START UP ROAST CHICKEN...
Once upon a time i used to love all things fried, then i woke and was...lets just say i was too big for my 5ft2" height. So i got a George Foreman grill for fillets and started cooking a number of my other meats in the oven and they taste even better.
I call this my Start Up Roast Chicken cos it can accompany different meals and the left over can be recycled to make different meals from wraps to salads to sandwiches.
The key to a nice moist roast chicken is brining it before roasting. The brining process infuses it with moisture to handle the roasting process so that you don't end up with dry chicken. Add 1/4 cup of salt, black pepper, thyme, powdered garlic and chopped onions into a pot, pour in 1.5L of water and bring it to a boil then turn down the heat and allow it to simmer for 5 - 10 minutes for all the flavours to infuse. Take off the heat and allow to cool completely and strain. Put your chicken in a pot or bowl with a lid and pour the brine over it. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
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Take your chicken out of the brine and pat completely dry with a clean kitchen clot or a number of paper towels, outside as well as inside the cavity. Make a light paste with 2 tablespoons of butter, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, finely chopped fresh rosemary and garlic powder. Carefully using a knife or pair of kitchen scissors, separate the skin of the chicken from the flesh and carefully pry the skin away from the flesh. Get the seasoning under the skin as much as you can, into the drumsticks, in the cavity and on the skin until it is completely coated.
Cover the bowl with cling film and allow it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
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Set your oven to 400F or High Gas Mark, while you grease your roasting tray and prep your chicken for stuffing.
Chop up some celery, onions, carrots, garlic cloves, green pepper and a sprig of fresh rosemary. Lightly season them bearing in mind that you have already seasoned the inside of your chicken, Squeeze in juice from half a lemon. Stuff your chicken and seal the cavity with half a lemon. Cross the legs of the chicken and tie together using some cooking wire or twine. Cover the chicken in the roasting pan completely with aluminium foil and pop it into the oven for 40 minutes.
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Bring our your bird, take the foil off and carefully tilt the pan and drain the juices from the pan, (for an extra crispy skin, coat the skin of the chicken with some more butter or olive/vegetable oil) and transfer it back into the oven to another 20 minutes to finish cooking and brown properly.
Allow your chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes after coming out of the oven before cutting into it to avoid it "bleeding out" - losing all its juices and turning dry.
Once upon a time i used to love all things fried, then i woke and was...lets just say i was too big for my 5ft2" height. So i got a George Foreman grill for fillets and started cooking a number of my other meats in the oven and they taste even better.
I call this my Start Up Roast Chicken cos it can accompany different meals and the left over can be recycled to make different meals from wraps to salads to sandwiches.
The key to a nice moist roast chicken is brining it before roasting. The brining process infuses it with moisture to handle the roasting process so that you don't end up with dry chicken. Add 1/4 cup of salt, black pepper, thyme, powdered garlic and chopped onions into a pot, pour in 1.5L of water and bring it to a boil then turn down the heat and allow it to simmer for 5 - 10 minutes for all the flavours to infuse. Take off the heat and allow to cool completely and strain. Put your chicken in a pot or bowl with a lid and pour the brine over it. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
Take your chicken out of the brine and pat completely dry with a clean kitchen clot or a number of paper towels, outside as well as inside the cavity. Make a light paste with 2 tablespoons of butter, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, finely chopped fresh rosemary and garlic powder. Carefully using a knife or pair of kitchen scissors, separate the skin of the chicken from the flesh and carefully pry the skin away from the flesh. Get the seasoning under the skin as much as you can, into the drumsticks, in the cavity and on the skin until it is completely coated.
Cover the bowl with cling film and allow it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Set your oven to 400F or High Gas Mark, while you grease your roasting tray and prep your chicken for stuffing.
Chop up some celery, onions, carrots, garlic cloves, green pepper and a sprig of fresh rosemary. Lightly season them bearing in mind that you have already seasoned the inside of your chicken, Squeeze in juice from half a lemon. Stuff your chicken and seal the cavity with half a lemon. Cross the legs of the chicken and tie together using some cooking wire or twine. Cover the chicken in the roasting pan completely with aluminium foil and pop it into the oven for 40 minutes.
Bring our your bird, take the foil off and carefully tilt the pan and drain the juices from the pan, (for an extra crispy skin, coat the skin of the chicken with some more butter or olive/vegetable oil) and transfer it back into the oven to another 20 minutes to finish cooking and brown properly.
Allow your chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes after coming out of the oven before cutting into it to avoid it "bleeding out" - losing all its juices and turning dry.
Very nice, I do almost the same but with garlic salt instead of garlic since I'm not so big on garlic. I do a beer marinade sometimes, I'd love to see your version of that.
ReplyDeleteAhh, i love my garlic. I do a beer/stout marinade for beef. Recipe coming soon...
ReplyDelete