It taste like Chicken!!

[cape chef]

How many times have we all heard that?

Hey,How do you all like to prepare your "whole" birds?

For me..I love to simply stuff the cavity with rosemary,garlic and lemon...truss and pop it on a mirapoix,brush with olive oil,salt and pepper..more rosemary and roast till done,let rest and then make a simple pan jus and serve with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans...This is for the family and they love it. How do you make your bird sing?
cc

[ May 29, 2001: Message edited by: cape chef ]

[Kimmie]

Did you steal my recipe, cc

[cape chef]

can't say I did Kimmie!!!

But I have to admit,that style of preparing a bird is fairly universal, I guess that is why so many people love a simple roast chicken...comforting
cc

[nancya]

It sounds lovely Cape Chef. Do you brine your bird before roasting?

[layjo]

I like the herbs, mirepoix, pan sauce, and the sides! I also like to add some garlic-herb compound butter underneath the skin all around before roasting, in order to baste the flesh while it cooks!

[shroomgirl]

Yep that's the whole bird without the mirapoux. But I do throw whole garlic heads and red bell pepper hunks and sometimes whole onions in the bottom of the roasting pan...ummmmm....now I found a chicken farmer that roasts his own soy beans to feed his chickens, raises them until their 5-7# They are phenominal!!!Real honest to goodness chicken flavor, puts the rest to shame.
Gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans yep that's it...Good bread tooo for the roasted chickeny garlic.

[logose]

I stuff the inside with a quartered whole onion, several chunks of celery, bay leaf,couple of sprigs of tarragon and several cloves of garlic that has been crushed. Then I make a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic, tarragon, and parsley and rub the outside of the chicken. Slip some butter underneath the skin and put about 1/4 " of chicken stock in the bottom of the pan. Slow roast it at 325oF covered at first then take the cover off and add some halved little red potatoes that have been tossed in butter and minced garlic then a little later some mushrooms tossed with butter and garlic. Goes great with steamed asparagus and stewed tomatoes.

[kokopuffs]

As I faintly recall, the Time/Life book on COOKING OF THE VIENNESE EMPIRE or VIENNESE COOKING mentions something along the lines of it's not so much how well one can prepare beef. It's how well one prepares a chicken.
I'm paraphrasing.

[Pooh]

To avoid repeating, mine was part of another thread.

Here it is:
www.cheftalkcafe.com/cgi-local/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=000228



[ May 30, 2001: Message edited by: pooh ]

[thebighat]

I hose mine with rotisserie seasoning and stuff it into my tabletop rotisserie, set the timer for and hour and a half, and when the wingtips are black, it's ready. Or I cut it up, sprinkle it with K.C. Masterpiece seasoning and grill it. I haven't sauteed a chicken breast in how long I can't remember. Tried and liked the cook's illustrated thought.

[foodnfoto]

LTC-
Your Beer-Butt Chicken sounds really great! I plan to buy my husband a new Weber Kettle (only charcoal for us please) for Father's Day. I know he'll want to try it, especially the emptying of the 1st 1/3 of the can!
Love your recipes!
What style!

[Live_to_cook]

Lately I've been using a Cook's Illustrated technique. Brine the chicken. Toss thinly sliced potatoes in a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper.

Line bottom of broiler pan with foil. Line foil with a thin layer of potato slices.

Chop the backbone out of the chicken, push down on the breast to squish it flat. Season as you will.

Put chicken on top of the broiler pan (the lid with the slits in it). Chuck it in a preheated 475-500 degree oven. Rotate after 25 minutes, roast another 25, checking toward the end to make sure the skin doesn't go too far.

Crispiest skin on the planet, but the real bonus is the potatoes, which soak up the chicken juices as they brown.

My wife, who is pregnant, demands the dish just so she can eat the potatoes. Luckily, that leaves a bit of bird for me.

[ May 30, 2001: Message edited by: Live_to_cook ]

[Live_to_cook]

I would be remiss if I failed to add a vote for Beer Butt Chicken. It produces the most velvety, moist bird I've ever seen (too moist for some people who like to chew). But it's got the grilled flavor as a bonus. If you enjoy grilling, try it once, anyway.

Brine a chicken that's on the small side, 3-4 pounds. This bad boy is going to cook standing up on the grill, so unless you've got a bubbletop lid, you can't use a full-size 5-7 pound roaster.

Light your Weber, with about 30 briquettes or equivalent lump hardwood charcoal.

Season chicken to taste, **especially the inside**. I tend to go for a curry-ish rub, but do what moves you.

Open a can of beer. Pour out a third, into your mouth if necessary.

When the coals are ready, divide them in half and push them to the far sides of the kettle. Insert the beer can, open side up, into the chicken cavity. Arrange it on the center of the grill, adjusting the legs to keep it standing upright.

Drop a handful of soaked wood chips on the coals if you like a bit of smoky flavor.

Close lid. Let it be. Check after 30 minutes or so and add more charcoal if needed. In an hour, it should be done, check it before you pull it off the grill.

Taste the bird, and you tell me it ain't worth the trouble.

[ May 30, 2001: Message edited by: Live_to_cook ]

Brining is always the best if you have the time. But if you only have a little time, try this.
We had an Ecuadorian cook who marinated fowl in citrus -- usually orange juice -- and then rubbed it with a paste of olive oil, garlic, pepper and thyme (or other herb). I do this now and often only marinate the fowl in the citrus for an hour or so and the results are great!!
I think the citric acid toughens the skin just enough to keep the juices in the fowl. Frankly, I don't care WHY it works but the results are terrific.

[momoreg]

LTC- The beer idea is definitely unique! I grew up on a similar potato and chicken concoction, but my mother sauteed the potatoes before throwing them in the roating pan. The potatoes were crispy and juicy.

Sometimes she would use speghetti with tomato sauce instead of the potatoes. I didn't realize as a kid how weird this is. But it is tasty.