Chicken
ORDER LINKS:
AUTHOR: Cathy Erway
PUBLISHER: 10 Speed Press
ABOUT: A cookbook of 50 recipes that combines everyone’s favorite protein with the ease of cooking all on one pan, from a James Beard Award–winning food writer and TASTE contributor Cathy Erway.
RECIPE CONTRIBUTOR: Jenn de la Vega, “spatchcock chicken with ginger, garlic, and green papaya,” page 51.
Photographed by Claire Matern for Local Roots
Everyone should know how to roast a chicken. With a few tricks, you can have a flavorful chicken dinner and save the leftovers for sandwiches. Don’t throw away the bones! You can use those to make a broth, too.
You can switch the olive oil for butter. My friend Claire Matern puts a whole lemon in the carcass, while I opt for a whole head of garlic. You can do both if you want to get crazy.
Whole Roasted Chicken with Sumac and Thyme
Serves 4
| Things you'll need: | |
| 1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds 2 tablespoons sumac 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, stems removed or 1 tablespoon dried | 1 tablespoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 head garlic, split crosswise Optional: sesame seeds |
Check the inner cavity of the chicken for giblets or the neck. Save for making broth another time.
Pat the chicken dry on all sides with a paper towel.
Rub a bit of the olive oil on your hands and shimmy your fingers under the skin over the breast, still keeping the skin attached around the edges.
Drizzle the rest of the olive oil over the outside of the chicken and rub it on every part.
Sprinkle the salt, sumac, and thyme leave evenly over the bird.
Stuff the garlic head into the cavity of the chicken.
For crispy skin, let the chicken dry uncovered on a sheet pan in the fridge overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Roast the chicken on the middle rack for an hour, check the temperature. Continue to cook for up to another 30 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F at the thickest part.
Crank on the boiler and brown the skin for 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Pull the roasted garlic out of the chicken. Remove the skins and mash up the cloves with the pan juices. If there isn’t enough juice, add 1/4 cup broth or water. Scrape up the bits from the pan to mix it in.
Collect the pan juices and pour over the chicken when serving. Finish with a shower of sesame seeds.
Photo by Claire Matern
I worked with Claire Matern to help Local Roots refresh their website for their fall CSA. Every season, their inventory changes, so we needed to showcase the latest offerings as well as a few simple recipe ideas.
Chicken thighs are arguably the juiciest parts of the bird. I like them because they have this perfect flap of skin that crisps up in the oven. Here, I’ve oven-baked them with a spicy gravy using Auria’s Maylaysian Kitchen’s hot chili sambal. You’ll love this with a bowl of rice or on a bed of greens.
Spicy Sambal Gravy Chicken Thighs
Serves 2
| Things you'll need: | |
| 1 pound Local Roots chicken thighs 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped Salt and pepper, to taste |
1/4 cup Auria's Hot Chili Sambal 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup water |
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix the sambal and water in a small cast iron pan or oven safe dish.
Pat the completely defrosted chicken thighs with a paper towel.
Generously sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the chicken.
Place the chicken thighs skin side up in the pan over the sambal sauce.
Drizzle the olive oil onto the chicken skin.
Place the pan in the oven for 35 minutes, check the temperature. If the sauce has sizzled off and is not liquidy anymore, add another 1/4 cup of water and stir it around.
Continue to cook the chicken for up to another 10-15 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Optional: switch the broiler on high heat and broil for 2 to 3 minutes to crisp up the skin.
Remove the pan from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
Garnish with parsley and serve.
Let me know if you try this recipe out!
If you'd like a discount on Local Roots subscriptions, enter the code RANDWICHES at checkout.
