I'm disappointed in myself. I burnt the broccoli. It was supposed to be broccoli and potatoes, but the potatoes were the only vegetable to survive the high heat of the oven. And even the potatoes I thought were a tad overdone, but Andy said the slight crunchy-ness of the potatoes went well with the juicy soft chicken. So I guess not all is lost, because this chicken was off the chain! And on a side note, for all you football fans, welcome back Donovan McNabb!
Ingredients:
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit October 2009 issue
4-4 & 1/2 lb whole chicken, heart and gizzards reserved
kosher salt
few parsley sprigs
1 lemon, halved
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb gold fingerling potatoes, cut into rounds
1 lb broccolini (just be careful, they cook fast)
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup beef stock (I used this on accident, but turned out pretty tasty)
1/4 cup white wine (I used a chardonnay)
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
You want to start this a day ahead so make sure you plan for it. Sprinkle the chicken all over with salt. Then sit chicken in a roasting rack and pan, breast side up, in the fridge and leave it uncovered overnight.
Next day when you're ready to cook, place the parsley springs and 1/2 of the lemon inside the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs together to close it up. Place the heart and gizzards underneath the rack, along with the garlic. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of oil on the chicken. I rubbed mine in also to get the bird all lubed up, but I don't think it's required. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Make sure 1 oven rack is in the bottom third and 1 rack is in the center of the oven. Preheat your oven to 400 degress.
Place potatoes in large bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup oil and toss. Spread potatoes out on baking sheet in an even layer. Set aside.
Roast the chicken on the center rack for about 25 minutes. Then add 1 cup chicken stock to roasting pan. Place potatoes on bottom rack under chicken. You can add more stock if the pan gets dry. This is where I accidentally added 1/4 cup of beef stock, but it turned out pretty good, so I kept it in there. Roast for about 45-55 minutes longer. You might want to watch the potatoes, depending on their size, they might be done after about 30 minutes or so. Unless you like them a little crispy on the edges, then you can leave them in for the 45 minutes, but I'd suggest just watching them closely.
Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes after coming out of the oven.Season potatoes with salt and pepper, if needed. Tent with foil to keep them warm.
Tilt the chicken so the juices from the cavity spill out into the roasting pan. Throw out the heart and the gizzards. Take chicken and rack and let sit on cutting board, or flat surface. Then strain out the juices from the roasting pan into a medium saucepan. This might be a two-man job, because it's tricky to the hot pan tilted into the strainer, but if you can one-man it, then more power to ya. Press on the solids to let the roasted garlic press through the strainer and into the liquid.
On medium-high to high heat, heat liquid for about 5 minutes to reduce just a little bit and add wine. Squeeze juice from other lemon half into mixture and stir in chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Carve the chicken and serve alongside potatoes. Spoon jus over chicken and eat!
The chicken was succulent and juicy. I'm a big fan of chicken and this was a keeper. Long process time, but it was well worth the end result. Enjoy!
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