No spring chicken…recipes?
April 2, 2009
Sunday dinner was inspired by some hot sale items, $0.99/lb whole chicken and $1.49 asparagus. Add some mushrooms, herbs, and polenta from the pantry and you’ve got four plates for $10!
To recreate in 3 easy steps:
- Roast the chicken. Generously season a 4 lb bird with salt & pepper. Stuff the cavity with any fresh herbs you may have (I used parsley and thyme). Give a good rub with olive oil. Roast, breast-side up, at 400F for 1/2 hour. Flip the bird (with tongs), turn oven to 350F, and roast another 1/2 hour. At this point I like to flip again, baste the breast and roast another 1/2 hour to brown the skin.
- Make the ragout. Prep the veggies while the chicken roasts; cook in the last 10 minutes of chicken-roasting time. You will need: 1 chopped onion, 8 oz quartered baby bella mushrooms, 1/4 cup white wine, 1 bunch asparagus sliced into 1 1/2″ pieces (stems separated from tips), 1/3 cup broth, and a small handful chopped flat-leaf parsley. Saute the onion in some olive oil until soft. Add mushrooms and cook until they release juices. Season with salt & pepper. Pour in the wine and stir up all the brown bits. Add asparagus stems and broth. Cover and steam 3 minutes. Add tips and steam 3 more minutes. Uncover and stir until the broth thickens.
- Make the polenta. Begin the polenta AFTER you pull the bird from the oven (polenta, if let to sit, will firm up); this also gives the meat time to rest. Simply follow directions on the package. To make life easier, buy the quick-cooking variety. I cooked my polenta for literally one minute in vegetable broth and then added some fresh-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
After the bird has rested at least 10 minutes, carve away. I like to remove the breasts and slice on a cutting board, then keep the legs, thighs and wings whole. To plate, place a few spoonfuls of polenta on the center of the plate, top with vegetable ragout, and then with slices of breast meat and a chicken leg or thigh. Spoon any vegetable ragout juices and chicken drippings over the meat. Serves 4.
April 19, 2009 at 9:04 am
I am going to try this chicken recipe today. Looking forward to it.