Roasted Whole Chicken With Fresh Herbs And Blood Orange Sauce

Roasted Whole Chicken With Fresh

Herbs And Blood Orange Sauce

While this recipe requires a little hands-on with advance planning, you are well rewarded with the most tender and juicy seasoned chicken.

Ingredients:
Chicken and Brine:
1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)
4 quarts water
1 cup salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 sachet of fresh herbs, thyme, rosemary, bayleaf, sage, and oregano 

   all enclosed in a cheesecloth.

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Zest and juice of one lemon

Blood Orange Sauce:

Juice of two blood oranges

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare the chicken:  Make the brine by heating 2 cups water with salt, sugar, fresh herb sachet, and garlic.  Once they dissolve, add the other 2 quarts of water, oregano, and lemon zest and juice.  Let cool completely.

In an 8 quart pot or large container, place the chicken into the brine and allow to rest for 48 hours in the refrigerator.

After 2 days, remove chicken from the brine and let it air dry in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before roasting.

Roast the chicken at 350*F.  Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165*F. in the thickest part of the thigh.

Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile prepare the blood orange sauce:  In a small pan over medium heat, combine the blood orange juice, honey, sherry vinegar  and stock.  Bring to a simmer and cook to slightly reduce 5 to 7 minutes.

Whisk in butter until smooth then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve:  Carve the chicken and drizzle with the blood orange sauce.  Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.

White Cut Chicken With Ginger-Scallion Sauce

White Chicken With Ginger-Scallion Sauce

My friend has been making this succulent Cantonese poached chicken (bak chit gai) for almost 20 years with two minor tweaks. Instead of chopping it into small pieces, She carves it like a roast chicken. She also adds rice vinegar and cilantro to the accompanying ginger-scallion sauce, though it’s equally delicious without them. Available at Chinese supermarkets, Shaoxing is a nutty aged rice wine for cooking.
Ingredients:
Ginger-Scallion Sauce
1 cup (250 mL) thinly sliced green onions (4 to 5)
3 tbsp (45 mL) minced ginger
Fine sea salt to taste
1/2 cup (125 mL) canola or sunflower oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) rice vinegar
1/3 cup (80 mL) chopped cilantro
Chicken:
4-lb (1.81-kg) whole chicken
12 cups (3 L) water
1 cup (250 mL) Shaoxing cooking wine
6 slices ginger
6 green onions, cut into 3-inch (8 cm) lengths
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled, lightly crushed
1 tbsp (15 mL) fine sea salt
1/2 bunch watercress, tough stems removed
Coarse sea salt for serving
Directions:
For the ginger-scallion sauce, place green onions and ginger in a heatproof bowl. Season with salt and mix.

In a small saucepan, heat oil over high heat. When it’s very hot, about 375°F (191°C), slowly and carefully pour over green onion mixture. Mix with a spoon and cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 1 week. When ready to serve, stir in rice vinegar and cilantro then taste for salt.

For the chicken, rinse chicken under cold running water. Transfer to a roasting pan and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. (This will help the chicken cook faster and more evenly.)

In a deep 6-quart (5.5-L) pot, bring water, cooking wine, ginger, green onions, garlic and salt to a boil. Carefully lower the chicken in breast side down. (It’s okay if the back isn’t completely submerged.) Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Flip chicken so it’s breast side up. (It’s okay if tops of breasts and drumsticks aren’t submerged.) Simmer another 15 minutes. Cover pot with lid and remove from heat. Steep chicken until cooked through, about 45 more minutes.

Carefully transfer chicken to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and rest 15 to 20 minutes. (Strain, cool and save cooking liquid for Chinese recipes calling for chicken stock.)

Carve chicken into serving pieces. Arrange on a platter lined with watercress. Serve with sauce and coarse salt.   Serves 4 to 6

Chicken Noodle Soup ~ Instant Pot

Chicken Noodle Soup, Instant Pot

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small onion diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
5 carrots peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 celery sticks sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 whole 5-pound chicken giblets removed and discarded
2 tablespoon of soy sauce
8 cups of water
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces of extra wide egg noodles
1/4 cup of minced fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions:

Set Instant Pot to Saute function.

Heat olive oil and onions until onions start to soften and become translucent, 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic, carrots, and celery and saute for another minute.

Add whole chicken to Instant Pot, followed by water, soy sauce, 2 teaspoon of salt and several turns of freshly ground pepper.

Turn off Saute function, lock Instant Pot lid in place, make sure pressure valve is set to sealing and set Instant Pot to High Pressure for 20 minutes, via manual mode.

Instant Pot will take 15-20 minutes to come to pressure, then will countdown from 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes at high pressure, Instant Pot will beep and switch to keep warm mode.

Turn pressure release valve to Quick Release pressure.

Carefully open Instant Pot, keeping lid angled away from you to avoid the very hot steam.

Remove whole chicken and set aside to shred.
Turn Instant Pot back to Saute function and let chicken broth come to a boil.

Stir in egg noodles and let cook for about 5 minutes.

While noodles are cooking, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces discarding bones and skin.
Once noodles are cooked, stir in chicken meat and fresh parsley.

Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken In A Pot With Preserved Lemon And Garlic

Chicken In A Pot With

Preserved Lemon And Garlic

Ingredients:
½ salt-preserved lemon, rinsed well (see note)
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup olive oil
16 small peeled potatoes (white or sweet) or 2 large 

   peeled potatoes cut into 16 pieces
16 small onions or shallots, peeled and trimmed
8 carrots, peeled and quartered
4 stalks celery, trimmed and quartered
4 heads garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs Italian parsley
2 sprigs rosemary
1 chicken, whole or cut up
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup white wine

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove zest from preserved lemon and cut zest into small squares; save pulp for another use. Bring 1 cup water and the sugar to a boil, drop in zest and cook 1 minute; drain and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add vegetables and garlic, season with salt and pepper and sauté until brown on all sides. (If necessary, do this in 2 batches.) Spoon vegetables into a 4 1/2- to 5-quart lidded Dutch oven and stir in herbs and lemon zest.

Return skillet to heat, add another tablespoon of oil and brown chicken on all sides, seasoning it with salt and pepper as it cooks. Tuck chicken into casserole, surrounding it with vegetables. Mix together the broth, wine and remaining olive oil and pour it over chicken and vegetables.

Mix flour with enough hot water (about 3/4 cup) to make a malleable dough. On a floured surface, work dough into a sausage; place dough on rim of casserole. Press lid onto dough to seal casserole. 

Bake 55 minutes. To break seal, work the point of a screwdriver between pot and lid. If chicken is whole, quarter it. Chicken may be served in the pot or arranged with vegetables on a serving platter.

Recipe of Dorie Greenspan.