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| Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Spud Medley |
 ckelson writes, "There is nothing quite like warm roasting chicken in the oven on a cool fall day, but sometimes I am not interested in cooking a whole bird. This recipe combines the aromas and essence of a whole chicken without the guilt of throwing away perfectly good forgotten wings and thighs from the fridge or pressure to make your own homemade chicken stock from the bones. A "Half Breast" cut of meat is my favorite to use for any chicken breast recipe because you can achieve deep flavors from the bones and the meat remains moist and savory from the skin; it is also economically pleasing for the wallet, too. "
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Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Spud Medley
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4 Adults
Ingredients for Lemon Herb Paste:
Leaves from 1/3 bunch of fresh thyme
Leaves from 1/3 bunch of fresh marjoram
Leaves from 1 bunch of fresh, flat-leaf parsley
4 large garlic cloves
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Zest from 1 lemon
Ingredients for Roasted Chicken:
4 lbs. Chicken Breast - Bone in, Skin on
6 celery stalks
1/2 orange bell pepper, cut into large chunks
4 large white mushrooms, quartered or a handful of petite ones, sliced in half
3 cloves of garlic, whole with outer husk; yes, leave it on...trust me.
1 medium zucchini cut lengthwise 1/2" thick
1 large yellow onion, cut into large chunks
1 fresh red chili pepper, finely minced, about 1 Tablespoon
1 lemon, cut in half- first half of lemon cut into quarters, the other half cut slices 1/4" thick rounds.
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 whole sprigs of fresh thyme
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Directions for herb paste:
Drop leaves of thyme, marjoram, and parsley, in a food processor or blender along with garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Whiz to a shiny, green paste, set aside.
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Rinse the chicken breasts in cool water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Chop the vegetables and lemon into their respective dimensions, toss them together in a bowl with salt, pepper and olive oil. Place on the bottom of a roasting pan. These vegetables replace the rack normally used when you roast a whole bird. They are going to create an incredible jus for the roasted chicken.
4. Rub the herb paste, salt and pepper all over the chicken, but especially under the skin and slide 1 slice of lemon under the skin of each chicken.
5. Place the chicken on the vegetables, tuck the 4 sprigs of thyme around the pan and place in the oven to cook for 45 minutes or until the temperature of the meat reaches 160°F in the thickest part of the breast. The chicken will continue to cook when taken out of the oven and reach the recommended 165°F. It will be juicy, moist and most importantly, not overcooked into rubber.
6. Gently remove the roasted chicken to a serving platter and squeeze out the roasted garlic from its husk and squish; give all the vegetables a good squish in the roasting pan preparing for the Au Jus or "with juice" in French.
7. To make the Au Jus, grab a sieve and strain out the vegetables over a small sauce pan on medium high heat. Bring to boil to thicken the au jus to a desired consistency. Serve with the lemon herb roasted chicken and autumn spud medley.
Autumn Spud Medley
2 lbs. of fingerling potatoes, quartered lengthwise
2 medium yams, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 Tablespoons chopped rosemary
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon of your best salt; like fleur de sel (a French finishing salt)
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F; lucky for you, it's already at that temperature if this is cooked alongside the lemon herb roasted chicken recipe above.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, yams, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Scatter on a pan and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
4. When the spud medley is cooked, take it out of the oven; while it is still hot, squirt on the lemon juice and sprinkle with your best finishing salt or kosher salt would be fine, too.
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Posted on Oct 16, 2011 08:36am.
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| Comments |
I can't wait to make this! Sounds amazing. Thanks!
-- anan1, Oct 16, 2011 05:09pm
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This looks and sounds delicious! I'm going to try it.
-- Joanhintz, Oct 25, 2011 11:42am
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