Showing posts with label roast dinners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roast dinners. Show all posts
Here in Chester we are lucky enough to have an indoor market right in the mid-town by the town hall. It is filled with some cafe's and a variety of small businesses, butchers, cheese monger, fish monger, greengrocers, etc.
They have been a God-send during this time of quarantine and lock-down. Each one are offering packages of their goods for home deliver, which has been a real blessing to me.
The other day I got a meat pack from the butcher. Geoff Hughes Family Butchers. I got the healthy eating pack which was filled with lean meats, sausage and chicken, and I added a medium roasting chicken to the order.
I have always been really happy with any meat that I have gotten from them. Contactless pay, and free contactless delivery. Safe. Safe. Safe.
Just look at that beautiful roasting chicken. Free-range and organic. Lovely and plump. I decided to spatch cock it for roasting.
Quite often I will spatchcock a chicken when roasting it. There are two great benefits to spatchcocking a whole chicken.
The first is that a spatchcocked chicken cooks faster and more evenly
than a chicken left in its naturally state.
This is fantastic for
when you want to cook a whole chicken on a barbecue, but its a method that is as equally
good when you’re wanting to roast the chicken in the oven.
The second advantage is that, with a spatchcocked chicken, all of the
skin gets lovely and crispy, not just the bits facing upwards in the
oven.
Even in a convection oven, roasting an unflattened chicken won’t
give you the same uniform browning as roasting a butterflied chicken. Salty, crunchy, golden skin is one of the best
things about a roast chicken. (Tell me I am not alone in this)
So you get a nice crisp skin, whilst maintaining the moist delectability of the roast chicken meat itself. Win/win! (Complete instructions are in the recipe on how to do this.) Today I inserted a mix of butter, herbs and lemon zest beneath the skin and rubbed a bit on top as well.
On this occasion I chose to roast my chicken on a bed of chopped root vegetables, aromatics and herbs. Carrots, parsnips, onion, celery, garlic, a quartered lemon and fresh thyme.
I softened them in a bit of olive oil first and then laid the spatchcocked chicken on top. Finally I squeezed a lemon over it all.
Oh boy but this smells pretty amazing when it is roasting . . . .
I start it at a high temperature and then turn the temperature down for the remainder of the roasting, basting the chicken partway through the roasting time.
The high temperature at the beginning really helps to create a nice crisp and golden skin . . . just look at that perfectly cooked wing . . .
my favourite bit . . . that and those little scallops on the underside near the thigh . . .
The aromatics roasting beneath the chicken serve as a trivet and also help to infuse flavour all the way through that meat . . .
And then of course the butter herb mixture beneath the skin helps to insure that the meat is really well flavoured and succulent.
I served it with some of my homemade Sage and Onion Stuffing. (I made a double batch so I could freeze some for another time.) This is so good. I could eat it wih a spoon, even before I cook it.
I cooked some cubed swede (rutabaga), carrots and broccoli stems for a vegetable. Broccoli stems are nice. Just peel and cube. No waste here!
The pan juices are really lush spooned over top. This was a fabulouslsy tasty dinner!
Yield: 4 with leftovers
Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Tender moist and flavourfull chicken with a lovely crisp skin. Cooks to perfection in half the time.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium sized whole chicken, at room temperature
- 1 stalk of celery, trimmed and sliced
- 1 carrot, trimmed and sliced
- 1 parsnip, trimmed and sliced
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and bashed
- a few sprigs fresh thyme
- a splash of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 lemons, divided
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 4 TBS softened butter
Instructions:
- You will need a good pair of kitchen scissors for this recipe. Pat your chicken dry with some paper towelling and ten place it onto a large cutting board, bottom side up, neck facing you. Holding the neck in one hand, and using the kitchen scissors, cut down along the spine on one side, working as close to the spine as you can so that you don't waste any good meat. Repeat on the other side. Wrap the spine (chicken back) up tightly and freeze to make some chicken stock another time.
- Flip the chicken over on the cuttong board, breast side up. Using the heel of your hand press down firmly, flattening the breastbone (you will need to break it) so that the chicken and legs are all one thickness. I like to tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under the skin of the thigh. (see photograph)
- Mix together the softened butter along with the dried herbs, and the zest of one lemon. Loosen the skin on both the breasts and the thigh and push some of this mixure under the skin. Rub any remaining mixture on top and dust generously with salt and black pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.
- Place all of the cut vegetables in an oven proof skillet (I use my cast iron one) with a splash of oil, and cook for about 10 minutes, tossing and stirring. Add one of the lemons quartered and then the sprigs of thyme. Place the spatch-cocked chicken on top of these in the skillet. Squeeze the juice from the zested lemon over top.
- Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast for about 25 minutes. Lower the temperature to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Baste the chicken and roast for a further 35 to 45 minutes until the chicken juices run clear and the skin is a lovely golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing to serve. If you wish you can use the pan juices to make a gravy, or you can just spoon a few of them over the sliced chicken to serve. Delicious!
We had plenty for dinner on the day. Leftovers for sandwiches, some for a casserole and the bones for a soup. Roast chicken really is the meal which keeps on giving!
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One of our favourite roast dinners has to be that of Roast Chicken. We never tire of it. You have the lovely roasted chicken and vegetables on the day, and then leftovers to use in a variety of ways afterwards. Chicken salad, sandwiches, fried rice, casseroles.
Not only that, but you also have the carcass to make a delicious soup with if you are really keen and a thrifty person. A roasting chicken is really good value.
Today I spatchcocked a lovely free range chicken prior to roasting it.
Spatchcocking is a technique which gives you a succulent chicken, which is roasted in a fraction of the time it takes to roast it whole, and its not really hard to do.
1. Using a sharp pair of kitchen scissors cut down along both sides of the back bone and neck and discard.
2. Using the heel of your hand press down very firmly on the top of the chicken breast, cracking the bone and flattening it.
3. Tuck the legs in towards the breast and along with the wings, and place the bird flesh side down in your roasting tin.
It might also be referred to as butterflying. Whatever term you choose to use, what it does is give you a whole flattened bird which is easy to roast or grill.
It also cooks in a fraction of the time as a whole one. Its really not hard to do.
Today I chose to roast it on top of a bed of vegetables which acted as sort of a trivet and also absorbed some of those lovely chicken flavours . . .
Potatoes with the skin left on and cut into wedges . . . chunks of swede . . . (turnip or rutabaga)
Carrots, peeled and cut into chunks . . . onion, peeled and sliced . . .
Peeled cloves of garlic, halved and scattered amongst the veg . . . and some sliced lemon.
The garlic and the lemon help to flavour the vegetables as well . . . I also added some thyme, salt and black pepper . . .
I like to season the chicken the chicken on both the inside and outside with some salt and black pepper, and thyme.
I also push some butter and garlic underneath the skin of the breast, which helps to keep it moist and flavourful.
Because it cooks a bit faster, you can have your dinner on the table that much sooner . . .
And your vegetables are done at the same time as the chicken.
You roast it at a high temperature for about half an hour, add some chicken stock and roast for a further hour or so . . .
It really is delicious . . . tender, moist and flavourful . . . succulent with a lovely crisp skin . . .
Today I stuck a sweet potato into the oven to roast while the chicken was roasting . . . we like roasted sweet potatoes.
It was a pretty large one . . . I also cooked some green beans to serve along side. We like green beans and it really lifted the colours of the finished dish.
This is a really fabulous dish. Tender roasted chicken with perfectly cooked vegetables and some moreish lemony/garlicky juices to spoon over top. What more could you ask for?
Another Roast Chicken
Yield: 4
Crispy skin and juicy succulent flesh. The vegetables cook along with and are flavoured by the chicken, lemons and garlic.
ingredients:
- 1 medium whole free range chicken, back bone removed and spatchcocked
- 2 lemons, one cut into slices, seeds discarded, the other halved
- 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
- 3 large potatoes, unpeeled but cut into wedges
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into pieces
- 1/2 small swede (turnip) peeled and cut into chunks
- olive oil
- salt, black pepper and thyme
- a couple knobs of butter
- 180ml chicken stock (3/4 cup)
instructions:
How to cook Another Roast Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Have ready a large deep roasting dish or tin.
- Prepare your vegetables and scatter them in the bottom of the roasting dish, along with half the garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle with a bit of thyme and drizzle with olive oil. Tuck the lemon slices in amongst the vegetables.
- Spatchcock your chicken, but cutting along both sides of the back bone and removing it with a sharp pair of kitchen shears. Open out the chicken and press it down firmly with the heel of your hand. Season inside and out with salt and black pepper. Take the remaining cloves of garlic, sliver it and place it between the skin of the breast and the meat. Push a knob of butter in as well and a bit of thyme. Place, opened up on top of the vegetables in the roasting dish. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and squeeze the juice from the other lemon over top.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour in the stock, taking care to pour it around the sides and not over the skin to keep the skin crisp.
- Return the chicken to the oven and roast for a further 50 to 60 minutes or until the juices run clear and a leg twists easily in its socket. Remove from the oven, tent with foil and set aside to rest for half an hour while you prepare any remaining vegetables you might want.
- Slice the chicken and serve along with the vegetables and some of the pan juices spooned over top.
A roast chicken dinner . . . its simple really.
There are a few rules to follow when roasting a chicken, first one being, buy the best chicken that you can afford to buy. For me it is always a free range organic corn fed chicken. They taste the best. Because there are only two of us, this chicken will easily do us for three meals, and give the dog some treats also. It is affordable for us, but I understand for a larger family this might not be practical, so just buy the best chicken you can afford for your money.
Baste, baste, baste. If you baste your chicken frequently, you will end up with a juicier, more flavourful chicken with a nice crisp skin. Its simple really. You can roast it on a rack, or on a trivet of vegetables. I like the trivet of vegetables because you end up with some really tasty vegetables at the end of it. (Any root vegetable works well. Just peel and place in the bottom of your roaster, cutting them into similar sized pieces and place the seasoned chicken on top.)
Garlic and lemon work with chicken to form a trinity of delicious flavours. In this instance, the chicken itself is filled with four peeled and bruised garlic cloves, a small onion peeled and quartered, one half lemon and its juice, and a nice sprig of fresh thyme. Simple.
You can brush it with either melted butter or some olive oil, and sprinkle it with some herbs.
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme . . . just like the song . . . along with some salt and black pepper.
Sometimes I will push some butter in between the skin of the breast and the chicken, but today I was going for simple without any faffing about.
Roasted long and slow in a moderate to low oven (165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3) and basting every fifteen minutes or so gave us the tastiest results ever, and plenty of lovely juices for making a tasty gravy with. Your chicken is done when the juices run clear when pricked between the thigh and the breast, and then the bone in the drumstick wiggles easily.
Yield: 4 - 5
Roast Chicken with Lemon & Garlic
prep time: 10 minscook time: 2 hourtotal time: 2 hours and 10 mins
Buy the best roasting chicken you can afford and roast it this way, and you will aways be happy with the results.
ingredients:
1 roasting chicken, (1.75 - 2.2 KG) (3 1/2 - 5 lb.) in weight
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
4 fat cloves garlic, peeled and bruised
1 large sprig of dried thyme
1/2 small lemon
1 TBS olive oil or melted butter
1/4 tsp each salt, pepper, and dried thyme, parsley, sage and rosemary
4 tsp flour
250ml chicken stock (1 cup)instructions:
Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.
Remove
any giblets from the chicken and pat dry. Insert the sprig of thyme,
quartered onion, garlic cloves and 1/2 lemon (squeezing in the juice and
throwing in the crushed lemon) into the cavity of the chicken. Tie
legs together. Place onto a roasting rack in a roasting tin Brush the
outsides with the olive oil or melted butter. Mix together the salt,
pepper and dried herbs. Sprinkle over the chicken.
any giblets from the chicken and pat dry. Insert the sprig of thyme,
quartered onion, garlic cloves and 1/2 lemon (squeezing in the juice and
throwing in the crushed lemon) into the cavity of the chicken. Tie
legs together. Place onto a roasting rack in a roasting tin Brush the
outsides with the olive oil or melted butter. Mix together the salt,
pepper and dried herbs. Sprinkle over the chicken.
Roast
in the preheated oven for 1 3/4 to 2 hours (for smaller chicken) or up
to 3 hours (for larger chicken). The juices should run clear and a meat
thermometer inserted in the thigh should register 85*C/185*F when
done. Transfer to a platter, tent with foil and let stand for 20
minutes before carving.
in the preheated oven for 1 3/4 to 2 hours (for smaller chicken) or up
to 3 hours (for larger chicken). The juices should run clear and a meat
thermometer inserted in the thigh should register 85*C/185*F when
done. Transfer to a platter, tent with foil and let stand for 20
minutes before carving.
Skim any fat from the
juices in the roasting tin, and discard. Sprinkle flour over the juices
in the pan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for several minutes. Pour
in the chicken stock and any accumulated juices from the platter.
Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cook over low
heat for about 5 minutes. Strain into a gravy boat to serve.
juices in the roasting tin, and discard. Sprinkle flour over the juices
in the pan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for several minutes. Pour
in the chicken stock and any accumulated juices from the platter.
Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cook over low
heat for about 5 minutes. Strain into a gravy boat to serve.
Cut through any string holding the legs together. Remove anything from
the cavity (onions, etc.) and discard, tipping any juices into the gravy
pan. Using kitchen scissors, cut chicken in half along backbone and
breastbone. Cut around the natural crease at thigh to make two breast and two
leg portions. Cut the breasts in half diagonally, and cut the thighs
separate from the drumsticks at the joints.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Again going or simple, I served this with plenty of mash, some stove top stuffing and green beans. Everyone was happy. We also got a dinner of hash which I made with cubed potatoes, leftover chicken and leftover stuffing. (I served with baked beans) and I have a lovely carcass to make a soup with. Oh, and Mitzie has gotten two meals from it also. (I mix a few TBS of it with some of her dry kibble. She is in heaven!) You can never go wrong with a Roast Chicken. Never. Bon Appetit!
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