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The Basics: Roast Chicken

partysugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:00:28 -0700

Although it may seem complicated, roast chicken is in fact a pretty fast and easy dinner. All you have to do is season the chicken well and throw it in the oven for about an hour. The resulting dish is classic, elegant, comforting, and delicious! It also fills your house with a wonderfully satisfying aroma.

When I make roast chicken, I like to use different herbs and spices. Normally I'll combine them with butter and olive oil and then rub the chicken's skin with the mixture. This technique ensures a seasoned and flavorful skin and moist, juicy interior. To check out my basic recipe that can be adapted to suit your family's needs, read more.

Roast Chicken
Original Recipe

If you have time, take the bird out of the fridge about 25 minutes before you plan on roasting it.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used parsley, thyme, and basil)
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, sliced in half
1/2 cup celery leaves
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, chopped into chunks
1 celery stalk, chopped into chunks
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Combine the garlic, herbs, butter, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season well with salt and pepper.
Wash the chicken and dry thoroughly, patting with paper towels.
Season the cavity and outside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon, celery leaves, and a few pieces of onion.
Throw the remaining onions, carrots, and celery into a roast pan. This will act as a bed for the chicken.
Rub the entire chicken with the herb butter mixture. Slide your fingers under the skin and stuff some herb butter inside.
Set the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Pour the chicken broth and white wine into the roasting pan.
Place in the oven and roast until the skin is deep golden brown and crisp, about an hour to an hour and a half. To see if the chicken is done, pierce the chicken in between the leg and thigh with a knife. If the juices run clear, it is cooked. Or remove from the oven when a thermometer reads between 160 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cover loosely with foil and let sit for 15 minutes before carving.

Serves 4-6.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

partysugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:50:35 -0700

I've had bruschetta on the brain lately, as I take advantage of tomato season while it lasts. So rather than limit my tomato and basil toppings to crusty bread, I'm adding this marinated chicken recipe to my dinner repertoire - it's perfect for a warm evening when you're short on time. This dish is cooked on the grill, then topped with caprese-inspired ingredients for a delicious, melty meal. Make this seasonal specialty.

Is Your Mother's Day Celebration Brunch or Dinner?

partysugar — Sun, 10 May 2009 01:30:40 -0700

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Rainy Day Roast Chicken With Sweet Potatoes and Onions

YumSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:15:39 -0800

This weekend was nothing but rain and the perfect time for comfort food. Browsing through Tyler Florence's Dinner at My Place, I found myself drooling over a whole roasted chicken recipe. Since the weather was bad, I didn't want to leave the house, thus I improvised his recipe with items I already had on hand. Rather than Meyer lemons and fingerling potatoes, I substituted regular lemons and sweet potatoes. I also had a couple of onions, a shallot, fresh thyme, and rosemary lying around, so I threw those into the mix.

With my adjustments and additions, I was thrilled with the final result: a succulent, flavorful chicken and scrumptiously caramelized sweet potatoes and onions. Prep for this delicious dinner is quick, but cooking an entire chicken does take time, be sure to get started early. To brighten your day with this comforting classic, read more.

Roast Chicken With Sweet Potato and Onions
Adapted from Tyler Florence Dinner at My Place

Ingredients

Roast Chicken
1 5-7 pound organic chicken
1 lemon, quartered
5-7 garlic cloves, cleaned
4 to 5 fresh bay leaves
8 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of sage
1 shallot, cleaned
Extra Olive Oil
Kosher salt and ground pepper
Sweet Potatoes
2 pounds sweet potatoes, 2 inch chunks
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 fresh rosemary spring, leaves only
1 to 2 lemons, cut in quarters
2 onions, quartered

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Rinse chicken with cool water and pat dry with paper towels.
Season cavity with kosher salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with lemon, garlic, bay leaves, shallot, rosemary, and thyme. Rub outside with oil and season with salt pepper.
Wash sweet potatoes and cut into 2-inch chunks. Toss potatoes and onions with oil. Toss with rosemary, thyme, and lemon wedges in a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken on top of the sweet potatoes.
Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes or until the juices run clear. (180 Fahrenheit)

Serves 4-6.

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How Often Do You Enjoy Candlelight During Dinner?

partysugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 06:45:53 -0800

Let's Dish: What Are You Having For Christmas Dinner?

YumSugar — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 03:00:19 -0800

Merry Christmas! I hope that you're relaxing somewhere warm and cozy on this festive Winter day. Since food plays such a monumental part in Christmas, I want to know what you're feasting on today. I'll be enjoying a roasted lamb loin, brussels sprouts, and a gingerbread trifle for dessert. What about you: will you be enjoying a longtime tradition, or trying out something new?

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Sear-iously Chic and Easy Tuna Salad

YumSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:00:57 -0700

When a friend of mine was raving about a tuna salad she'd recently made, I was envisioning old-school mayonnaise and canned tuna. So I got excited when she sent me the recipe and I realized we were dealing with an entirely different type of tuna salad. This version dresses seared fresh tuna in lime, soy, and wasabi powder for a tangy Asian flavor, which gets a creamy boost from diced avocado.The best part? While this recipe sounds fancier and uses more gourmet ingredients than a classic tuna salad, it's just as easy to whip up. I made it one night after work, and the whole process took less than 20 minutes. I don't know what was more jaw-dropping: the simple preparation or the irresistible flavor. The chunky tuna is quite filling, so served over lettuce with some crackers, this is a highly satisfying weeknight dinner. To get the recipe, read more.

Tuna Salad
From Ina Garten

Ingredients

2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus extra for sprinkling
2 limes, zest grated
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1 to 2 ripe Hass avocados, medium diced
1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
1/4 cup red onion, small diced

Directions

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot sauté pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce, and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.
Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Serves 4.

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Tyler Florence Makes the Ultimate Dinner

partysugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:00:19 -0700

At Tyler Florence's demonstration at the NYC Wine and Food Festival, Florence taught the crowd how to make the ultimate birthday dinner. It was the exact dinner he made for his wife on her birthday! The boyishly handsome chef has had a busy year. Not only did his wife give birth to a baby girl, but he also released two new cookbooks, opened a kitchenware store in Northern California, and filmed an upcoming season of Tyler's Ultimate, all while making appearances and doing demonstrations.

His special dinner menu - which is ideal for the holiday season - consisted of beef tenderloin with Béarnaise sauce, Brussels sprout and fingerling potato hash, and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. To see what Tyler had to say about this menu, read more.

Instead of a regular round cake, Florence recommends making a long, rectangular cake (I loved this idea and am doing it the next time I make cake). Pour the cake batter into a large cookie sheet. Bake as you would any cake. Remove from the oven and cut into three even rectangles. Layer frosting between the pieces.
Beef tenderloin is a great cut of meat when feeding a crowd.
"Color equals flavor." To maximize the flavor of the beef, Tyler sears it in a smoking pan. Then he roasts it in the oven until finished.
Always add fresh herbs. Dried herbs don't do much to a dish. Fresh herbs, on the other hand, make a dish fragrant and delicious.
Be cleaver with garnishes. Florence refers to the process of making food beautiful as "culinary pyrotechnics."
Make the Béarnaise sauce in the blender. It's quick and easy.
For the fluffiest frosting, always stir or mix with a wire whisk.
Take the beef out of the oven when the temperature reads 125°F. While the meat rests, its temperature will rise to 130°F.

What's your go-to menu for special occasions? What do you think of Tyler Florence's menu and tips?

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Do You Prefer an Early or Late Dinner?

partysugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:23:01 -0700

The other day I was coming home from the pool with my dad around 5 p.m. We drove by a crowded Italian restaurant and I couldn't help but wonder, what type of person eats dinner at 5 in the afternoon? Of course, if these diners knew my father and I wouldn't sit down to dinner until 9:30, they would be wondering the same thing about me! So I want to know, which do you prefer? An early or late dinner?

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Duck, It's What's For Dinner

YumSugar — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:00:20 -0700

Last weekend, I met up with some friends at a nearby butcher shop. The place is known for quality meats, and on this particular morning the duck legs looked mighty tasty. So I picked up a pair of them and went home for a cooking adventure.

I came across a recipe for roasted duck breast, but I adapted it to suit the legs. However, as much as I love dark meat, I think breasts would actually have been a better choice. It's a nice pairing of fresh plums and duck, and actually comes together in a short amount of time. To see how to put it together for yourself, read more.

Note: Bon Appétit called this recipe "roasted," but I think they actually meant to say "fried in its own fat." The duck skin actually lets out quite a bit of grease, and if you're not careful it'll pool up. For my execution, I halved the recipe and used two duck legs instead.

Duck Breasts With Grilled Plums
From Bon Appétit, June 2008

Ingredients

4 12- to 14-ounce boneless Muscovy duck breast halves, trimmed of excess fat
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
6 firm but ripe Santa Rosa plums or other purple plums, halved, pitted
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Using sharp knife, score skin of duck breasts in crisscross pattern (cut skin only; do not cut through meat), spacing cuts 1 inch apart.
Sprinkle duck breasts on both sides with 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and chill.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) [I used an indoor grillpan on my stovetop].
Toss plum halves, olive oil, sugar, 1 teaspoon thyme, remaining 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl.
Grill plum halves, cut side down, until grill marks appear and plums begin to soften, about 4 minutes.
Turn plums over and grill, skin side down, until skin begins to soften but plums still retain their shape, about 4 minutes.
Transfer plums to bowl. Cover with foil and let stand while cooking duck.
Heat 2 large skillets over medium-high heat. Add 2 duck breasts, skin side down, to each skillet. Cook until skin is crisp and golden, about 7 minutes.
Turn duck breasts over and cook to desired doneness, about 8 minutes longer for medium-rare.
Remove from heat and let duck rest 5 minutes.
Thinly slice duck crosswise. Divide among plates.
Place 2 plum halves alongside each serving. Drizzle any plum juices from bowl over. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons thyme and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

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