I have many cookbooks which I love reading and leafing through from time to time, but to be completely honest, I don’t cook from those books too often. I read them, I make a mental note that I’d like to make this or that dish, but I usually don’t have needed ingredients on hand and then by the time I go to a supermarket I forget about the recipe and end up making something simple and familiar. It is rare that I find a recipe and then go out to buy food to make it. Well, this particular recipe is an exception to the rule. I saw it on my iPhone app (Food52 Holiday Recipes) and got really curious. I had everything on hand already except the chicken, so I got a big pack of three whole chickens at Costco and made it that same night. I liked it so much, that I made it the next night again.
This technique yields moist flavourful chicken with the most crispy crackling skin imaginable. The sauce is lemony, savoury and can make any grain taste like a star of the meal. I had some leftover gravy that I poured over quinoa for lunch and I did not miss chicken at all. This recipe requires a little bit more steps and skills, but it is still easy and relatively quick, only about 20 min before chicken is ready for the oven.
Original recipe can be found here
Olive oil – 1.5 tablespoons
Sweet onion, sliced – 1/2 large
Garlic cloves, lightly smashed – 4 (or 10… the more garlic the better in my book)
Rosemary (or thyme or savory… I had savory and thyme) – 2 sprigs
Bay leaves – 4
Chicken stock – 2 cups
Lemon, sliced – 1 large
Salt, pepper, chili flakes to taste
- Heat the oven to 425F.
- Using poultry shears, cut the backbone out of the chicken. Reserve the backbone for future chicken soup. I have it in a freezer ziplock bag and frozen.
- Turn the chicken skin-side-up and press down to flatten it. Season with salt and pepper.
- Now, this is an important point. Get a stovetop and ovenproof casserole or another shallow pan large enough to fit the chicken. Do NOT use a pan with a wooden handle like I did. Even though I wrapped the handle in three layers of foil, it still got totally charred, which made me very sad since I used a family heirloom pan.
- In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken skin-side down and brown well, about 10 minutes. I pressed down with tongs on the chicken for the last couple of minutes to make the skin crispier.
- Transfer chicken skin side up to a plate and pour off most of the fat except for 1.5 tablespoons.
- Set the pan back on the stove. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary (or other herb you are using) and bay leaves.
- Cook over medium heat until onions begin to soften.
- Add the chicken broth and let simmer for a few minutes.
- Add lemon slices and put the chicken on them skin side up.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and braise-roast until the chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165F. It usually takes about 1 hour in my oven. I also broil it for the last 5-7 minutes to make the skin extra crispy.
- Recipe called for straining the juices, whereas I actually absolutely loved the soft sticky onion and garlic and almost confit-like lemon that was cooked to perfection in chicken broth and chicken juices.
Comments
- The advantage of this technique is that most of the skin is actually on top and therefore it gets crispy first from the pan frying and then from the oven, so there’s almost no soggy chicken skin in the end.
- I am very scared of raw chicken, so I cook it way longer than the recipe called for. It said 30-50 minutes, whereas I cook the chicken for 1-1.15 hour and then broil for another few minutes.
- Lemon sauce-gravy is amazing. Beautiful with quinoa.
- Just remember to use an appropriate pan that can go on the stove and inside a very hot 425F oven!!!
Linda says
Have you ever watched America’s Test Kitchen or Cook’s Country on PBS. They’ve been on the air for over 13 years now, longer than any other cooking show. My daughter is one of the two main "test cooks" on it–Bridget Lancaster. You should watch it a few times and then browse the magazines named the same. They have no ads in them at all and every step is shown along the way. They also have websites on the internet. You just might find them interesting as they not only test recipes and look for the best way to fix them but they also test equipment and food available for purchase. It’s a really neat show, even if I do say so myself. Try it; you’ll like it!
Imagelicious says
I have not heard of the show, but I will definitely will keep an eye it. And I bet it’s a great job to be a test cook on that show!
Linda says
Ditto about raw chicken. I was very apprehensive when my husband made some chicken and it got to 165°. He took it off the heat, let it sit for the 5-10 minutes and then served it. It was delicious! Very tender and moist. So please do try it that way. I promise you won’t regret it. I don’t like dried out white meat or raw. If you use a thermometer you’re much better off than using time. Your pictures are gorgeous. Makes me want to run right out and buy some chicken. Thanks for sharing
Imagelicious says
Hi Linda – the problem with my stove is I think it cooks longer than regular stoves, so chicken is actually not cooked after 30-50 minutes. I do use a thermometer and usually cook it to a proper temperature. Thank you for kind words about my photos 🙂