Top Chef-Inspired Roast Chicken
How reality TV made it into my kitchen (and hopefully into
yours).
Herb Roasted Chicken, Apple-Wild Rice Stuffed Chicken and more!
By Cynthia Bowan
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I have an addiction, and it is not a healthy one.
I have always avoided reality shows—I think they basically
exploit people and, frankly, are less than intelligent. Vote me off the island
if you don’t agree with me. <GBG>
However, I ran across a show a couple months ago that not
only intrigued me, but hooked me. I couldn’t wait each week to see what would
happen. And you know the worst thing? I now have my husband and daughters
watching it. Plus, over Christmas, our oldest son, Doug, was home, and now he
watches from his home in North Carolina.
We discuss the show back and forth, and hope each week to
see the folks we can’t stand get kicked out, or, as they say, pack their
knives and leave.
Yes, I am referring to Top Chef, airing Wednesday nights at
10 p.m. on Bravo and various times in reruns during the week.
They started out with a large group of Chefs who are vying
for the chance to be called “Top Chef” and, in this run, get professional
stoves and a lot of money to start their own restaurant. Each show has a quick
event and then a longer one, and at the end a panel of judges decides who
takes their knives and disappears.
We try out best to figure out who will stay and who will
go—oh, no! I like her, hated him, so why is he still there???
You know the routine.
Along the way, we learn more about cooking as well. One
episode found the chefs cooking breakfast for athletes—but they don’t know
until they get there that the athletes are surfers...and they have to cook
over a pit. As the judges talk over the merits and the debits of each dish,
one judge brings up the fact that a famous chef decides who he will hire by
having that chef make an omelet. If it is perfect, the chef is hired.
Then there was an episode where the seven remaining chefs
were to each create a dish for one of the deadly sins. Elia, the female chef
we liked best had the sin of pride, for which she made a couple of large
roasted chickens that were carved at the table – and got kudos for having the
courage to carve them there rather than in the kitchen.
Again, during the judges’ discussions, Ted Allen from the
Queer Eye series talked about how it is not always easy to make a perfect
roasted chicken. He praised Elia’s dish.
That episode made me hungry for roasted chicken. I haven’t
done one in a very, very long time, so I decided to make one today. Right now,
the chicken is in the oven, and the aroma is wonderful. I can hardly wait for
dinner.
Roasted chicken is a dish that cries out for company. Like
the Thanksgiving turkey, it should be brought to the table with some pomp and
circumstance, and carved with finesse. Unfortunately, it is just the two of us
tonight, and we will just have to make due (sigh…<GBG>). Sometimes, it is such
a burden, but I think we can handle it just fine.
Well, with that in mind, I thought I would offer you the
following recipes. I hope you get carried away in the scheme of things and
make one of them. There are only a couple more shows in this run, and then
reruns—at least until the next group is formed.
I think you all might enjoy this series…and if you get
hooked on it, remember, it’s good clean fun (if you don’t count the episode
where they smeared chocolate on their faces <G>)… just Enjoy!
And then as always, dear hearts, CYH – consider yourself
hugged.
Herb Roasted Chicken
1 roasting chicken, about 4 to 5 pounds
1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion, quartered
fresh herbs: 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1/4 cup melted butter (not margarine)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Rub inside of chicken with lemon half; sprinkle with salt
and pepper. Add the onion quarters, dried herbs, and parsley to chicken
cavity. Place chicken in a shallow roasting pan and roast at 350° for about 20
minutes per pound.
Baste with melted butter several times. Internal temperature
should register about 175° on a meat thermometer when done. Let set for a few
minutes before carving.
Orange-Glazed Roast Chicken
1 roasting chicken, 4 to 5 pounds
seasoned salt
1 onion, peeled
1 carrot, cut in 1" chunks
1 rib celery, cut in 1" chunks
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup fresh orange juice
finely chopped green onion and parsley, for garnish
Wash chicken and rub with seasoned salt. Stuff the cavity
with onion, carrot and celery. Place chicken in shallow baking dish or on a
rack in a roasting pan. Roast at 325° for about 3 hours (internal temperature
should be about 375°).
Mix orange juice and cornstarch in a small bowl or measuring
cup. About 30 minutes before chicken is done, brush chicken generously with
orange juice mixture. Brush again about 15 minutes before done. Sprinkle with
chopped green onion and parsley before serving, if desired. Serves 6.
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 roasting chicken, about 5 pounds
2 cups water
3 to 4 leeks, white part only, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, halved and sliced
4 medium carrots, sliced
4 ribs celery, sliced
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
3 cups dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: 1 green onion, thinly sliced
Sprinkle lemon juice over chicken; place chicken in a
covered casserole or ovenproof Dutch oven with 2 cups water. Put over low heat
to bring to boiling point.
Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet; add leeks,
onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until leeks begin to turn yellow.
Add vegetable mixture to chicken with salt, pepper, bay
leaf, thyme, and 1 1/2 cups of the wine. Cover and bake at 350° for 2 hours.
Remove chicken; carve and arrange in a serving bowl. To broth, add remaining 1
1/2 cup of wine and reheat. Season broth to taste and pour over chicken.
Garnish with sliced green onion. Serves 4 to 6.
Roasted Chicken and Citrus
Salsa
(Better Homes and Gardens)
1 3-pound whole broiler-fryer chicken
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons honey
Citrus Salsa:
1/3 cup dried tart red cherries
1-1/3 cups orange sections, halved (about 4 oranges)
2 nectarines, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)
Remove skin from chicken (except for wings). Tie legs to
tail. Twist wing tips under back. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in
a roasting pan.
In a bowl combine oil and garlic; brush onto chicken. In
another bowl combine cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and black pepper. Sprinkle evenly
over chicken. Into center of an inside thigh muscle insert an oven-going meat
thermometer.
Roast chicken, uncovered, in a 375F oven for 1 hour. Remove
string from legs. Brush honey over chicken. Roast about 15 minutes more or
until drumsticks move easily in their sockets, chicken is no longer pink, and
meat thermometer registers 180 degree F. Remove chicken from oven. Cover; let
stand for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, for salsa, place cherries in a small saucepan;
cover with water. Bring to boiling; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5
minutes. Drain well. In a medium bowl combine drained cherries, orange
sections, nectarines, snipped cilantro, jalapeno pepper, and lime juice. Cover
and chill until ready to serve. Serve with chicken. If desired, garnish with
cilantro sprigs. Makes 6 servings.
Apple-Wild Rice Stuffed Chicken
1 6-ounce package long grain and wild rice mix
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms (3 cups)
2 medium cooking apples (such as Granny Smith or Jonathan), cored, chopped
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 5- to 6-pound whole roasting chicken
2 to 3 tablespoons apple jelly, melted
Apple wedges (optional
For stuffing, cook rice according to package directions,
except add mushrooms, chopped apples, shredded carrot, green onions, and
pepper to Rice before cooking.
Spoon some of the stuffing loosely into the chicken's neck
cavity. Skewer neck skin to back. Lightly spoon the remaining stuffing into
the body cavity. Tie legs to tail. Twist wing tips under back. Place chicken,
breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into the center of an
inside thigh muscle, making sure bulb does not touch bone. Roast, uncovered,
in a 325 degree F oven for 1-3/4 to 2-1/2 hours or until meat thermometer
registers 180 degree F. At this time, drumsticks move easily in their sockets
and chicken is no longer pink. When the bird is two-thirds done, cut the
string between the legs so thighs will cook evenly. Brush chicken with melted
jelly once or twice during the last 10 minutes of roasting.
Remove the chicken from oven. Cover and let stand for 10
minutes before carving. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Spoon some of
the stuffing around the chicken. If desired, garnish with apple wedges. Pass
the remaining stuffing. Makes 10 servings.
Roast Chicken with
Lemon-Rosemary Marinade
1 whole lemon, halved
4 sprigs fresh rosemary.
Marinade:
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons crushed black peppercorns or coarsely ground pepper
4 Tablespoons fresh, chopped rosemary (or 2 tablespoons dried)
Combine all ingredients for the marinade. Pour over the
chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
Place the lemon halves and rosemary sprigs in the cavity of
the chicken if a whole bird is used. Roast chicken in a 425F. oven for 15
minutes per pound. Do not open oven or baste chicken during roasting.
OR: Grill chicken for approximately 20 minutes, turning
once. Legs and thighs should be grilled an additional 5 minutes, or until meat
is not pink. Serves 4.
Roast Lemon Chicken
5 1/2 pound roasting chicken
1-teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 lemons
Preheat oven to 350F. Sprinkle cavity of cleaned chicken
with salt, pepper and thyme. Pierce lemons about twenty times each and stuff
into cavity. Place breast side down and roast one hour. Turn roast breast side
up and roast 30 minutes more. Turn temperature up to 400F. and roast 20
minutes.
OR: Microwave recipe: Turn chicken breast side down in glass
baking dish. Microwave on High for 30 minutes. Turn chicken breast side up.
Microwave on High for another 30 minutes.
By Cynthia Bowan
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Herb Roasted Chicken |
Orange-Glazed Roast Chicken |
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Roasted Chicken with Citrus Salad |
Apple-Wild Rice Stuffed Chicken
Roast Chicken with
Lemon-Rosemary Marinade | Roast Lemon
Chicken
