Tag: cup chicken broth

Salt-Roasted Chicken – Tastes Like Chicken

There’s no mystery why “Chicken” is one of the most popular
recipe searches ever. Everyone loves chicken, but it’s easy to get tired of, so we’re always on the lookout for new things to try.

The problem is we get so tied up in adding things, that we
forget how amazing roast chicken can be when we take things away…like
everything, except a very generous dusting of kosher salt.

When you prep a
chicken like this, and roast it in a very hot oven, the bird has no choice but
to cook and crisp up in its own juices, which results in very moist, flavorful
meat. Thomas Keller, who helped popularize this minimalist method,
argues that cooking the thighs/legs as quickly as possible in a very hot oven
prevents the breasts from drying out, and I tend to agree.

Of course, no matter
how juicy and chickeny your chicken tastes, it can only get better garnished
with a little spoonful of thyme butter sauce. I wanted to remind everyone how simple it is to make these
quick, butter-based pan sauces. If you know how to make one, you know how to
make a thousand.

The important thing to remember is that any time there’s a pan
sitting around crusted with caramelized meat drippings, you’re always only
three minutes away from a world-class sauce. I hope you give this a try soon.
Enjoy!

Ingredients for four portions:

1 big chicken, about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds

lots of kosher salt (coat the entire surface of the bird,
inside and out, with the salt, being extra generous on the breasts)

– Roast at 450 F. for 50-60 minutes

For the sauce:

1 tbsp thyme leaves

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup chicken broth (plus all extra juices from rested
chicken plate)

2 tbsp cold butter cut in 4 pieces

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne, to taste

(Note: I’m totally guessing at measurements here, since you
kind of just splash stuff in. Use the force.)

Coq Au Vin – Rock Out with Your Coq Out

Some recipes just shouldn’t be translated to English. It’s not that telling your guests they’re having “Cock with Wine,” sounds so bad, it’s just that after dinner I want them tweeting about how great the dish tasted, not how funny/inappropriate the name was.

The other issue would be one of false advertising, since I have no idea where you get an old rooster these days. I like to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs instead, which I think work perfectly here. Like all braised dishes, tougher cuts with lots of connective tissue work best, and on a chicken that would be the thigh/leg section.

Of course, someone will ask if they can use chicken breasts, and technically you can, but please don’t. They just will not add that sticky goodness to the braising liquid that the thighs will.

This really is a simple recipe, and all gets done in one pan, but there are several steps, as you build up fond after fond. Before any wine or stock hits the pan, we want a thick, gorgeous layer of caramelization, which is where much of this recipe’s flavor comes from.

I don’t want to sound cocky, but this really was delicious, and as I say in the video, the mushroom, bacon, and onion mixture alone is worth making this for. I hope you give it a try soon. And please, use the French name. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large portions:
8 oz sliced bacon

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

salt and pepper to taste

*note: after cooking bacon and browning chicken, discard all but 1 tbsp of the fat before cooking the vegetables

2 shallots, sliced

1/2 large yellow onion, diced (traditionally they use pearl onions)

10 large button mushrooms, quartered

2 tsp butter

2 tsp flour

1 1/2 cups red wine

1 cup chicken broth

6 springs thyme

– Braise for about 1 hour 375, or until the thighs are tender

Incoming search terms:

Cranberry Stuffed Game Hens – Honey, I Shrunk the Turkey

You may be wondering why I’m posting a Thanksgiving-themed video in the middle of summer. It’s a great question – I even annoyed myself with this way-too-early reminder of things to come – but I do have a great explanation.

As some of you may know, I write a quarterly article for Allrecipes Magazine, which requires producing the content months in advance, and this cranberry stuffed game hen recipe is going to be my item in the November issue. And yes, you should buy the magazine anyway.

If you’re cooking for a smaller group during the holidays, game hens are a fantastic way to downsize, without losing any of the special occasion feel. What we have is basically a miniaturized version of the traditional holiday turkey, featuring an easy, walnut bread and dried cranberry stuffing.

If you’ve never worked with game hens before, they’re very user friendly. Even stuffed to excess, they only roast for about an hour in a hot oven, and as long as you don’t overcook them (use a thermometer!), you’ll be enjoying the kind of juicy, flavorful meat that people cooking Turkey only dream of.

As far as portioning goes, half a bird makes a nice serving, but I suggest doing one hen per person. I’m sorry, but regardless of bird-size, a holiday meal without leftovers is just not a holiday meal. So, whether you’re looking for a smaller, more manageable menu, or just want to feel bigger in proportion to your poultry, I hope you give these “micro turkeys” a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Cranberry & Walnut Stuffed Game Hens

(Makes 2 whole or 4 half portions)

2 whole game hens (about 1 1/4 pounds each), fully dressed, and seasoned with salt to taste

For the stuffing:

3 tbsp butter

1/4 cup minced shallots

2 tbsp chopped green onions

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups toasted, crispy walnut bread cubes

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/4 tsp dried sage

1 tsp freshly minced rosemary

1 large egg, beaten

For the sauce:

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup fresh cranberries

2/3 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

– Roast at 400 degrees F. oven for about an hour or until the internal temperature in the middle of the thigh is 160 F. Let rest, covered loosely in foil for about 10 minutes, while the sauce is completed.