Roast Chicken with Herb Butter and Veggies

A while ago, I randomly bought a whole chicken because it was dirt cheap at the Teeter.  I put it in the freezer, where it stayed until a few weeks ago when I decided I wanted to roast it.  I haven't posted about it yet because I've had so much other stuff to post about, but I figured I needed to go ahead and write about it now since its kind of a winter-y recipe and spring is all of a sudden upon us. 

I looked at a whole bunch of recipes and techniques for roasting chickens, and decided to kind of blend a bunch of techniques.  To start with, I made a butter with lemon zest, garlic, and rosemary, and spread it under the skin.  I stuffed the cavity with half an onion, half a lemon, and some rosemary sprigs.  I decided to truss it because so many people said it helps the chicken cook more evenly.

Interestingly enough, I also found out that some people swear by preheating the roasting pan with the oven.  This helps the thighs get a head start, which keeps them from being underdone when the breast is ready to come out.  So, I decided to give it a try, and preheated the pan in a  425 degree oven.  When it was ready, in went the chicken.

The skin was kind of torn, so that pin is kind of holding it in place. My mom taught me this trick.

In the meantime, I got the veggies ready by cutting them all down to about the same size. I decided to go with fennel, carrots, pearl onions, potatoes, and whole garlic cloves.  I lightly tossed them in some EVO, salt, and pepper.

 

After about 20 minutes at 425, I took the chicken out, laid the veggies down (yes, I used a rack), and replaced the chicken. Turned the temperature down to about 375, and added some more butter on top.

I roasted the chicken about another hour ( I can't remember exactly how much time it took).  Don't forget to baste periodically.  I also turned the pan around halfway through the cooking time to make sure it cooked evenly.  When a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, or when the juices run out clear instead of cloudy, the chicken is done. 

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest 10 -15 minutes before carving. 

Although the veggies were done, I thought they needed to brown a bit more, so I put them in a Pyrex dish and put them under the broiler for a minute or two.

I made a quick, easy gravy with the pan juices, and sauteed some blanched broccoli rabe with some garlic and lemon juice, and that's it!

 

Culinary School Update: Cream of Broccoli Soup and Pate A Choux

Good for cold days.

This week in cooking class, we made brown stock and Cream of Broccoli soup.  The recipe calls for 2 cups chicken veloute, which is a roux thickened chicken stock, as my mother correctly guessed.  In class, we just added flour to the sauteed veggies, and added the 2 cups of chicken stock on top.  My friend Delia suggested that I post the recipe:

Cream of Broccoli Soup

3/8 oz butter

1 1/2 oz onion, medium dice

3/8 oz celery, medium dice

3/8 lb broccoli, chopped

2 cups chicken veloute

1 cup chicken stock

3 fl. oz heavy cream

salt and pepper

blanched broccoli florets for garnish

Over low heat, sweat the onions, celery, and broccoli in the butter, without browning, until they are nearly tender.

Add the chicken veloute (or sprinkle the veggies with flour and add chicken stock). Bring to a simmer, and cook until the veggies are tender, and the stock begins to thicken, approximately 15 minutes.  Skim the surface periodically.

Puree the soup, then strain through a chinoise, if desired.

Return the soup to the stove and thin it to the correct consistency with additional chicken stock.  Bring the soup to a simmer and add hot cream and salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish!

*This was good- it was nice and thick, and I did choose to strain mine to give it a nice, clean texture. 

~

In baking class, we made Pate A Choux.  

From this dough, we made cream puffs, chocolate eclairs, and profiteroles.

 Cream Puff.

The cream puffs were filled with pastry cream, which was then topped with whipped cream (chocolate or vanilla).

 

Chocolate Eclair.

The chocolate eclairs were piped with pastry cream, and dipped in chocolate ganache.

They were good, but really rich.

Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry

We drank a crisp Viognier with this.

For some strange reason, I've been craving a good stir fry all week.  I'm not too experienced in the Asian foods department- I've always felt kind of intimidated making even the most simple dishes. So, I've kind of vowed to myself to try harder.  This craving got to the point where I went to the grocery store and picked out some ingredients that I thought would work well: broccoli, mushrooms, bean sprouts, a can of water chestnuts.  I looked at like 20 different stir fry recipes for inspiration, and just kind of threw one together.  Here's what I went with:

Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry

2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed

chopped broccoli

quartered mushrooms

bean sprouts
1 can diced water chestnuts 

chopped basil

soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
ground ginger
crushed red pepper
ground chili powder
toasted sesame seeds

white rice

chicken stock

butter

soy sauce

I cooked the rice using 1/3 part chicken stock to 2/3 part water.  Add a splash of soy sauce and some butter.

For the stir fry: Heat about a tablespoon of canola oil in a wok or skillet over fairly high heat.  Add chicken, a pinch of ground ginger, and a splash of soy sauce.

chicken

Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Remove from wok.

In the same pan, heat about a tablespoon of canola oil.  Add broccoli and saute until it starts to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add mushrooms;  season to your liking with soy sauce, Worcestershire, crushed red pepper, ground ginger, and ground chili powder. Cook an additional 2 minutes or so.  

  veggies

Add sprouts, water chestnuts, and basil.  Add cooked chicken.  Adjust the soy sauce and spices as you feel necessary. 

all the rest

Toss in toasted sesame seeds.  Serve over rice, with Sriracha chili sauce. This was easy, healthy, and delicious!