I had a need to remember the flavor of the chicken my grandmother used to make. As I wrote in an earlier post, it was a freshly killed chicken raised naturally, free to run and snack on green grass and pasture bugs, as it should be eating. In the recipe below, which I first saw in a broadcast from a Julia Child show, almost 25 years ago, she showed us how to cook a chicken the French way, I found it to be the simplest and best way for the the natural flavor of chicken to come through and delight your senses. I didn’t write her recipe, but she was so intense in her show, stressing the fact of cooking chicken properly and telling us to show respect for the chicken, that I never forgot it! As you can see poultry is one of my favorite meats, but it has to come out juicy and tender, it should separate from the bone and the skin would be a delicious seasoned morsel that complements and enhances the flavor of the meat. I believe it should be eaten together. I know some people avoid the skin but when you have a pasture raised chicken you will find that it is not fatty and the skin is quite thin, therefore not fatty as the regular chickens. So, I bought this chicken, leaving behind a small fortune at the farm stand, brought it home and looked at it with awe. It still had its neck attached, and imagined what his feathers might have looked like. Pasture raised chicken 1 organically raised chicken 4 carrots 3 celery stalks 1 big onion 1 bouquet garni (tie fresh herbs together, e.g., thyme, sage, parley, rosemary) Salt pepper 4 tablespoons soft unsalted butter Half a lemon Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Butter a roasting pan with one tablespoon of butter. Chop your vegetables into big pieces and place in the pan to make a bed for your gorgeous chicken. Wash and dry your chicken. Salt and pepper generously inside and out. Tuck a tablespoon of butter inside as well as the herb bouquet. Now for the loving part, rub your chicken with the remaining two tablespoons of butter, and tell him you are doing this for its own good. While you wash your hands with warm water remember this is good for your skin too! Then, gently place him on top of the vegetables. Grab the half lemon and squeeze the juice on top, then put the half lemon inside the chicken to accompany the herbs and butter. Oh yes you can make it fit! Place in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, at which point take it out and baste, adding ¼ cup of water to the vegetables in the bottom so that they will make a little sauce and won’t burn. Lower the temperature to 375 degrees and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Baste again and continue cooking for another 15 to 30 minutes or until it reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. Place your chicken in a platter and let it rest covered, he’s exhausted, he went through a lot and wants to keep his juices in. Scoop the vegetables onto the platter with a spider tool. At this point you can serve the sauce as is or I like to dissolve a bit of corn starch in sweet vermouth and whisk into the simmering sauce to thicken a bit. You might also want to add a bit of cream. And don’t forget to adjust for seasoning. Always taste your sauces! Well, we ate it with much delight and have leftovers for my second round recipe. You know how I like second round recipes! This chicken was worth every penny, or might I say dollars…
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 08:22:24 +0000
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