken broth
  

• ¼ cup lemon juice
  

1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub outside of chicken with cut side of 1 lemon quarter. Wrap all 4 lemon quarters with grape leaves and use to fill chicken cavity. Rub chicken with butter and season with ½ teaspoon each oregano, salt, and pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and roast until an instant-reading thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180°, about
1
½ hours longer.