Dutch Oven Roast Chicken with Vinaigrette

I got this recipe in Bon Appétit. It’s a simple roast chicken with standard ingredients – onions, herbs, lemon but it’s the pan-juices that make that tasty vinaigrette. 

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp. olive oil divided
• 1 onion cut into eights
• 1 head of garlic cut crosswise
• 5 rosemary sprigs
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 3-4 lb. chicken
• ½ lemon
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Pre-heat your oven to 425^o.

Put 3 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven. Add the halved head of garlic, 4 of the 5 sprigs of rosemary, salt pepper and all but one piece of the onion.  Stir to coat.

Pat the chicken dry. Coat with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper inside and out. Squeeze the half lemon over it and put the lemon rind, the remaining sprig of rosemary and the 1/8 slice of onion in the cavity. Put the chicken in the pot and pour in the wine and a half cup of water. Cover the pot and roast the chicken for 60 minutes. If you’d like the chicken to be browner, run it under the broiler for a few minutes. Place the cooked chicken on a cutting board and cover with foil to rest while you make the vinaigrette.

Pour out any dripping in the pot except for 2 tablespoons. Remove and discard the onions and rosemary sprigs but save the garlic. Add one tablespoon of oil and a half cup of water to the pot. Bring to a boil and deglaze. Strain the liquid into a bowl. Squeeze out about 6 to 8 cloves of the roasted garlic into the bowl. Add the mustard and vinegar, and one tablespoon of oil and whisk. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Cut the chicken into quarters – two leg and thigh and two wing and breast. Place the pieces in a serving dish and spoon some of the vinaigrette over it. Serve the chicken and pass the rest of the sauce at the table.

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Peperoncini Chicken

This is adapted from a recipe created by Grant Melton that I found in Bon Appetit. It’s something like a sheet pan roast but with a couple of extra steps. The chicken retains its crisp skin and the vegetables cook in olive oil, brine, and chicken fat. 

Peperoncini  Chicken – Ingredients:

• 4 skin on, bone in chicken thighs
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 tbsp. olive oil divided
• 1 lb. fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
• 10 peperoncini and ½ cup brine
• 2 finely grated garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
• 1 celery stalk thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 425^o.

Season the room temperature chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan, Place chicken in the pan and cook for 13-15 minutes without turning.

In the meantime, toss the potatoes, peperoncini, garlic, oregano, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.

Turn the chicken skin side up and arrange the potato mixture around it. Pour the peperoncini liquid around it and give the pan a shake to distribute it. Put the pan in the oven and cook for 40 minutes.

When it’s done transfer the chicken and peperoncini to a serving dish Place the pan with the potatoes on a burner – medium/high heat. Add the onion, celery, and parsley. Blend and cook for 5 minutes. Pour it over the chicken and potatoes and serve.

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Milk Fried Chicken

A problem that sometimes comes up with fried chicken is this – If you just fry it until the crust is the perfect golden color the chicken might be left under done, and if you fry  it so that the chicken is thoroughly cooked, the crust might burn. The milk fried chicken cooking method solves that problem.  The chicken is almost completely cooked in the milk and after that it only takes a few minutes to brown the crust. 

Ingredients:

• 2 bs. chicken pieces
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 cup vegetable oil

For the spice rub –

• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ½ tsp. Cajun spice
• ½ tsp. sweet (or hot) paprika
• ½ tsp. garlic power

Bring the milk to a boil in a pan and add the chicken in one layer. Cover and boil it for 8 minutes (medium heat so it doesn’t boil over). Turn the chicken and cook for another 8 minutes, remove and let it cool.

Thoroughly coat the chicken with the spice rub and then dredge in the flour. Let rest for 20 minutes before frying.

Fry in batches until golden brown. Do not crowd the pan. Drain it on paper towels and serve.

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Dutch Oven Roast Chicken

It’s July and hot in New York but I was dying for roast chicken. We turned on the oven, cranked up the AC and got started. We have an old cast iron Dutch oven. It’s ugly but it works perfectly. You might be temped to cook this recipe at  higher temperatures and for a shorter time, but don’t. Slow cooking leaves the chicken juicy, and the vegetables stew at a leisurely pace in olive oil and chicken fat. It’s worth the wait. The leftovers are great for chicken sandwiches.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 – 4 lbs.)
• 1 medium onion
• 6 tbsp. olive oil divided
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. thyme
• 6 medium carrots
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 potatoes

Pre-heat the oven to 275^o.

Rub the chicken with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and coat it with a mixture of the salt, pepper, paprika and thyme inside and out. Stuff the cavity with half of the onion and tie the legs.

Cut the carrots, celery, potatoes, and the remaining ½ onion into approximately one-to-two-inch pieces, toss with salt, and pepper, and the remaining olive oil. Put them in the Dutch oven.

Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, Cover and cook for 1 hour. Uncover, raise the temperature to 375^o, baste, and cook for an additional 50 minutes. If the vegetables seem too dry add a half cup of liquid (water, white wine, or chicken stock).

Let it rest for 10 minutes, carve, and serve.

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