In my opinion, chicken has such a bad reputation and for no reason! Chicken is fantastic and it can be just as special as a steak when it is prepared well and seasoned correctly. This recipe has fantastically crispy skin, loads of herbs, shallots and garlic! It is beautifully complimented by it's white gravy with its mustardy and buttery notes. YUM
The best kind of chicken is one with crispy skin and that is well seasoned. While this is a simple recipe that can be made any night of the week I will take a deep dive into different techniques you can use when seasoning poultry in another post. This recipe is made for simple deliciousness and it delivers exactly that
The trick is using cast iron pans, if you don't have a cast iron I really suggest going out and grabbing one. Their sold pretty much everywhere and if you're lucky you can find one at tjmaxx, marshals or home goods! They're rather inexpensive and truly flavor and sear food like no other pan can.
The only thing about cast irons is you do have to maintain them. It isn't like any other skillet that you can wash with a soapy sponge - in fact please don't do that! Instead you need to let them cool down, I usually add some hot water to them right after I remove my food just to allow the bits and pieces to loosen from the pan!
Then what you do is drain the water and wipe down the pan with some paper towel to get any loose bits out. Add coarse salt and use paper towel or a gloved hand to exfoliate the pan and clean it. Rinse it again and then put it over the stove on high heat until its dry! Thats it, now not only do you have a clean pan but you take one step further in seasoning your cast iron each time you use it!
Now back to the chicken, it pairs beautifully with our beetroot risotto and/or an arugula salad dressed with a lemon vinaigrette and covered in parmesan shavings! The chicken itself is cooked over herbs, shallots and garlic which just perfume it throughout the roasted process. In the end you have such a yummy chicken you truly can't go wrong. The gravy is very simple using some drippings from the chicken, chicken broth, white wine and mustard it is the perfect finishing touch to a beautiful
INGREDIENTS
· 1 Whole Chicken cut in half · Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper · 2 teaspoons minced thyme · 1 teaspoon minced sage · 1 teaspoon minced rosemary · ½tbsp. butter · 1 tbsp. olive oil · 1 tbsp. salt · ½tbsp. black pepper · 1medium shallot, finely diced · 2 cloves garlic, minced · 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour · ¼cup dry white wine (not sweet wine) · ½cup unsalted or reduced sodium chicken stock · 1 ½tablespoons Dijon mustard · 2 tbsps. heavy cream
Directions
1. Rinse Chicken and pat dry. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 30 minutes to dry out the skin.
2. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with two empty cast iron skillets in the oven as it warms up. Then move on to cutting your herbs, shallots and garlic
3. Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
4. Remove one cast iron from the oven and place over medium heat, add oil and butter.
5. Sear Chicken Halves skin side down for 2-3 min then flip to the other side and sear for an additional 2-3 min
6. Scatter the herbs, garlic and shallots around the chicken
7. Remove second cast iron from oven and black ontop of the chicken, acting as a brick. If you need to secure it further feel free to wrap a brick in aluminum foil and place it in the skillet or use some canned goods to do the trick
8. Cook the chicken for 10-15 minutes more, checking to make sure the skin is cooking evenly and not burning, and moving the chicken accordingly
9. Remove the top pan and place chicken in oven uncovered for an additional 35-40 min or until the thermometer reads 165 when checking the thigh meat
10. Allow the chicken the rest while making the gravy
11. Skim one tablespoon of the fat from the juices in the pan where the chicken was roasting and add to a sauce pan, sprinkle flour over it and cook for 3 min stirring constantly
12. Slowly add wine to rue whisking the whole time until the rue is well incorporated
13. Once the wine has blended well with the flour and butter, add the stock and mustard and bring to a boil stirring occasionally
14. Reduce heat and stir in heavy cream, simmer for 5 minutes stirring frequently until thickened
15. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with herbs if desired.